Introduction

Introduction

The city never truly slept. Even before dawn, the skyline flickered with restless lights, towering structures of glass and steel standing as silent witnesses to the lives unfolding below. Streets pulsed with movement, the hum of autonomous vehicles blending with the distant murmur of late-night conversations. Surveillance drones hovered like silent sentinels above intersections, their lenses flickering as they recorded the ever-moving world below.

In a place like this, anonymity was rare. Everything was tracked—financial transactions, health records, even something as simple as a gym session. And yet, despite the overwhelming reach of technology, some people still managed to exist in the gaps, slipping between the lines where no one thought to look.

Ethan had learned to navigate those spaces.

He lived by routine. Titan Elite Fitness opened before sunrise, and he was always there, arriving before the first wave of high-profile clients. He liked the quiet before the rush, the stillness of the empty training floor. The gym was not just another luxury facility; it was designed for those who required absolute discretion. Membership was by invitation only, and security was as advanced as any corporate headquarters—biometric access, encrypted client files, AI-driven surveillance.

For Ethan, it was the perfect place to disappear in plain sight.

His job was simple—train clients, track progress, and deliver results. He didn’t ask questions, and they didn’t ask about him. Many of his clients were powerful—CEOs, investors, retired military, government officials. Some had visible public lives; others were careful to remain unseen. Each had their own reasons for seeking privacy.

Titan Elite provided that, and Ethan ensured they got what they paid for.

His expertise went beyond fitness. He understood people—the way they carried themselves, the way they moved. Years of experience had taught him how to read body language instinctively, to pick up on the smallest details that others missed. He adjusted training regimens accordingly, tailoring every program to his clients' specific needs, even when they didn’t explicitly state them.

It was an environment where power dynamics were unspoken but always present. Deals were made in passing, agreements sealed with nothing more than a handshake between sets. Some clients had guards waiting outside, discreetly positioned near the exits. Others arrived alone, confident that the gym’s security was enough.

Ethan paid little attention to any of it. It wasn’t his business.

At least, that was the way it was supposed to be.

But no matter how carefully crafted a routine was, the past always had a way of catching up. It started with small things. A name he wasn’t expecting. A familiar voice from across the room. A feeling in his gut that something wasn’t right.

Then, without warning, the past would force its way in.

Some things were impossible to outrun.

Some ghosts refused to fade.

And some doors, once opened, never truly closed.

The question was never if the past would return.

Only when.

For now, the gym was just a gym. The city was just a city. His life was simple.

But simplicity was an illusion. And illusions never lasted.

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