Ethan's POV
The meeting spot was deliberate.
Not too public. Not too private.
I walked in alone.
Three men were already seated. Foreign. Sharp eyes.
They watched me closely as I approached.
I pulled out a chair and sat down without asking.
"You're not Winchester," one of them said.
"No," I replied calmly.
"Then why are you here?"
"Because you're wasting your time with him."
That got their attention.
A brief silence passed between them.
"What do you mean?" another asked.
"I mean I know what you're trying to do," I said. "You want to move goods into the country. Quietly. No attention."
They didn't react, but I saw it, the stillness gave them away.
"You've been watching Winchester," I continued. "Trying to see if he can handle it."
I leaned back slightly.
"He's good."
A small pause.
"But not that good."
Now they were listening.
Properly.
"And you are?" one of them asked.
"The solution."
Silence.
"You speak as if you know our plan," another said carefully.
"I know enough," I replied. "And I know you've already been exposed once ."
That hit.
A flicker of tension passed across one of their faces.
Too fast for most people.
Not for me.
"That shouldn't happen," I added.
"You expect us to trust you?" one of them asked.
"No," I said simply. "I expect you to be smart."
I leaned forward slightly.
"You want clean entry. No noise. No leaks. No mistakes."
Their attention locked on me.
"You won't get that with Winchester."
A pause.
"But you will with me."
Silence again.
Heavy this time.
Then one of them spoke.
"And if Winchester becomes a problem?"
That made me pause.
I looked at him properly now.
"My name is Ethan Cross."
The room went still.
I leaned in slightly.
"And I'm the devil."
No one moved.
"should i be worried about a demon?"
Silence.
"In all my years in business," I continued, calm and steady, "zero scandals."
A slight pause.
"Mr. Winchester?"
I tilted my head just a little.
"Four."
That one sank in deep.
"I'm sure you don't want that kind of attention."
No one argued.
They were already thinking.
Already shifting.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out a card.
Dropped it on the table.
"The Cross Organization."
I stood up smoothly.
"You deal with me, your goods move. Clean. No problems."
I adjusted my cuff.
"And if you don't…"
A small pause.
"Take your chances."
I turned and started walking away.
Kelvin's POV
The door burst open and Aaron rushed in, breathing hard.
"Sir!"
I didn't look up immediately. "What is it?"
"He met them."
That made me pause. Slowly, I lifted my head. "Who?"
"Ethan Cross."
Silence.
My jaw tightened. "Go on."
"He met with the dealers. Spoke to them directly."
I stood up, calm, too calm. "And?"
Aaron hesitated. "He told them he knows about the plan."
A quiet breath left me, controlled and dangerous. "And you're just telling me now?"
"We just intercepted it, sir."
I turned away, walking toward the window, my hands clasped behind me. "Why is he ruining my plans…" I muttered.
No one answered.
"Those goods are ours."
I turned sharply, my gaze cold. "Everything was already in place."
Jane stepped forward slightly. "Sir, it seems he's trying to take control of the deal."
A short, humorless laugh left me. "Trying?"
I shook my head slowly. "Ethan Cross… I never planned to come after you like this. Not this early."
The room went completely still.
"But you leave me no choice."
I walked back to my desk. "Get me Eve."
"Yes, sir," Aaron said immediately, already moving.
"Now."
He didn't waste a second. The door shut behind him.
Jane looked at me carefully. "You're sending her after him?"
I picked up my glass, then set it back down untouched. "No."
A brief pause.
"I'm sending her to remind him… he's not the only one who knows how to play this game."
---
Eve stood in front of my desk, waiting.
I looked at her for a moment before speaking. "You have a new mission."
She didn't react. She just listened.
"He was supposed to be our last target," I said slowly, "but it seems he wants to be our first problem."
A pause.
"We're not stopping him. In fact, we're going to let him do the hard work."
I leaned back slightly. "Let him deal with the dealers, let him clean the path. When everything is stable, we take what we need."
My eyes stayed on her.
"Your job is different."
She finally shifted her focus slightly.
"You get close to Ethan Cross."
Silence.
"Not as an enemy," I continued. "As someone useful. Someone he trusts."
A pause.
"You stay by his side. You observe everything. You make sure he doesn't see you coming."
I tapped the desk once.
"When the time is right, we strike."
I stood up slowly.
"No mistakes, Eve."
My voice dropped lower. "This isn't a test. It's the plan."
I walked a step closer.
"You understand your mission?
Yes sir!