Chapter 328: Chapter 328: The Wordless Message

Even though Ethan’s parents had learned the truth behind the scenes and identified the mastermind… At first, his father had only investigated the surface, but his influence was not small, and it did not take long to unearth the Central Organization of Ruling Elites, abbreviated as CORE. However, CORE was not an entity they could simply overthrow using their current power.

The accident involving Ethan’s parents was a premeditated arrangement. In the split second before their car plummeted off the cliff, they likely realized there was no surviving the clutches of CORE.

How could they peacefully close their eyes when the enemies who murdered their mentor and harmed them were still roaming freely, beyond the reach of the law? How could they give up when their only son was still so innocent, completely unaware of the pack of wolves prowling just outside the door?

They were using the most agonizing method imaginable to pass on their final dying wish.

Julian Sterling had always thought his own life was exhausting enough, that he had grown accustomed to the most painful things. But perhaps… the story of Ethan Caldwell’s parents was simply too heartbreaking, or perhaps because these were the beloved family members of the man Julian loved, he could no longer hold back his emotions.

Julian wrapped his arms tightly around Ethan Caldwell’s neck, gently using his own body heat to warm his man.

“That day…” Ethan Caldwell took a deep breath, desperately trying to steady the trembling in his vocal cords: “After seeing the frantic spiking of the vital signs on the monitor, I understood everything. The doctors and nurses were in a panic, completely at a loss for what to do. Grandpa Arthur stood beside them, his face deathly pale. I was the only one… I did one thing.”

The secret underground room fell silent, leaving only the urgent, rhythmic beeping of the medical equipment. The twenty-year-old Ethan Caldwell slowly bent down. He brought his lips close to the already cold ear of his mother, and then close to the ear of his father. In the calmest, coldest, yet most resolute tone he had ever possessed in his entire life, Ethan whispered into their unconscious void.

Julian Sterling held his breath. The entire room seemed to plunge into an ethereal, surreal realm.

Ethan Caldwell smiled. It was a smile of profound relief, desolate yet extraordinarily beautiful: “They passed away. I believe they must have felt incredibly relieved as well. The deafening alarms of all those machines fell completely silent.”

Beep… a long, unending drone.

The naked truth was entirely exposed. The mysteries regarding the timeline, Ethan Caldwell’s forced maturation, and the helpless reluctance of Grandpa Arthur… absolutely everything revolved around one single word: CORE.

The Sterling family did not need Julian, but this man needed him.

“Ethan.” Julian Sterling suddenly called his name, his voice no longer soft and pleading, but remarkably deep, calm, and resolute.

Julian Sterling’s small hand reached up, gently touching the sharp, angular contours of Ethan’s face. Julian’s thumb softly wiped away the rare trace of a tear still lingering at the corner of the man’s eye.

In the quiet space, the solemn vow of a fragile youth carried a sheer weight capable of shaking heaven and earth. Ethan Caldwell stared deeply into Julian’s stubbornly resilient eyes. The corners of his lips finally, slowly curled into the most genuine arc they had formed all night. Ethan leaned down and fiercely claimed those lush, red lips, using an intensely deep, powerful, and passionate kiss to seal the blood and flesh pact forged between the two of them.

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