Chapter 92 Fragile as Time
Ethan was moving through his busy day, passing rows of desks and quiet murmurs, when a snippet of conversation caught his attention. A small cluster of younger associates leaned against a desk, talking just a little too loudly. Normally, he would have ignored them, he had grown accustomed to idle chatter and petty rumors, but today, it was different.
"...I really don't get why he even bothers with her," one said, shaking his head. "She comes from nothing. No background, no connections. I mean, really, she doesn't belong in his world."
Another smirked. "And you know it's obvious she's after the money. She has no experience, no poise... just here for the name. A gold digger, plain and simple."
"She's even embarrassed him already," the third chimed in, leaning closer. "The whole honeymoon incident, everyone's talking about it. I can't believe he's letting her stick around after that."
Ethan paused mid-step. He had heard plenty of chatter about himself before, but this... this was about Lena. The words, careless and cruel, stabbed sharper than any criticism about him ever could.
He clenched his fists, trying to will himself to keep walking, to let it pass. He told himself: Don't engage. Don't waste energy. But the thought of her being spoken about like this, the lies and judgments, they were too much.
"...Seriously," one continued, oblivious, "how long before he realizes she's not right for him? She's not capable of handling the life she's in, and he's too blinded to see it."
That was it. The restraint he had tried to maintain snapped.
Ethan's head snapped up, his eyes blazing. "How dare you?" His voice rang through the office, sharp and impossible to ignore. "How dare you speak about her like that, as if you know anything about her!"
The words hit the group like a thunderclap. Everyone froze, eyes wide, mouths slightly open, caught between fear and shock.
"You sit here and pass judgment on someone you've never even tried to understand?" His voice grew colder, sharper, but underneath it was something raw, almost unrestrained. "She is nothing like what you think. She is intelligent, capable, and nothing about her, nothing, is a waste of anyone's time. Especially mine."
Ethan stepped forward, the room shrinking under his presence. "If I hear one more word of this nonsense about her, I swear, there will be consequences. And you will answer me directly. Is that understood?"
The young associates nodded rapidly, words failing them. Even they could feel the emotional weight in his voice, the unusual fire, the protective edge that never usually surfaced.
The office was silent long after Ethan's outburst. Even he could feel the unusual heat of his chest, the tight knot that had formed there. He had reacted instinctively, protecting Lena without even thinking but now that he was alone in his office, he could feel the reality pressing in.
Hugo followed quietly, leaning against the desk, watching him with that knowing smirk. "You really went off in there," he said lightly.
Ethan shot him a sharp glance, straightening in his chair. "I was doing my job. They were spreading false information. That's all." His voice was calm, but there was an edge to it, an almost imperceptible tremor he didn't notice.
Hugo raised an eyebrow. "Sure. Totally just 'doing your job.' Nothing personal, right?"
Ethan stiffened, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. "I am the CEO. I do not allow nonsense in my office, regardless of who it's about. It's discipline, Hugo. Nothing more."
Hugo chuckled softly. "Discipline, huh? Right... you sounded more like someone who actually cared about her than about office protocol."
Ethan's jaw tightened. "I care about my employees' conduct, Hugo. That's all. And don't read more into it than there is. I do not..." He stopped, realizing mid-sentence that his voice had risen slightly. He cleared his throat and added more quietly, "...I don't feel anything personal about this."
Hugo's grin widened. "Uh-huh. Sure. That's what you're telling yourself, I guess. But the second you saw them talking about her, something changed. You didn't just want them to shut up, you needed them to."
Ethan's gaze flicked away, toward the city skyline beyond the office windows. "Hugo," he said slowly, trying to steady his tone, "I've handled countless situations like this before. There is no reason for you to think this is.." He paused, frowning, "...different."
Hugo leaned in slightly, lowering his voice. "It is different. You're not usually like that. You didn't just enforce rules, you defended her, personally."
Ethan swallowed hard, forcing himself to relax into the chair, trying to mask the unusual warmth rising in his chest. "That's... irrelevant," he muttered, almost too quickly. "It was the scandal. The rumors.."
Hugo chuckled knowingly. "Right... the 'scandal.' Sure. Keep telling yourself that. But maybe... just maybe... you're protecting her because you actually like her."
Ethan's jaw tightened, and he finally allowed himself a slow exhale. "Hugo." His tone was clipped, trying to sound firm, dismissive, but even he felt the truth in Hugo's words prickling at him. "I am not involved in any personal way. I don't like her... like that."
Hugo didn't push further. He let Ethan stew in his own denials, a faint grin tugging at his lips. Sometimes, he thought, letting someone wrestle with the truth was better than shouting it at them.
Ethan sat back in his chair, staring blankly at the skyline beyond his office window. The hum of the city below was a faint undertone to the storm inside him.
He replayed the incident in the office, over and over. The careless words, the way his associates had spoken about her as if they knew her life, her character, her worth. The disgust he had felt at their ignorance, the sudden, overwhelming need to defend her. That wasn't like him. Normally, he ignored chatter, he let office politics slide, but this... this had pierced something deeper.
It unsettled him. That he had reacted so viscerally, so personally. That he had defended her not as a CEO protecting an employee, but as someone who couldn't bear to see her hurt by others' words.
His chest tightened as the realization sank in: he cared. And perhaps, more than he had ever allowed himself to admit.
Then, as if the universe itself had nudged his thoughts, his mind drifted back to that moment, their kiss. The memory came unbidden, sharp and vivid: the softness of her lips, the warmth of her touch, the quiet certainty in her eyes. He could feel it again, could remember the subtle rush of adrenaline, the way the world seemed to fall away for just a moment.
He closed his eyes, pressing a hand to his temple, as a low, almost involuntary sigh escaped him. He wanted it again. He wanted her, her closeness, her presence, that fleeting intimacy they had shared.
For the first time, Ethan allowed himself to admit it, even if only to himself: he didn't just care. He longed for her. And the thought of being near her again, of feeling that spark between them, made his chest ache with a yearning he couldn't ignore.
The office, the gossip, the chaos, it had all led to this quiet, undeniable truth. Lena wasn't just someone in his life. She had become something he wanted, something he needed, something he couldn't stop thinking about.