Lawson Price let out a sharp, cold laugh. "Ms. Hayes, Mr. Meyer, you’re both people of the world. Even if you haven’t heard of the young master’s return, surely you recognize the Spencer family crest?"

"The Spencer... crest?"

Olivia Hayes repeated the words, her eyes drawn uncontrollably to the emblem pinned to Lawson’s lapel.

She had spent years climbing the corporate ladder; there wasn't a shark in the business world who didn't recognize the symbols of the true elite. This was the mark of the Portsmouth Spencers—a family so deeply entrenched in finance, real estate, and shipping that they operated on a level the likes of the Hayes and Meyer families could only dream of touching.

Her heart plummeted into the pit of her stomach. She looked at Ethan, her gaze trembling with disbelief. "The Spencers of Portsmouth? You... you’re really a Spencer heir?"

How was this possible?

The man who had spent five years by her side, content with the steam of a kitchen and a quiet, unassuming life, was the scion of a legendary dynasty?

Damon Meyer looked like he had been struck by lightning. The dark, predatory sneer he’d been wearing was replaced by sheer, unadulterated terror. The Meyers might be untouchable in South City, but against a leviathan like the Portsmouth Spencers, they were nothing more than minnows.

Yet, he clung to his denial like a drowning man.

"How could you be a Spencer?" Damon spat, his voice cracking. "You’re just a cook! A piece of human trash!" He pointed a shaking finger at Lawson. "You—you probably hired these actors! Do you have any idea what happens to people who impersonate the Spencers, Ethan? You’re dead!"

Damon scrambled to regain his footing, his ego puffing back up like a dying ember. "If you lay a hand on me, the Meyer family will hunt you down! My father—"

Ethan Spencer sank deeper into the plush sofa, his posture maddeningly relaxed. He accepted a glass of warm water from Lawson and took a slow, deliberate sip.

Only when Damon’s incoherent screeching began to fizzle out did Ethan lift his eyelids. He cast a flat, icy gaze toward Damon, his lips curling into a smile that didn't reach his cold eyes.

"I’ll be waiting for the Meyer family’s retaliation."

Damon was caught between fury and paralyzing fear, his chest heaving, his face slick with cold sweat. He wanted to scream, but the words died in his throat.

Olivia was completely stunned. She stared at the man on the sofa—the man who was at once so familiar and so terrifyingly foreign. His handsome features were now masked by a frigid, aristocratic authority she had never seen before.

"Ethan..." her voice was a dry, hollow rasp. "What is this? Are you really one of them?"

Ethan didn’t bother to answer. With a languid flick of his wrist, he signaled Lawson.

Lawson leaned over to one of the men in black standing guard. The man reached for a large, heavy-duty insulated canteen and unscrewed the lid. A plume of white, blistering steam billowed into the room.

Damon’s pupils contracted to pinpricks. He tried to scramble backward, but the two bodyguards pinned him to the floor, holding him fast.

"Ethan! What are you doing? Don't you dare!"

Under Olivia’s horrified gaze and Damon’s frantic, soul-tearing screams, the bodyguard didn’t hesitate. He tipped the canteen, drenching Damon’s hand in the boiling water.

"Argh—!"

The howl that tore through the room was primal.

Damon writhed, tears and snot streaming down his face, his struggle frantic and useless. Within seconds, the skin on the back of his hand had turned a raw, angry red, rising into grotesque, weeping blisters before their eyes. He slumped, his body convulsing in agony, all his bravado evaporated into the steam.

Lawson pulled a silver dagger from a leather sheath at his belt. He flicked a lighter, holding the blade directly into the steady, blue flame, letting the metal glow with a dull, menacing heat.

Olivia felt the blood drain from her face. She looked from Damon’s ruined hand to the heating blade in Lawson’s grip. A primal, bone-deep terror seized her, and she lunged forward, her voice rising to a frantic shriek.

"Stop! Are you all insane? Ethan, tell him to stop!"