[Some time ago]
Ethan sat alone at the dining table, quietly eating breakfast in the house that had long since ceased to feel like a home.
He was alone because there was no one left to share his blood. Not even his mother.
He had killed the woman who had ruled his life as though he were nothing more than her slave. She had been cunning, ruthless, and undeniably capable. For years, she had kept their family afloat, clawing her way through every hardship and somehow maintaining her position amongst the other giants.
But none of that mattered to Ethan anymore.
Those qualities had served her well. They meant nothing to him.
Ethan had his own ambitions. He intended to carve a name for himself so great that, when the day finally came for him to marry the woman he loved, she would be treated with nothing but awe and respect.
He would give her everything the world had to offer.
