Chapter 22 Chapter 22
Chapter 22
You thought he drove straight to the Castellan Enterprise?
No, he didn’t.He wasn’t driving to the office.
He didn’t even know where he was heading at first.
He just wanted to get away from the house, from the noise, from the walls that always reminded him of what he lost.
He kept driving until the road curved up the small hill outside the city — the same one he had been to a few times in the past months. He stopped the car near the side, switched off the engine, and sat there for a while.
His hands were still on the wheel. His eyes stared at nothing.
Grass had grown wild all over the place. It looked abandoned. The air around there felt lonely
After some minutes, he opened the door and got out.
The place was quiet. The wind blew softly, making the grass sway. He walked slowly up the path, his shoes pressing into the dirt, his steps dragging like he didn’t really want to reach the top.
When he did, he just stood there.
It was the same hill. The same spot. Nothing much had changed. The rocks were still scattered around. The slope still dipped down where the accident had happened. Only the plants had grown taller.
He stood there for a long time, saying nothing. His eyes traced the edge of the hill and then the road below. He could still picture everything that happened that night — the sound of the crash, the smell of smoke, the scream that never left his head.
He swallowed hard and looked down again.
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. His voice cracked a bit.
There was no one to hear him, but he said it anyway.
He ran his hand through his hair and let out a breath. “You didn’t deserve any of it,” he whispered. “None of it.”
He sat down on one of the rocks, elbows on his knees, head down. The wind blew a little stronger, lifting the corner of his shirt. He didn’t move. He just sat there, letting the wind hit his face.
He didn’t cry. He hadn’t in a long time. He thought maybe he ran out of tears, or maybe crying didn’t help anymore.
He stayed there for almost half an hour before standing up again. His face was blank, but his eyes were tired.
He looked one last time at the spot and said under his breath, “I hope you’re at peace, wherever you are.”
Then he walked back to the car and drove off.
\---
By the time he reached the office, it was almost nine. The guards opened the gate as soon as they saw him. He parked his car and walked in without saying much.
“Good morning, Mr. Castellan,” the receptionist greeted.
He gave a short nod and kept walking.
Everyone moved out of the way when they saw him. No one ever wanted to be the reason he got angry — not after seeing how he could switch moods in seconds.
Everyone greeted him when they saw him, but he only nodded once or gave a slight hand signal before heading to his office.
“Good morning, sir,” his manager greeted.
“Morning,” he replied.
“The briefing already took place since you didn’t show up on time,” the manager said carefully.
“No problem,” Ethan said and kept walking.
The manager just nodded. Everyone had gotten used to his short replies.
He walked straight to the elevator, pressed the top-floor button, and waited. His reflection on the steel door looked worse than he felt. His tie was loose, his eyes were heavy, his face looked like he hadn’t slept properly in days.
The elevator stopped. He stepped out and walked to his office...
Celine was already inside, sitting at her small desk near the window. She was typing fast, focused, her hair tied up but messy around the front. A coffee cup sat beside her laptop. She didn’t hear him come in.
Ear pods were plugged in as she typed quickly, her lips moving softly to a song only she could hear.
He sat down quietly behind his desk and opened his laptop. He wasn’t paying full attention to his screen — his eyes went up once in a while, watching her.
She started humming again, completely unaware. Then she began to sing — not too loud, but enough to echo softly in the silent office.
For a moment, he didn’t say anything. He just watched her sing while working, something so ordinary yet strange to him. No one ever dared to make a sound in his office, and yet there she was — lost in her small world, looking peaceful.
Then she turned slightly and caught sight of his reflection on the glass wall.
Her eyes widened instantly.
She pulled out her ear pods and froze.
“Oh my God— I’m so sorry, Mr. Castellan,” she said quickly, her hand covering her mouth. “I didn’t know you were here, I— I was just—”
He raised his eyes from his laptop slowly.
Her nervous face, her eyes darting, her hands fidgeting — it was funny, in a way. For the first time in a long time, something about the moment broke through the stillness around him.
He didn’t say a word at first, but a faint smirk escaped his lips.
Celine blinked. She had never seen him smile or even make an expression before.
He leaned back slightly.
“It’s fine,” he said simply.
“I’m really sorry,” she repeated, her cheeks turning a little pink.
“Just… don’t sing too loud next time,” he said.
Her head moved up quickly. “Oh, of course, sir. I won’t.”
He nodded once and turned back to his laptop, but that tiny smirk was still there — something he hadn’t felt in months.
She returned to her seat, embarrassed but a bit relieved.
Her face w
as a bit red, and she tried to hide behind her screen.
For the first time, the office didn’t feel as tense. She could breathe. He didn’t yell, didn’t throw a file, didn’t even glare — which was new.