Chapter 162 The Aftermath

Chapter 162 The Aftermath
Ethan stepped into the back seat of his car, shutting the door on the deafening noise of reporters pounding for answers he no longer owed them. As the driver pulled away, the echo of his own words replayed in his mind, not with regret, but with a sense of liberation he had never felt before.
He knew some people would call his speech impulsive, unprofessional, even foolish. He knew the headlines would split, some mocking him, others romanticizing him. But for once, he didn't care. He had chosen truth over image, and it felt like breathing after years of suffocating in silence.
If the world thought he was ridiculous for admitting he loved Lena then so be it.
He stared out the window, the city passing in a blur, yet his mind was perfectly clear.
He had hurt Lena. Deeply. And no speech, no public declaration could heal that. The next part required him to face her, not as Ethan Sinclair the CEO, not as the powerful heir, but as a man who had failed the woman who gave him her heart.
His fingers tightened slightly in his lap.
Now that the truth was out, there was only one thing left to do, find her. Look her in the eyes and apologize sincerely.
And he knew exactly where she would be.
He leaned forward.

Vivienne woke up with a thrill buzzing through her veins. Today was the day. Ethan Sinclair would finally be humbled, live. She imagined him at that podium, head lowered, voice strained with apology, the world watching him crawl. She brewed her morning coffee with a smile, already anticipating the headlines.
Phone in hand, she logged in to watch the press release, settling comfortably as the livestream loaded.
But as Ethan began to speak... her smile slowly faded.
He wasn't apologizing.
He wasn't ashamed.
He wasn't even defensive.
He was honest, resolute, and worst of all, in love.
"...Lena is my wife. With or without paper. With or without terms."
Vivienne froze. Her coffee cup slipped slightly in her grasp, hot liquid brushing her skin, but she barely reacted. Her ears rang.
He said what?
By the time he stepped down from the podium, her entire body was trembling, with rage.
She dove into the comment section, needing reassurance that the world was laughing at him. Some comments mocked him, calling him emotional, reckless, proud. But too many... far too many... were rooting for him.
"This is the first time I respect Ethan Sinclair."
"A man defending his wife publicly? I stan."
"He should have just apologized. All that speech was unnecessary. Too much pride."
"Honestly, the way he said 'I have nothing to apologize for' was arrogant. A little humility would have helped."
"He sounded exactly like his grandfather, hard, cold, and full of ego. No difference at all."
"This feels like a movie,Lena is soo lucky!"
"No, no, no..." Vivienne whispered, scrolling faster, pulse racing. This wasn't the narrative she wanted.
She grabbed her phone and dialed Lawrence immediately.
"We still have time to spin this," she snapped the moment the call began to ring. "We can make him look unstable. We can.."
She stopped mid-sentence.
Her screen lit up with a new notification, a video going viral at alarming speed.
Trending #1.
Shared by thousands.
Curiosity prickled through her anger. She clicked.
The video opened inside Ethan's living room, warmly lit, intimate, the kind of space no one enters without permission. Ethan and Lena were already in the middle of a kiss, completely lost in each other, unaware of the world outside that moment.
One hand was at the back of her head, fingers threading into her hair as if afraid she might slip away . His other hand held her waist, firm but gentle, drawing her closer like she belonged nowhere else but in his arms. Lena's hands rested on his chest, then slowly moved up to his neck, pulling him deeper into the kiss with a soft, emotional urgency that said she had missed him too.
He kissed her like she was breath itself, slow, devoted, almost reverent, his forehead resting lightly against hers between breaths, as if grounding himself in her presence.
The maid recording was so stunned that her hand trembled slightly, but the moment was too beautiful, too raw, to look away from.
It wasn't staged. It wasn't a contract.
It was real.
Vivienne's heart dropped into a cold, burning pit. Tears of rage pricked her eyes.
He never kissed me like that...
Within minutes, the public turned fully.
"They look perfect together... I didn't believe it before, but wow. He really loves her."
"Seeing that kiss... you can tell it's real. Lena is lucky, and Ethan is a man who stands by his heart."
"I never thought I'd defend a CEO, but yes! He should be reinstated. That love is genuine."
"OMG... the way he held her like she was the most precious thing in the world. I'm shook. They belong together."
"Forget the contract. Forget the board. That was the most romantic thing I've ever seen. He's in love and it shows."
"The board doesn't get it. Love like this doesn't come with conditions. He should absolutely get his position back."
"I was against him at first, but this video... you can't fake that. True love looks like that. #TeamEthanAndLena"
"The prideful CEO? Gone. Now he's just a man in love. And I stan him for it!"
"The public doesn't care about contracts when he loves like that. Reinstatement is the least they can do."
Vivienne's hands shook as she dialed Lawrence again, her manicured fingers tapping the phone in rapid, frustrated bursts. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. The livestream had ended hours ago, yet the comments, the shares, the reactions, they were all supporting Ethan. He had refused to beg, refused to apologize, and now the viral video of him and Lena kissing had swept the internet.
"This isn't how it was supposed to go!" she snapped into the phone, pacing across her penthouse like a caged predator. "He was supposed to humiliate himself, Lawrence! He was supposed to look pathetic, weak, groveling to the board like a little boy! And now... now everyone is cheering for him!"
On the other end, Lawrence's voice roared, sharp and furious, every syllable crackling with rage. "This isn't just embarrassing, this is a disaster! Our plan, Vivienne! Everything we set up to humiliate him, to make him crawl before the board... it's completely blown to pieces!"
He slammed his fist on his desk. "Do you understand what this means? I have investors, shareholders, and my position on the line! And he just stands there, kissing his wife like it's a victory parade! He's made us look weak, incompetent, like fools!"
His breathing grew harsh, jagged with fury. "We were supposed to control the narrative, make him look like a fraud for marrying through a contract, and now... now the public is cheering for him! This was supposed to be his downfall, Vivienne, and instead he's made himself look like a loverboy!"
Her voice dropped into a sharp, urgent edge. "We can't just sit here and let him turn this into a victory parade. What do we do now? We need to act fast, before the public fully rallies behind him, before the board completely folds!"
The line went dead. She stared at the phone, disbelief cutting through her rage. "Hello? Lawrence? Are you there?"
No response.
Their plan had completely failed. Ethan had outmaneuvered them, not with schemes, but with truth, love, and unshakable confidence. Vivienne sank into a chair, gripping the phone as panic and fury bubbled in her chest. Ethan had won, and there was nothing she or Lawrence could do to reverse it.