It was already midnight when he returned home.
Ethan didn’t go to sleep immediately.
Because the night’s events were far from over.
Anya went to the kitchen to make hangover soup.
Although Ethan hadn’t drunk much, on such a cold night, a bowl of hot soup was always welcome.
Especially for Vincent, who would be back after killing someone.
But even as the hangover soup cooled in the living room, Vincent had not returned.
He stood up and called Virel.
"Vincent hasn’t come back yet, go have a look around Albertine’s apartment, but be cautious."
An uneasy feeling welled up in Ethan’s heart.
He had planned everything out beforehand, and Marvin hadn’t left the Prohibition Bureau tonight.
Albertine had no assistance, his power couldn’t have suddenly grown to the extent Vincent couldn’t handle him overnight.
Where did the problem arise?
Or was he overthinking?
Vincent might have just gone for a late-night snack after dealing with the shadow, and they’d soon be back.
But the truth was, they hadn’t returned.
"Young master, I checked the area around there, and no one was in the car, but it didn’t seem like there were any signs of a fight either."
Virel paused at this point, his brow furrowing.
"The most crucial thing is, Albertine is still alive."
Albertine is still alive.
Yet Vincent and they were gone.
Ethan stepped forward, and Virel hurriedly tried to stop him.
"Don’t worry, I’m not that impulsive." Ethan didn’t continue moving forward; he just paced.
Who could have taken or killed Vincent and them silently?
The first name that popped into Ethan’s mind.
Solomon was a principled person; Ethan had dealt with him.
Albertine was someone he had totally abandoned; there was no reason to set up an ambush on New Year’s night.
Or rather, with Solomon’s strength, to deal with Ethan wouldn’t have required such trouble.
Who could it be then?
Names in Ethan’s mind were jumping between Sandro, Marvin, and the King of Winster.
But wasn’t the King of Winster with him tonight?
Marvin didn’t have that strength.
The incident started with Sandro, yet Sandro was with him tonight; how did he do it...
After contemplating for a while, Ethan directly called Sandro, regardless of whether he was asleep.
Instead, the person who answered was Klei.
"Ethan, what’s wrong, did something happen?"
He knew clearly that if nothing happened, Ethan wouldn’t call Sandro in the middle of the night.
"Vincent is in trouble; he’s missing."
After hearing this, Klei clearly drew a sharp breath.
"Don’t act rashly; I’ll help you investigate first."
A moment later, Virel reported that Marvin was also missing.
Ethan soon understood that if he had rashly gone to find Albertine, he would most likely have been caught by Marvin on the spot.
Marvin and Albertine must know something, especially Albertine.
And so the night passed.
Ethan didn’t sleep at all.
The shadow and Vincent remained without any news.
He had already sent everyone to search for Vincent and the shadow, even though he knew the chances were slim.
Now he planned to meet Sandro, no matter what.
Just as he was ready to leave, the phone at home rang; Anya answered it.
She only listened for a few words and immediately hung up.
"Young master, those ships have returned."
Ethan asked, immediately sensing something was wrong.
Before the New Year, only one batch of ships went out to sea: those smuggling ships taken from the Corleone family.
"The people at the pier say the men on those ships are all dead, and the ships drifted back to the harbor on their own; now, the Security Office and the Prohibition Bureau have already gone there."
At this point, Ethan understood the night’s events weren’t isolated; it was a series of coordinated strikes.
This was the iceberg suddenly rising from the calm sea.
This was the deadly blow struck by a swordsman who changes hands when faced with the opponent during a clash, amid the fierce gale.
The things he said last night were all lies.
Ethan picked up the phone and dialed Ned’s house, but couldn’t get through.
Then, only one conclusion was left: Ned already knew about this.
He had chosen to abandon his hand.
"Anya, listen to me; remember the words I’m about to say clearly. I fear I won’t return for a while..."
Half an hour later, under Marvin’s leadership, officers from the Prohibition Bureau surrounded Bolita Manor tightly.
This time, they weren’t forcibly invading because they had search warrants.
Their entry into Bolita Manor wouldn’t violate any laws.
And so, Bob, who hurried over, was left helpless.
Instead, Ethan pat Bob on the shoulder, urging him to stay calm: "It won’t be long; I’ll be back soon. In the meantime, please assist as much as you can."
Then, Ethan slowly walked towards the entrance.
In that half-hour, he had even taken the time to change into a dark green coat and tidy his hair, looking not like someone about to be arrested but like he was going to attend a cocktail party.
"I suppose you must be Chief Marvin, nice to meet you. I’m Ethan Polleta."
Ethan smiled as he looked at the man wearing a deep-purple tie standing before him.
"Ethan, I’ve long heard of your reputation; this time, we finally have the chance to invite you over as a guest." Marvin stepped forward with a laugh, speaking softly, "Pity you didn’t come last night; otherwise, I’d have had an excuse to shoot you dead."
Sure enough, as Ethan suspected, last night, Marvin was indeed waiting for him at Albertine’s.
"Arrest him." Marvin waved his hand, signaling his men to seize Ethan.
At that moment, Bob rushed out again, shouting: "Wait a minute, under what authority are you arresting Mr. Ethan?"
"Ethan Polleta is currently suspected in a bootlegging case; a large amount of contraband alcohol was found aboard his four ocean-going ships. We have the authority to take him, and yes, this is the arrest warrant."
Marvin produced an arrest warrant, nearly pressing it onto Bob’s face.
Yet Bob didn’t back down, saying, "Even so, you can’t directly prove that the bootleg alcohol belongs to Mr. Ethan. He is not the direct perpetrator. You can only sue him; instead of detaining him, you should hand him over to the prosecution."
The two argued relentlessly.
By noon, however, various newspapers had immediately published extras, with headlines generally reading: Artistic Genius Ethan Suspected of Involvement in Bootlegging, Arrested!