Ethan barely made it back home in one piece.

    His limbs felt like lead as he rolled into the driveway, parking his bike in the garage with all the precision of a sleep-deprived zombie.

    He swung his leg off the bike, nearly tripping in the process, and let out a long sigh.

    His body was practically begging for sleep, but his mind? His mind was still stuck in work mode.

    He trudged inside, kicking the door shut behind him.

    The Mansion was quiet, save for the faint hum of the refrigerator. He shrugged off his jacket and tossed it aside — whether it landed on a chair, the floor, or some parallel dimension, he didn''t care.

    Collapsing onto the couch, he let out a deep exhale, his head sinking into the cushions.

    ''Just five minutes,'' he told himself. ''Then back to work.''

    Before he could fully close his eyes, his phone vibrated on the armrest.

    He groaned but answered it anyway, barely lifting the device to his ear.

    "Yeah?" His voice was thick with exhaustion.

    "Finally!" Zack''s voice came through loud and clear, immediately launching into a rant.

    "Dude, you won''t believe it. The registrations just keep going up. We passed 200,000. Do you get how insane that is?"

    Ethan rubbed his eyes, trying to process the information. "Mmm. Good."

    "Good?!" Zack sounded like he was on the verge of a breakdown. "This isn''t just good, Ethan! This is borderline terrifying! The site is barely holding up. If we don''t reinforce the servers, we''re gonna have a full-blown system crash!"

    Ethan blinked slowly, letting out a noncommittal grunt.

    He was already half asleep, but his fingers instinctively reached for his laptop on the coffee table.

    He flipped it open, the glow of the screen making his eyes sting.

    "I''ll sort the tickets," he mumbled.

    "No, you won''t," Zack shot back. "Dude, you sound like you''re about to pass out. Go to sleep."

    Ethan ignored him, already clicking through the registration system.

    "Hey, if I could, I would. Watching you struggle would be hilarious."

    Vanessa huffed but didn''t argue. She half-carried, half-dragged Ethan up the stairs, muttering under her breath about how he needed to stop working till he was out of it.

    Eventually, she reached his room, nudging the door open with her foot before guiding him inside.

    She eased him onto the bed, pulling the blanket over him before stepping back.

    Ethan stirred slightly, mumbling something incoherent, but didn''t wake up.

    Vanessa shook her head, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Idiot."

    With that, she turned off the bedside lamp and quietly left the room, shutting the door behind her.

    Zack, still on the line, snickered. "So, what do we do now?"

    Vanessa sighed, heading back downstairs. "I don''t know about you, but I''m going back to sleep. You can deal with whatever''s going on."

    Zack chuckled. "Fair enough. Night, Vanessa."

    "Night, Zack." She hung up the call, grabbed a bottle of water from the kitchen, and disappeared back into her own room.

    Meanwhile, Ethan, completely unaware of everything that had just transpired, slept soundly.

    Ethan woke up to the sensation of sunlight rudely stabbing through his eyelids.

    His head throbbed, a dull, persistent ache that reminded him exactly why Zack had been yelling at him to go to sleep last night.

    Groaning, he rubbed his eyes and sat up, immediately regretting the movement.

    The world swayed for a second, and he let out a quiet curse, pressing his palm to his forehead. "Yeah... definitely overdid it," he muttered.

    Forcing himself out of bed, he staggered forward, stretching his arms with a loud yawn before trudging into the bathroom.

    He turned on the automated tap, letting warm water rush into his hands before splashing it over his face.

    The heat soothed his tired skin, washing away the grogginess.

    As he straightened up, he caught his reflection in the mirror.

    "Huh. I look better," he muttered to himself, running a hand through his messy hair.