Chapter 34 Chapter 34
Chapter 34
Celine pressed the elevator button and waited. She hated this part every morning. The glass elevator always made her uneasy. She never liked seeing the ground move far beneath her feet.
When the door opened, she stepped in and turned her back quickly, refusing to look out. Her hands clutched her bag tightly as the elevator moved up.
“Almost there,” she muttered under her breath.
It stopped at the top floor, and she hurried out. The hallway was quiet as usual. She straightened her blouse and walked toward Ethan’s office.
When she opened the door, he was already there. Sitting behind his desk, eyes fixed straight ahead.
“Good morning, sir,” she said softly.
He gave a small nod but didn’t speak.
She went to her own desk, switched on her laptop, and began arranging the files that were to be reviewed today. After a while, she stood and walked over to his side.
“Sir, the files are ready,” she said.
He didn’t answer.
Celine stood there staring at him. Something wasn’t right.
His eyes didn’t blink. Not once. They just stayed fixed on the same spot in front of him. His hands were still resting on the desk like he had frozen in the middle of a thought.
“Sir?” she said softly at first.
No answer.
She waited, thinking maybe he was lost in work. He always got too focused, but this… this was different.
She took a careful step closer. “Mr. Castellan?”
Nothing.
Her heart gave a small jump. She could hear the faint ticking of the clock behind her and the low hum of the air conditioner, but he didn’t move.
She tried again, louder this time. “Sir!”
Still no reply.
She reached out and touched his sleeve. His skin was warm, not cold, and his chest moved slightly he was breathing. Relief came for a second, but it quickly turned to fear when he didn’t react at all.
“Sir, can you hear me?” she said, her voice shaking.
He stayed still.
Her hands trembled as she moved closer, looking into his face. His eyes were open but empty. It was as if the man sitting in front of her wasn’t really there.
Panic started to creep in. Her throat felt dry. “Oh no… please, not now,” she muttered, pacing for a second, unsure what to do. She’d never seen anything like this in her life.
She bent a little, her hand hovering near his chest again, checking his breathing. Still steady. Still alive. But not moving.
Her mind raced should she call someone? Scream? Maybe he fainted. Maybe he had some kind of condition.
“Sir, please say something,” she said again, her voice breaking slightly.
When there was still no response, the fear hit her full force.
She spun around and rushed out of the office. Her heels clacked against the floor as she ran down the long hallway. People turned to look, surprised.
By the time she reached the HR office, she was almost breathless.
“Ma’am! Mr. Castellan he’s not responding!” Celine said, struggling to get the words out. “He’s just sitting there, eyes open but not moving!”
The HR, who had been going through some documents, looked up sharply. “What did you just say?”
“I tried calling him, he’s not answering! He’s breathing but not moving please, I don’t know what’s happening!”
The woman’s face changed. A worried look flashed across it as she whispered under her breath, “The seizures again…”
Celine froze. She wasn’t sure she heard right. “Seizures?” she repeated, confused.
But the HR didn’t answer her. She immediately stood up and pushed her chair back. “Come with me,” she said quickly and hurried out.
Within moments, she was calling the clinic inside Castellan Enterprise. Celine followed her down the hall, her heart still pounding.
Soon, two nurses appeared from the clinic, pushing a stretcher and carrying a first-aid kit. Their faces were calm but serious like they’d done this before.
The HR walked fast beside them, her heels clicking against the marble floor.
Celine trailed behind, trying to breathe properly. Her hands were shaking so badly that she kept pressing them together to stop it.
When they entered the office, Ethan was still sitting exactly the same way she left him straight posture, eyes open, not blinking, not moving.
“Careful, lift him slowly,” one of the nurses said.
They worked quickly, checking his pulse, calling his name, but he didn’t respond.
Celine stood a few steps away, watching everything happen.
Her stomach twisted as she saw them place his limp body on the stretcher. For someone who always looked so strong, seeing him like that was strange… almost unreal.
The HR gave quick instructions to the nurses before turning to Celine.
“Did anything unusual happen this morning?” she asked. “Did he complain of anything? Any headache? Dizziness?”
Celine shook her head quickly. “No, ma’am. Nothing. He came in early like he always does. I greeted him, he nodded, and that was it.”
“Alright,” the HR
said, nodding slightly. “We’ll take it from here. Please go back to your desk.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Celine said quietly.
She stayed still for a second as the nurses rolled the stretcher out of the room.