"Aiden!" shouted Mrs. Bernita, opening the door to Aiden's hospital room in a hurry.Ellie, sitting in a chair next to the gurney holding Aiden's hand, turned around in surprise. "Mom?"But Mrs. Bernita's gaze was fixed on her son, who lay with several bruises on his face. Her tears instantly broke as she tried to bring her steps closer. Her trembling hands rose, wanting to touch the wounds but unable to, she could only hysterically call out his name.Ellie was stunned and approached hesitantly. "Mom.""Aiden is fine," she continued after a moment.Mrs. Bernita's tears instantly subsided. She turned around quickly and snapped, "What's okay? He's hurt and unconscious!""Oh, my son!" Mrs. Bernita's body almost swayed if Ellie didn't grab her immediately. "My poor child. What happened to you, dear?""Mom, calm down. Aiden is fine. The doctor already told me that. He only has external injuries. There's nothing to worry about. Come on, you'd better sit down to calm down." Carefully, Ellie c
Meanwhile, in the training room, Ethan is fighting with two trained bodyguards in the ring. The three's shirtless bodies are covered in sweat, making their muscles look even more tantalizing.This match attracted the interest of the other bodyguards. With each passing moment, the number of spectators under the ring grew. Where there were once only Lion 3, there were now nearly 20 bodyguards. Their gazes were enthusiastic, and not a few were cheering as if they were feeling the heat of the match."Mr. Ethan, apply pressure to your legs to reduce his strength!" Suddenly, Lion 3 shouted, making the atmosphere quiet as it focused on the struggle between Ethan and one of the opponents, who was now lying in the ring holding their legs.However, in this position, Ethan's legs were near the opponent's stomach, while the opponent's legs were not touching Ethan's body because his hands firmly restrained them.Unfortunately, the instruction to make him win broke his concentration. As a result, h
Ethan's lopsided grin was immediately apparent. His eyes were filled with mischief as he turned off the video and threw his phone on the bed. Afterward, he walked into the bathroom while whistling happily.The sound of splashing water could be heard not long after, still accompanied by his whistling.Elsewhere, Delilah had tried dialing Ethan's number, but by the third try, there was still no answer."Madam, the number is not active. It looks like his cell phone is deactivated," Delilah said, shaking with fear."You're not lying, right?" Mrs. Bernita's big eyes narrowed sharply, causing Delilah to shake her head brutally."No, I'm not. There is no way I would dare lie to you."But Madame Bernita still did not believe her. She stretched out her right hand, asking for Delilah's cell phone to confirm.Delilah, still overwhelmed with fear, quickly handed over her cell phone."Shit! How dare he turn off his cell phone! That bastard must have known that I would come looking for him! Damn it
Ethan's journey to the police station went smoothly. After getting there, he went straight to one of the officers and asked, "Are you looking for me?"Suddenly, the officer, busy with his computer, immediately looked up in confusion. "What?""I'm Ethan. I just got word that the police are looking for me. Is that true?" Ethan didn't mince words at all. The serious look on his face made the officer in front of him awkward.After all, no one came this way. He was turning himself in like a guest at a friend's house."Ah, yes. Investigator Wade is on duty," he said, pointing to a table near the entrance.Ethan turned his head. "Thank you," he said and then waltzed away without hesitation.Of course, it made the officer feel even more awkward. He could only nod with a stiff smile."Investigator Wade," Ethan called after reaching the desk of the officer who was looking for him.Investigator Wade looked up. But he was surprised to find out that the one who called him was the one he was lookin
Hazel was surprised at first, but considering what had just happened, she nodded in understanding. This step would not have been taken if the other party had not taken a step forward that crossed the line. "I will discuss this with Miss Celeste immediately.""If there's a faster time, then that's better," Ethan said as he walked to his chair and began to sink into his work.Hazel nodded and left to take care of it.When Ariana got this news, her mood instantly improved."Jade, I'm not dreaming, right?" she asked her secretary with sparkling eyes."No, Miss. It's all because of your efforts and hard work," Jade smiled happily.Ariana nodded vigorously. The blush on her face was even more noticeable, as radiant as someone in love. "Our company is truly blessed. The CEO of Zenith Corp, who has never appeared in public and even refused meetings with well-known companies, is now willing to review our project in person. Jade, this is a great blessing. Our company will improve by leaps and b
Hazel smiled and nodded faintly. Then, she slowly walked over to Ariana and took the cup of tea in front of her. "Thank you, Miss Celeste.""There's no need to be shy, Miss Hazel. After this, we will become family in this project. And I will need a lot of your help. So, I hope we can run smoothly with maximum results," Ariana said."Maybe it's too early to say. But, let's toast to our partnership," she continued as she raised her teacup, making Hazel couldn't help but follow her movements, and then, with a smile, she sipped her tea gracefully.Meanwhile, outside the villa, Ethan stayed in his car with his gaze straight at the large building in front of him.He tried to control himself by neutralizing his suddenly raging feelings.This wasn't the first time he had met Ariana after the divorce, but with the plans he had put in place and what had happened over the past two weeks, he felt his emotions were running high even though they hadn't met face-to-face."You can do it, Ethan. Your
Ariana turned her gaze forward, and it brought her face to face with Ethan.For a few seconds, only silence enveloped them. But afterward, Ariana's laughter broke out. The woman laughed out loud while holding her cramping stomach."You?" Ariana pointed at Ethan's face and laughed again. Jade did the same this time. "Ethan, I never thought that a crazy bastard like you could make a joke like this. Your dreams must be so high that you're going crazy because you can't achieve them. Hahaha, ouch, my stomach. You really are a crazy person."After a while, Ariana stopped her laughter and looked at Ethan sharply. "You think I'm stupid? A loser like you can't possibly be the CEO of an amazing company like Zenith Corp.""Why not?" Ethan stepped forward with a hate-filled look in his eyes, making Ariana pause and unconsciously step back. "The words you threw at Hazel should have been directed at yourself.""Ariana, you've never known me well. So you don't know anything about me. Even if I becom
Immediately, an official photo of Ethan was released by the company forum and some of Zenith Corp's social media. There wasn't any caption on it, but unexpectedly, it caught the attention of netizens. They began to conjecture, and some even argued because they couldn't accept each other's comments.At that moment, Ethan was already in the helicopter, heading to Zenith Corp along with Hazel."Is everything ready?" Ethan asked."Yes. The media is already on site," Hazel replied.Ethan nodded, adjusted his sunglasses, and gazed out, taking in the beauty of the scenery like he had never seen before.After a while, the helicopter managed to get on the roof of Zenith Corp. Several bodyguards waiting there moved quickly to form a line on both sides, welcoming Ethan's arrival."Welcome, Mr. Ethan Aldebaron!"Ethan didn't avert his eyes and stepped straight ahead while straightening his suit.A bodyguard ran a little ahead and opened the door.In the press conference room, the employees greete
"Yes, sir."Hazel and Elio's awkward exchanges instantly became serious."Mr. Ethan wants to talk," Elio said after connecting with his partner in the back car."We're ready to carry out orders!" They unitedly said firmly."Look behind you! Make sure if that car is following us or not!" Ethan ordered directly.The atmosphere became silent as they looked back. Hazel even narrowed her eyes as she looked at the rearview mirror, trying to focus. But instantly, her eyes widened in surprise."Sir, isn't that Miss Celeste's car?""Connect with the car in front!" Instead of answering, Ethan gave Elio another instruction, which he immediately carried out."Speed up the pace!" he ordered directly.The two people in the front car looked at each other, confused. While doing so, the man next to him checked something on his tablet and then whispered, "Someone is following us behind."Suddenly, the man driving turned his head in surprise for a moment before focusing on driving. "Is it necessary to t
The news of Pulse Apparel unilaterally terminating the partnership and even blocking Celeste's branch company instantly became a trending topic on social media.Since then, other companies have withdrawn one by one, making the downturn in Celeste's company very sharp.Reporters were busy looking for more information. Some of them who managed to get a brief interview even made it clear that they did not want to interfere in such matters. And because of that, they also switched to Zenith Corp, making the share price rise sharply.Netizens have noticed this discrepancy, and the situation is heating up.They clearly know how fierce the competition is right now. If they couldn't break free, then the entire Celeste family would fall to the ground.The online conversation continued, discussing how the Celeste Family had been behaving, especially Ethan and Ariana's marriage. Of course, the affair and some of the plans hatched by the father-daughter duo were the main topics.Some regretted the
"We can't just sit around waiting for the trial! Father, we must do everything possible to get my husband out! Our family is very powerful and has many great people. There's no way there's no way to turn this case around!" Mrs. Bernita, who was only wearing her nightgown with her hair tousled and her face without make-up, shouted excitedly in front of everyone who was discussing in the living room. "If you can't defend yourself, just say you were framed! Or maybe we'll just find a scapegoat! I believe that my husband couldn't have done that. Even if he did, that bastard Ethan provoked him!"Great Mistress Celeste closed her eyes to hold back her emotions at the sight of her current appearance."Ethan's evidence is so strong that it's hard to deny. Even the lawyer said it might be difficult to reverse the situation," Great Master Celeste said."Then just tell me about the previous matter!" Mrs. Bernita replied quickly. "He beat Lucas and didn't give Ariana a living. He's also planning
"I don't understand what you're talking about." Ariana turned her face away, reluctant to look at Ethan who looked intimidating."When you treated me badly and made me the family driver, I accepted it without protest. Every time you spoke, you insulted me and cornered me. I kept quiet and always obeyed whatever orders you gave me. No matter how hard it was for me to carry them out."Ethan pulled Ariana's face back to look at him. "I might have been able to ignore all those things, but, after all I did, why did you betray me?"Ariana snorted sarcastically and her gaze was filled with contempt. "You're just a substitute groom and we don't love each other, so why are you acting like you love me so much?""Love and betrayal are two different things. Wouldn't you betray me if I loved you?" Ethan asked back."Don't dream!" snapped Ariana who then chuckled softly. "You don't deserve to be my best man, even if you become the CEO of Zenith Corp. To me, you're still a poor loser!""So, that's w
Hazel looked at Ethan who was also staring at her expressionlessly. She put her phone away and said, "Miss Celeste would like to see you.""Let it go," Ethan replied briefly.Hazel nodded in understanding and went back to talking on her cell phone. "Mr. Ethan is in his office."After that, the call was unilaterally disconnected by Ariana. Hazel's expression looked annoyed, but a second later it returned to normal.Without changing his reclined seating position, Ethan said firmly. "Postpone all my schedules for the time being and you help me to guard this room. Don't let anyone interrupt, no matter how important the business is!""Yes." With that Hazel stepped out and stood in front of the room.Not long after that Ariana arrived along with Jade. The woman wearing her work clothes seemed to be in such a hurry that she didn't care about Hazel's presence and immediately entered Ethan's room.Jade was about to come in, but Hazel immediately held her back and pulled her away. Of course, sh
Facing back-to-back questions with demanding expressions like this clearly terrified Ariana.She had never faced anything like this before, especially when other reporters joined in with more pressing questions."Sorry, I don't understand what you're asking. Please don't discuss things that shouldn't be. I'm here to ask for your support for the slander that attacked my father," said Ariana, trying to calm down.But the people only intensified and were now even standing with their eyes wide with curiosity."Miss Ariana, how can you call it something it's not? This is your problem, and you can't run away from it.""Do you perhaps want to deny it?""Please give an explanation regarding the circulating video. Ms. Ariana, is that true? You had an affair but filed for divorce first?""Miss Ariana, do you really not know anything about Mr. Ethan's identity, who turned out to be the CEO of Zenith Corp? Is that also why you had an affair and divorced him because you thought he was poor?""Now
Just out of the meeting room and about to head to his room, Ethan was confronted with the sight of his employees busy talking about something while looking at their cell phones.His steps slowed down, and he watched them intently. They didn't even notice his presence and continued to gossip. But even so, their voices were so low that he couldn't hear anything.Suddenly, Ethan's expression became grim.Hazel, who realized that, rushed over to the group of employees and said loudly. "Did you guys come to the company just to gossip? It seems like you have too little work to have so much time for unimportant things like this!"Everyone was startled and turned their heads quickly. Instantly, they were wide-eyed at the sight of their expressionless boss.Fear began to fill everyone's hearts, and they looked down deeply, not daring to open their voices at all."If you don't want this job anymore, you should hand in your resignation letter," Hazel continued firmly. "That way, you can gossip a
"Mr. Leif, thank you for dinner and the chess game. I really enjoyed it," said Ethan who was near his car, facing Mr. Leif.Mr. Leif's wife wasn't allowed out because it was late, so she was afraid of the wind. Meanwhile, Hazel was already in the car after saying goodbye."I'm glad to hear that. I hope Mr. Ethan will still be willing to come to my house and do what we did earlier," said Mr. Leif who was still overwhelmed with happiness. "My wife loves a crowd and this is the first time we've had guests. You can see for yourself, that she is very enthusiastic about your presence.""Then I will often ask Hazel to accompany Madame." Ethan smiled slightly.He knew very well what Mr. Leif's wife was feeling. The difference was that she had a husband who loved her so much that her life in this big house was not so lonely."Thank you. I look forward to seeing her." The gleam in Mr. Leif's eyes grew brighter.But a moment later it turned serious with an expression that looked strained. "Mr. E
During the series of tests, Ethan was really paying close attention. Not because he wanted to choose a personal bodyguard more carefully, but because he felt a new spirit when he saw those who were so serious about the competition.Basically, the 20 men selected were the best in every aspect, so the tests were fierce.During the archery test, there were only three people who scored six and were eliminated right away.For now, the second test was to run through some obstacles."Is this all prepared by him?" asked Ethan as he looked at some media that was transported to the courtyard and placed where it should be."Yes, sir. The Chairman wants personal bodyguards who are tough and can deal with any situation. He doesn't want to be missed and end up with a loss," Hazel replied.Ethan nodded in understanding and looked at the participants who began to undergo the second test.However, his body immediately stiffened when he saw that it was Elio. The man passed all his hurdles with ease and