"Delusional!" Dominic roared. "You think you can just wipe out the Hale Family because you feel like it?!"
He jabbed a finger at Ethan, shaking with rage. "You really think we can't do anything to you? If you push us too far—"
"Dominic!" Charles cut him off sharply, then turned to Ethan. "Ethan—Dominic and Benjamin are both high-ranking leaders of the Atlas Federation. And the Hale Family is one of the Federation's pillars. We can't agree to those terms."
"You've got it backwards," Ethan said, voice even. "I'm not negotiating. I'm informing you."
His gaze was ice-cold. "I don't need your permission to kill."
Then he gave a faint, almost amused snort. "And 'pillar,' huh? If you remove one or two rotten ones, the Atlas Federation might actually stand straighter."
With that, Ethan flicked his hand.
A dagger on the ground snapped up like it had been yanked by an invisible thread, shooting toward Dominic at lightning speed.
The sudden move made everyone's heart jump.
