"I actually slept with Aunt Clara..." Late at night, on a hotel's soft, oversized bed, Ethan Letherdale slowly came to. A woman lay with her head on his arm, sleeping like the dead. As Ethan gently slid his arm out from under her, she turned her face slightly, revealing a profile touched by time, yet still lush with charm. He sat up, naked, a dull ache pulsing through his skull like the aftermath of a brutal hangover. The scene in front of him explained everything that had happened. The problem was, he couldn't remember a single second of it. He'd blacked out. But he'd only had a few drinks. With his usual tolerance, there was no way he should have ended up like this. The alcohol had been tampered with. "What the hell happened..." When he got off work yesterday, his supervisor, Jason Zorn, had suddenly dragged him out for karaoke. Ethan hadn't wanted to go, but he couldn't exactly snub his supervisor. He only found out after they arrived that there was a woman with them, too. The same woman sleeping beside him. Clara Yare took good care of herself and looked younger than she had any right to. Only after chatting did Ethan learn she was already in her forties. He was barely in his early twenties, so out of politeness, he'd called her Aunt Clara. He never would have imagined that by the end of the night, he'd end up in a hotel bed with an "auntie" he'd just met. "Jason Zorn, you bastard." While Aunt Clara was still out cold, Ethan quietly got up and slipped away. The moment he stepped out of the hotel, the anger finally burst out of him and he cursed under his breath. His last clear memory was Jason handing him a drink that tasted oddly bitter when he sang. That cup had definitely been laced with something. Jason had drugged him. And beneath the fury, guilt rose like bile. He had a girlfriend. "I need to get back." Whatever happened, he had to return to his place first. It was already so late. Candace was probably worried sick. He rode his little electric scooter home, forcing himself not to think, streetlights washing over him as he sped back to the rental. "Why isn't the door locked?" Upstairs, the key barely turned before the door opened. Ethan froze. Why hadn't Candace locked up? His girlfriend's name was Candace Scurr. They'd started dating back in college, and it had been three years. When Ethan was a kid, his biggest dream had been to become a Martial Artist. These days, he only wanted to work hard, save up, and build a home that belonged to him and Candace. "He won't come back, will he~?" "Relax. I took care of everything." Only two people lived here. The place was small, a one-bedroom with a living room. The moment Ethan stepped inside, he heard Candace's voice from the bedroom, mixed with a man's, and threaded through it all were sounds that didn't belong in a conversation. What was happening in that room was obvious to anyone with a brain. Especially to someone who'd just crawled out of a hotel bed himself. Fuck. In an instant, blood roared up into his head. Ethan charged forward and kicked the bedroom door open. Candace wore nothing but a black, one-piece fishnet bodysuit. And there was a man with her. "Ethan..." Candace jerked her head around at the noise. When she saw him, her face went white. "Fuck your mother!" Even with Ethan standing right there, the man didn't stop. Ethan spat the curse and lunged, swinging a fist at the back of the man's head. "Get lost." The man didn't even look back. He snarled and shoved with one hand. Ethan's punch was knocked aside. The shove sent him flying several yards, slamming him out into the doorway. A metallic sweetness flooded his throat. It felt like he'd been hit by a crazed bull. The strength was terrifying. Ethan's eyes widened. The guy was a Martial Artist. "Fuck you!" Martial Artist or not, Ethan scrambled up and rushed him again, cursing as he went. "Ethan Letherdale! You're fucking asking to die!" The man spun around and clamped a hand around Ethan's throat, ramming him into the opposite wall with brutal force. "Kyle Luet!" Ethan finally saw the man's face. It was Kyle Luet, his old classmate. Then Ethan glanced at Candace, sprawled on the bed like she'd melted into it, and everything snapped into place. Candace had been the nursing department's campus beauty back then. If Ethan hadn't been handsome enough, how could she have ever chosen a broke nobody like him? And among her many pursuers, Kyle had always been one of them. "Candace Scurr! Why?" Kyle's fingers dug into his throat. Ethan's face turned beet red as he forced the words out through clenched teeth. "Why are you even asking? You really are stupid beyond saving." Candace picked up her clothes from the floor and looked at Ethan with a cold, mocking smile. "Besides being a little handsome, what do you have? I was young and clueless when I chose you. But I get it now. Kyle is the future. You work yourself to death for a year and still don't make as much as his monthly spending money. That's the difference." "So you're selling your body for money. That makes you a prostitute." "Being a prostitute is still better than being with you!" Candace's face twisted with rage. She hurled a wad of used tissue straight at Ethan's face. "Exactly," Kyle said, lips curling in contempt. "What the hell is being handsome good for?" "Handsome..." Ethan rasped, forcing a thin smile. "Of course... it's useful." "Useful for fucking your mom." "You want to die!" Kyle's expression sank. His grip tightened hard. Ethan's eyes bulged. The lack of air swallowed his vision, and his consciousness began to slip. Hummm...! Beneath Ethan's shirt, a complex tattoo gradually surfaced over his chest, flickering between bright and dim. ... When Ethan woke again, it was already morning. The rental was a mess, and the cheating pair were long gone. "Bitch." The wardrobe that had once been full was down to two or three of Ethan's shirts. The cosmetics on the table had vanished, too. Candace had taken everything that belonged to her. Ethan cursed, went to the bathroom for a quick shower, changed clothes, and headed for work. Stellar Group, an affiliated company of Stellar Hall. Stellar Hall was one of Double Bright Base City's seven major Martial Artist organizations. As Stellar Hall's logistics backbone, Stellar Group handled everything tied to Martial Artists: Martial Artist Potion, Equipment, even real estate and insurance, practically every related industry you could name. Beyond supplying itself, Stellar Group also sold products to the public. Two months ago, after quitting his previous job, Ethan had gotten hired as a Potion sales rep in the Serene Peace District under the Stellar Group Potion Sales Department, thanks to his pharmaceutical degree and his good looks. "Ethan, you had a pretty wild night, huh?" Ethan clocked in right on the dot. He'd barely sat down at his desk when Jason Zorn strolled over, smiling as he patted Ethan's shoulder. "When I hired you, I knew you had it in you." "Jason Zorn, you..." "No need to thank me," Jason cut in smoothly. "As your supervisor, it's only right I show you the ropes." He waved a hand like he was handing out candy. "Stick with me and you'll eat well. That account with Scarlett Luet is yours to follow up." "Scarlett Luet?" "That's right. The Seven Star Female Warrior. If you play it right, it could turn into a multi-million-dollar order. Bring the same energy you had last night. I'm sure you can handle a woman like that." Jason gave him a look that carried far too much meaning, then clasped his hands behind his back and walked away. Ethan stayed at his desk, frowning. A Seven Star Warrior definitely had money, and they burned through Potion like water. A multi-million-dollar deal wasn't impossible. But if it was really that good, why would Jason hand it to Ethan? In truth, almost everyone in Sales Division Three had tried to reach Scarlett Luet already, and nobody had closed. It was a trash lead. "Handle her, huh..." Ethan's gaze sharpened, a fierce heat rising behind his eyes. Scarlett Luet was Kyle Luet's mother.