The golden light spilling across the Twilight Hotel's lounge began to fade, replaced by the soft blue hue of early evening. The hum of conversation from below had quieted; even the clinking of glasses felt subdued, as if the entire world had stepped back to let the two of them speak in private.
Ethan sat across from Mary at a secluded corner table, his reflection shimmering faintly on the glass wall behind her. Outside, the city glowed — lights flickering like distant stars, unaware of the quiet storm forming within this room.
He had just told her, "So, someone's watching me?"
Mary nodded once, expression calm but eyes sharp. "Yes. And not just anyone. You've been under quiet observation for weeks."
Ethan frowned. "Weeks? Why would anyone even bother with me? I'm not—" He stopped himself before finishing that thought. Not rich. Not powerful. Not worth noticing.But that was before the system.
Mary folded her arms lightly, her voice composed yet laced with something gentler beneath. "I had the same question at first. So I started pulling some strings. I wanted to know who you really were before I decided whether I could trust you."
Ethan leaned back slightly, suspicion and curiosity warring inside him. "You did a background check on me?"
Her lips curved faintly. "Of course. I was about to hire you, remember? I needed to know who I was dealing with."
He couldn't help the half-smile that tugged at his mouth. "And? What did you find?"
Mary's expression softened, but her tone remained analytical. "That you're… complicated. Your family's financial records show consistent hardship for years. Your mother works two jobs; your sister's school tuition was almost canceled last term. You've been living mostly on a scholarship at St. Helens Academy — a school that doesn't exactly favor people without deep pockets."
Ethan's chest tightened slightly. She wasn't wrong. That had been his life: struggling through polished hallways where everyone else spoke in brands and bank accounts.
"But here's the strange part," she continued, eyes narrowing slightly. "There's almost nothing about your father. No digital records, no public mentions. It's like he just—vanished from every system years ago."
Ethan's eyes flickered, though his expression didn't change. Father…He remembered the box of old cards, the faint scent of dust, the night the system first appeared. But he stayed silent.
Mary studied him a moment longer, then went on. "When I couldn't find anything on him, I assumed your family had fallen out with their relatives. That maybe you'd been cut off from an inheritance. Especially when I noticed your spending pattern recently."
She gave him a pointed look. "Two weeks ago, your bank account started showing transactions completely inconsistent with your previous life. Tens of thousands spent on clothes, vehicles, cash transfers. That kind of leap usually means one thing — a hidden fund or a recovered asset."
Ethan gave a quiet, neutral laugh. "You think my family threw me out of their fortune and I just found my way back?"
Mary shrugged elegantly. "It was the most logical assumption. It happens all the time in this city."
He didn't answer. He couldn't. The truth — that his life had been rewritten by a supernatural system — was something no one could understand. So he let her believe what she wanted.
Mary sighed softly, the tension in her shoulders easing. "But now I know that's not it."
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"I looked deeper," she said quietly. "Into your school life. Into the people around you. That's when I found her."
He went still. "Lena."
Mary nodded. "Your ex-girlfriend."
The way she said it was clinical, but her eyes softened. "You really don't know how much that girl did for you, do you?"
Ethan frowned slightly, unsure how to answer. Mary leaned back, swirling the last of her wine before setting the glass aside.
"When I checked your records at St. Helens, I found something strange," she said. "Most students admitted under scholarship never last longer than a few months. The school runs on reputation and money — anyone who doesn't fit that mold is quietly removed. But you stayed for three years."
He blinked. "I worked hard—"
Mary shook her head gently. "Hard work isn't enough at a place like that, Ethan. You survived because someone was pulling strings behind the scenes."
Her gaze locked onto his. "It was Lena."
Ethan froze. The words hit harder than he expected.
"She used her family's influence to make sure your scholarship wasn't canceled," Mary explained softly. "She made deals with the administration, covered part of the fees anonymously, and even convinced a few professors to defend you when others tried to push you out. She took a lot of risks — and kept her name out of it every time."
Ethan's mind went blank for a moment. Images flashed — the way Lena used to sneak him extra study materials, the quiet phone calls where she'd reassure him everything would 'work out somehow.' He had never asked how. He'd just believed her.
"She never told me," he said quietly.
"She wouldn't," Mary replied. "She knew you'd refuse her help. But she loved you enough to do it anyway."
For a while, they sat in silence. The city outside glowed beneath a darkening sky, and Ethan's reflection stared back at him from the window — a boy who thought he'd been abandoned, only to learn he'd been protected all along.
Finally, he said, "And you think she was wrong to do it."
Mary's tone was careful. "No. I think she was brave. But I also think she made a choice she couldn't sustain. Dating you meant defying both her family and the people funding that school. She must've known it couldn't last forever."
Ethan looked down. His fingers tightened around the glass in front of him, the ice inside clinking softly. "She said she left to protect me."
"She did," Mary confirmed. "And she wasn't wrong. Because now her parents have finally forced her hand."
Ethan lifted his head. "Forced how?"
Mary drew a slow breath. "There's a corporate deal between her family and Solaris Tech — which, as you probably know, belongs to the Vale family. The arrangement includes a marriage contract between Lena Fairfax and Adam Vale."
The words dropped like stones between them.
Ethan's jaw tightened. "So it's true."
"I'm afraid so," Mary said quietly. "Adam's family wants control over Lena's father's shipping routes. In return, they promised heavy investment and political favors. The engagement seals it."
Ethan stared at the table, his thoughts a blur. Mary continued, voice steady but low.
"Since the engagement was announced, Adam Vale has been… unpredictable. He's been asking questions about you. Watching where you go, who you talk to. And he's been using his connections to make your life difficult."
Ethan's eyes flicked up sharply. "What do you mean?"
Mary hesitated for a heartbeat, then said it plainly. "It was Adam who paid your landlord to evict your family."
Ethan went rigid. "What?"
"He wanted to see how far you'd fall," she said bitterly. "He thought humiliating you would make Lena 'forget' whatever feelings she still had."
The memory of his mother's tears and his sister's frightened eyes burned behind his mind. He clenched his fists slowly, knuckles whitening.
Mary's voice softened. "I'm sorry, Ethan. I know this isn't easy to hear. But you need to know what kind of enemy you're dealing with."
He drew in a slow breath, forcing his anger down. "And that's all?"
Mary looked away briefly, as if debating whether to continue. Then she turned back to him, eyes serious. "No. There's one more thing."
Ethan said nothing.
She leaned forward slightly, her tone quieter, heavier. "I've heard from one of my contacts in the education board — someone inside St. Helens. When the next term begins, you're going to be expelled."
The words hit him like a physical blow.
Mary continued, "Adam's already bribed the Vice Principal — Roland Halstrom. He's promised him a position in Solaris Tech's education division once you're gone. All Halstrom has to do is make sure your academic record looks suspicious enough to justify expulsion."
Ethan stared at her, disbelief giving way to cold understanding.
"Expelled," he repeated slowly.
"I'm sorry," Mary said again, her expression softening. "I tried to verify it twice before telling you. It's real. The papers are already in motion."
For a long time, neither of them spoke. The city lights glimmered through the windows like scattered embers, casting shifting reflections across the table.
Finally, Ethan exhaled quietly, the faintest edge of a smile tugging at his lips. "So that's how it is."
Mary studied him carefully. "You're not surprised."
"I've learned that every time I start to rise," he said softly, "someone tries to drag me back down. But that's fine. I'm getting used to it."
His voice was calm, but his eyes — sharp, unwavering — told another story.
Mary leaned back, her gaze unreadable. "Then what will you do?"
Ethan met her eyes. "Finish what I started."
The system flickered faintly beside his vision, almost as if it had heard him.
[Alert: External Manipulation Detected – Academic Data Tampering][Counter-Mission Pending Activation…]
Ethan ignored it for now. He stood, adjusting his sleeves, composure returning like armor sliding into place.
"Thank you for telling me, Mary," he said quietly. "I owe you."
Mary rose as well, watching him carefully. "You don't owe me. Just be ready. The game you're in now doesn't end at the table."
He gave a faint, knowing smile. "Then I'll make sure I win the next round too."
The two of them stood there for a moment, the evening light stretching across the lounge, shadows long and intertwined.
Outside, the city kept shining — unaware that in one of its tallest towers, two players had just changed the course of the next game.