Chapter 126 Chapter 126
Chapter 126
Ethan didn’t realize how tight his grip was on the steering wheel until his knuckles started to ache.
The engine of his black Lamborghini purred beneath him as he drove through the city, smooth and controlled, just like everything else in his life usually was. But today, there was a slight edge to it. Not in the car… in him.
His jaw clenched slightly as the memory of Amelia’s message pushed its way back into his mind.
Hope she died.
The words didn’t sit right. They didn’t feel like empty anger or careless talk. There was something behind them. Something deliberate.
He exhaled quietly, eyes fixed on the road ahead.
He wasn’t the kind of man who reacted without thinking. He didn’t let emotions lead him into decisions he couldn’t control. And right now, anger would only cloud things.
So he pushed it down.
He would handle Amelia.
But not like this. Not rushed. Not carelessly.
Still… one question refused to leave his head.
How did she know?
His fingers tightened slightly again on the wheel.
He replayed everything in his mind, step by step, trying to find the missing piece. The accident wasn’t random. That much was clear now. It was planned. Calculated.
Which meant Amelia didn’t just act blindly.
She knew who to target.
And that was the part that bothered him.
He slowed slightly at a turn, his thoughts shifting.
Had she been watching him?
Or… had she been watching Celine?
The thought alone made something in him harden.
He didn’t like it.
Not one bit.
Because if Amelia had been close enough to notice Celine, close enough to recognize her routine, then it meant this wasn’t something sudden.
It had been building.
Carefully.
Quietly.
And that meant Celine had been in danger long before the accident happened.
Ethan exhaled again, slower this time.
He didn’t like that he hadn’t seen it sooner.
Didn’t like that he had left her exposed without realizing it.
His jaw tightened slightly.
That wouldn’t happen again.
The thought settled firmly in his mind, calm but final.
By the time he pulled into the company’s underground parking, his expression had returned to its usual composed state. Anyone who saw him now wouldn’t notice anything unusual.
That was the thing about Ethan.
No matter what was going on inside, he never let it show where it mattered.
He stepped out of the car, adjusting his suit slightly as he moved. His pace was steady, controlled, but there was a quiet urgency beneath it. Not rushed… just focused.
The moment he stepped into the building, the atmosphere shifted.
Employees greeted him respectfully as he walked past, their voices polite, their movements quick. A few glanced at him a little longer than usual, probably because of how suddenly he had shown up after saying he wouldn’t.
Ethan acknowledged them with brief nods, not slowing down.
His mind wasn’t there.
Not fully.
“Good morning, sir,” his assistant said as she quickly caught up to him, holding a tablet close to her chest. “The investors have arrived. They’re being settled in the conference room.”
He nodded once. “How long?”
“They’ve been waiting about five minutes.”
“Alright.”
She hesitated slightly before adding, “The HR team tried to handle the initial briefing, but they requested you specifically.”
Of course they did.
Ethan didn’t respond to that. He just kept walking.
As they approached the conference floor, the environment became more controlled, quieter, more intentional. Everything was prepared down to the smallest detail. The glass walls reflected the movement of staff making final adjustments, documents being arranged, screens being checked.
Everything was in place.
Everything… except his focus.
He stopped briefly outside the conference room, his assistant handing him a file.
“Everything you need is in here,” she said.
He took it without looking. “Thanks.”
She stepped back, giving him space.
Ethan stood there for a second, his hand resting lightly against the file, but his thoughts weren’t on the meeting.
They drifted.
Uninvited.
Back to the hospital room.
Back to her.
Celine.
The way she looked at him that morning.
The way she had said his name.
The small smile she gave him before he left.
And—
His gaze lowered slightly.
That moment.
The brief pause before he walked out.
The decision he hadn’t planned to make.
The feel of her skin under that soft, quick kiss.
He exhaled quietly, almost under his breath.
Focus.
He told himself that, firm and clear.
This was not the time.
But even as he pushed the thoughts aside, they didn’t fully leave.
They stayed somewhere in the background, subtle but constant.
He opened the door.
The room fell into a polite silence as all eyes turned toward him.
The investors were already seated, a mix of composed expressions and quiet curiosity. A few stood slightly as he entered, acknowledging his presence with professional courtesy.
Ethan stepped in fully, his posture straight, his expression calm and unreadable.
“Gentlemen,” he greeted, his voice steady. “Apologies for the delay.”
One of them smiled slightly. “We understand. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
They exchanged brief introductions, handshakes, the usual formalities. Ethan took his seat at the head of the table, placing the file in front of him.
From the outside, everything looked normal.
Perfect, even.
He listened as they began speaking, discussing figures, projections, expansion plans. His responses were precise, his tone controlled, his presence commanding.
He was doing everything right.
Saying the right things.
Making the right decisions.
But his mind…
Wasn’t fully there.
Because in between numbers and strategies, one thought kept slipping through.
Celine.
He found himself wondering what she was doing at that exact moment.
If she had eaten properly.
If she was resting or trying to move around despite the doctor’s instructions.
If she had noticed how he hesitated before leaving.
If she was thinking about it too.
It was distracting.
And he hated distractions.
One of the investors asked a question, pulling his attention back sharply.
Ethan answered without missing a beat, his voice calm, his explanation clear.
They nodded, satisfied.
But the moment passed, and his thoughts drifted again.
Celine.
It was almost irritating.
Not because of her.
But because of himself.
He wasn’t used to this.
To someone occupying his mind this much, especially in the middle of something important.
He adjusted slightly in his seat, forcing his focus back to the discussion.
This mattered.
The company mattered.
These decisions mattered.
And yet…
There was still that quiet pull at the back of his mind.
Not loud.
Not overwhelming.
Just… there.
Persistent.
Unavoidable.
As the meeting continued, Ethan maintained his composure, guiding the conversation, making decisions, closing gaps in negotiation like he always did.
But something had shifted.
It was subtle.
Something only he could feel.
Because for the first time in a long time, work didn’t fully consume him.
For the first time, there was something else… someone else… sharing that space.
And no matter how much he tried to ignore it, it stayed.
Celine.
Again.
And again.
And again.
By the time the meeting began to settle into its final stages, Ethan already knew one thing.
The moment this was over—
He was going back to her.