Ethan Cole - The Unlimited System

David, Jordan, and Jessica sat around the meeting table inside Nova Tech's executive conference room. The large glass windows bathed the room in soft sunlight, casting long shadows across the polished surface of the table.

On any other day, it would have been a calming space. Today, the silence felt heavier than usual.

They had finalized half of the new hires, sent a few offer letters, and already received confirmations. One of them came from Lena Volkov, which under normal circumstances should have been exciting.

But no one was smiling.

Just outside the door, Ezra and Yamal stood guard. Neither said a word, but their presence was louder than any alarm. Trained eyes swept the corridor like clockwork. Alert. Constant. Unyielding.

Inside, David leaned forward, elbows on the table as he rubbed his forehead with both hands. His voice was low, almost stunned.

"In just two days... gunfire, threats... And now we're on the radar of one of the most powerful families in the country?" He looked up. "How the hell did we get here?"

Jordan shifted beside him, his usual grin nowhere in sight. His fingers were interlaced, resting on the table. "I've been asking myself the same question."

He glanced at Jessica, then back at David. "I thought we were building a tech company. Competing in the market. Writing code, pitching ideas, raising capital… not dodging bullets and brushing shoulders with people who could bury us."

David sighed, slumping back into his chair. "When I met Charles Weston to open Nova Tech's accounts, he mentioned something about 'Great Families'. Said we'd hear about them eventually."

He scoffed at the memory. "I thought he was joking. Like some urban myth you laugh off."

Jessica had been quiet until now. Her coffee sat untouched, cooling in front of her. She was staring at it, but her mind was clearly elsewhere—still caught in Brookville, still replaying every second of what happened.

"It's not a myth," she said quietly, breaking the silence. "What we saw… it's the tip of something bigger."

Jordan exhaled sharply, leaning back.

"I didn't even know families like the LaRue had that kind of control," he muttered. "I always thought politics and corporations were the big players. Turns out they're just the curtain."

"And the ones pulling the strings are old money and bloodlines," David added grimly.

"And Ethan," Jessica said suddenly, eyes flicking to Jordan. "He hasn't even told you everything that happened with Donald, has he?"

Jordan shook his head. "No. Just bits. I asked him last night through messages, but all he said was, 'Handled.' Nothing more."

David let out a dry laugh. "Classic Ethan."

There was a brief pause before Jessica continued, more thoughtful now.

"Even so… he's not reckless. If he's handling it this way, he must know something we don't."

David nodded slowly. "Yeah, well, I hope he knows enough. Because the LaRue… they're not the type to give second warnings."

Jordan crossed his arms, looking toward the window as if expecting a sniper scope to appear any second. "Still can't believe we're talking about this. This isn't business anymore. This is survival."

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

Another silence fell over them.

Then Jessica straightened and set her coffee cup down with a firm clink.

"But we're not backing down," she said simply. "Are we?"

David blinked. Jordan looked over at her.

Then—suddenly and almost unexpectedly—David chuckled. Jordan joined him a second later.

Jessica frowned. "What now?"

Jordan grinned. "You make it sound like we were throwing in the towel."

David laughed harder, shaking his head. "We're not scared, Jess. We're just… processing."

"We never said we're giving up," Jordan added, smirking. "Just shocked. I mean, who wouldn't be?"

Jessica rolled her eyes and smiled despite herself. "You two are ridiculous."

"We're still here, aren't we?" David said, raising an eyebrow.

Jessica looked at them for a moment, then finally smiled for real. "Yeah. You are."

Jordan leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. "Besides, I've seen Ethan take on things I wouldn't even dream of."

He glanced at both of them, a quiet confidence in his voice.

"He doesn't pick fights he can't win."

Jessica nodded. Her smile faded into something more serious—but steady.

"Then let's make sure we're ready to back him up."

Jessica leaned forward slightly, her gaze firm. "Still, you guys should filter the new hires properly," she said. "Who knows if any moles are trying to make their way into the company."

Her words hung in the air, the weight of the suggestion pressing on Jordan and David.

Jordan furrowed his brow, exchanging a glance with David.

"She's got a point," he admitted, his tone serious. "But how are we supposed to do that? I believe there is no real way to know who might have ulterior motives."

David tapped his fingers on the table, his mind already racing. "Background checks are not always reliable. If someone wanted to get inside our company, they would make sure their disguise was perfect."

Jessica nodded, her expression thoughtful. "True, but we need to start somewhere. It's better to be careful now than to regret it later."

The three of them were quiet, each thinking about how to do that best.

Jordan let out a heavy sigh. He could not think of anything. He let his hand run through his hair. "This is frustrating."

He added, "Now we're worried of everything. Every new hire, every decision—it's like we have to second-guess every step we take."

David nodded, his expression tense. "It's impossible to know who can be trusted and what's the best course of action."

Jessica's lips pressed into a thin line. "I agree. It's impossible to fully filter out the risks. But that doesn't mean we should ignore them."

David relaxed in his chair and took a deep breath. "I wonder how Ethan will settle this. He's like the troubleshooter, maybe he has a plan."

Just as if on cue, the meeting room door opened, and Ethan walked in. Everyone in the room immediately focused on him.

"You want me to settle what?" Ethan asked, his tone even but clearly edged with fatigue.

The question wasn't sharp, but it made all three of them sit up a little straighter. David, Jordan, and Jessica exchanged glances, unsure how to proceed. Up close, Ethan looked worse than he sounded. His face was a shade too pale, and the dark rings beneath his eyes hinted at more than just a lack of sleep.

They didn't need to ask. They all had a sense that he was burning himself out.

What they didn't know was the truth.

That morning, Ethan had gone through a brutal training session with Mark—followed immediately by another with Maya. Both of them held back, but not by much. Ethan wanted it that way. Needed it that way.

Because no matter how powerful the system was, it didn't mean anything if he didn't earn it. And earning it meant pain. It meant pushing past what was humanly reasonable. The ache in his shoulders and the tightness in his ribs were reminders of how far he still had to go.

Still, he didn't let any of that show.

With a slow exhale, Ethan straightened and stepped closer to the table, brushing off the lingering burn in his muscles. "Alright," he said, voice steady again. "What's going on?"

David leaned forward. "Jessica flagged something. A few of our shortlisted hires don't sit right with her. Backgrounds check out, but there's… something off. It could be nothing, or it could be someone slipping through the cracks."

Jordan nodded. "She's not wrong. It's just... hard to tell who's legit and who's a plant. You saw what happened with Donald. If someone else is trying to get close to the company through recruitment, we need to be ready."

Ethan nodded slowly, absorbing it all. He didn't rush to speak. Instead, he walked to the edge of the table and leaned back against it, arms crossed.

"I see," he said quietly. "Jessica's right. You're all right."

He looked at them each in turn, his gaze sharp despite the fatigue behind it.

"There's no foolproof way to screen every person. Some things won't show up in a background check. Some people are trained to look clean."

Jordan tilted his head. "So what do we do?"

Ethan gave a faint smile—not arrogant, not dismissive. Calm. Steady.

"You don't need to worry," he said. "If someone tries anything inside our company—or especially messes with our app—I'll know."

Jordan raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"