“What news?” Ethan feigned ignorance, grinning.Loretta gave him a funny look, “It's all over the news that Cedarwood Heritage Bank now has a new owner. Congratulations!”Ethan furrowed his brows at the news Loretta had just broken to him. He hadn't expected the news to have gotten to the media so quickly. He had been planning on surprising her with the news and taking her to dinner afterwards later that day but now his surprise has been ruined.“I wanted the news to be a surprise but now it's ruined.”Loretta blushed uncontrollably, “Alright, what if I hadn't seen the news, what was your plan?”“I was going to tell you and then take you out for dinner.”Loretta grimaced, “Then you still owe me dinner.”Ethan couldn't help laughing at the face she made, “You already found out but I agree, we still need to celebrate.”That evening at White Star hotel, Ariella and Jay could be seen holding hands in front of the hotel.“Baby, I can't believe you were able to get us a reservation at the W
Jumping out of the bathroom and fearing something terrible had happened to Loretta, Ethan came out half-unclad to find Loretta staring at her phone with tears in her eyes.“What's wrong? Are you all right?” He enquired, concern evident in his voice.“It's my grandfather, he is in very bad shape. He suddenly fell ill.”Ethan gently took her in his arms, consoling her. He pulled her face to his with one hand as he struggled to keep his own emotions at bay.“Don't worry, he'll be fine. I'll get dressed and then we'll go to see him.”Loretta swallowed hard. In her despair, she hadn't realized that he was half unclad. A tinge of embarrassment flashed across her face, as she realized the bulge between his legs.Ethan realizing it too quickly pulled away.“I'll be down in a minute,” he said as he made for his room.Half an hour later they both arrived at the Lopez family estate with Loretta racing ahead of Ethan to see her grandfather.As they arrived by his bedside, they found Ian Lopez su
"Hey dingbat, I see you are here already. I'm going to enjoy watching Master Zatara kick your ass!” Joshua yelled at Ethan through gritted teeth.Ethan turned around to see Joshua and his friends but didn't utter a word to them.“Is this the poor fellow that is going to face Master Zatara? I'm staking nothing less than a million dollars on master Zatara killing this pauper in the ring.” Gary Coleman chipped in.Lisa and her friends were shocked when they heard how much Gary was staking on Master Zatara.“I'll do something for though,” Joshua said, poking his finger on Ethan's chest.“I'll stake 1 dollar on you to throw a punch and miss,” he said scornfully.Ethan looked at him coldly, “You touch me again and you'll be sorry.”Joshua froze for a second, fear gripping him.“Let's see how bold you would be after facing master Zatara in the ring,” Lisa blurted out.Ethan just ignored them as he took Loretta's hand and walked away.“I'll go with Gary to get some refreshments and when I'm b
Ethan furrowed his brows as he dropped the call.“What is it?” Loretta asked concern written on her face as she noticed the change in Ethan's demeanor.“Nolan Perez just offered Ryder group thrice the amount I offered.”Loretta froze at his words.“Did you just say, Nolan Perez?”“Yes, I did. Do you know him?” Ethan could sense some tension in her as he mentioned the name, Nolan Perez.She only managed to nod.Ethan didn't bother pushing the matter.“Come on, let's go. You look exhausted.”The ride to Sunrise Villa was quiet with Ethan occasionally trying to get Loretta to speak but she remained silent.As they got into the apartment, Ethan quickly whipped up a light dinner.Outside Loretta's door, there was a light knock.“Yes!” She answered with a barely audible voice.Ethan entered instantly with a tray of steaming food.“I brought you dinner in bed,” he announced with a warm smile.“You shouldn't have. You are as tired as I am or even more, with all the fighting you just did,” she
Ethan furrowed his brows as he read the message Loretta just showed to him.Nolan Perez had successfully acquired Ryder Group and he sent a personal message to Loretta just to gloat.At that same instant, Tim walked in, “Boss, I'm sorry but I have some news that you may not like.”“Ryder group just sold to Nolan Perez,” Ethan responded before he could say anything else.“You heard already?” He asked, unable to hide his surprise.“Yes, we've heard. Nolan just sent us a message to gloat,” Ethan responded.“Have you gotten what I asked for?” Ethan enquired.“Yes boss, I just had it forwarded to your mail.”“Okay, thank you, Tim.” Ethan was impressed with Tim's speedy response.Ethan quickly went over the report Tim had sent to him while Loretta sat down.“I'm sorry, I know this is happening because of me. I know you really wanted Ryder Group,” Loretta suddenly began apologizing.“It's not your fault. Nolan Perez is actually a scumbag,” he replied with a calm smile.“But Nolan just did us
“If it isn't the beautiful Loretta Lopez, baby I've missed you,” the tall handsome person none other than Nolan Perez said to Loretta mockingly.“Oh, I see who you replaced me with. What a poor helpless-looking fellow!” He said turning to Ethan.“Hey scumbag, do yourself a favor and walk away!” Ethan warned him sternly.“Oh! I'm scared,” he responded mockingly.“Nolan, what are you doing here? What do you want?” Loretta asked him coldly.“Now that's no way to talk to your long lost lover baby. Did she tell you we once had the dream of getting married and renaming the Lopez and Perez business empire to Loperez Conglomerate?”“Call her that one more time and I'll redesign the walls with your face,” Ethan warned him through gritted teeth, ignoring the last part of his statement.“Nolan, get lost or I'll have you thrown out!” Loretta stood up in anger as the mere sight of Nolan rattled her to her very core“I love how powerful you sound but mind you, I own this fine establishment.”Lorett
Ethan couldn't take his eyes off Loretta as his eyes widened with pleasure.She had on a white off-shoulder top that pronounced her well-rounded bosom and a pair of black slacks that hugged her backside like they were beckoning on Ethan to set them free.Loretta blushed like she had been expecting such a reaction from him.“You look ravishing,” he managed to voice out slightly above a whisper.“I'll take that as a compliment,” her smile made her look even more tempting.Ethan wondered how long he could control himself around such a beautiful woman.“Maybe I should give her something special,” he thought to himself.“No,” he countered, "That's not a good idea, what if I ruin what we have?”“Shall we go,” Loretta's voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts.“Yeah, I'll get the keys.”The Cedarwood International Museum was a beautiful piece of artwork. Built more than 15 years ago, it had a combination of both an ancient and modern design.As they went in, they met a team on standby to sho
Ethan had to wipe his eyes several times to be sure he wasn't seeing things but it still remained there.“Can you see that?” He asked Loretta.“See what?” Loretta responded, unsure of what he was referring to.“Does anything on that piece stand out to you?”Loretta looked at the statue closely and nodded, “No, looks just all the rest to me?”Ethan looked around to see if anyone was seeing what he was seeing but no one seemed to have noticed the glowing inscription “You were chosen,” written on the statue.Ethan furrowed his brows, not certain about what it meant but then something about the statue looked familiar.It had the same markings as the medallion he was wearing.“What could be the relationship between the medallion and this statue? Did it mean that his finding the medallion that day wasn't a coincidence?” He asked himself these questions but none of the answers came to him.The lady from the museum who was initially rude to them was still looking for a way to get into the go