"Sir, Miss Celeste arrived with her secretary, and they are now in the waiting room."
Having just stepped out of the elevator that lurked in his room, Ethan was already greeted by Hazel, who reported something in a hurry, startling him to almost falling over from the sudden stop.
"Who?"
"Miss Celeste," Hazel replied, repeating her words.
In the next second, Ethan ran to his room and pressed the remote to close the window until it was no longer visible. Hazel came after him with a puzzled look on her face.
"Now's not a good time for her to see me, let alone find out my identity," Ethan said solemnly. "She came to ask the reason about yesterday, right?"
"Yes." Hazel nodded. "But I haven't met her because I was waiting for you."
Ethan seemed to think for a moment and then looked at Hazel intently. "You'd better go see her. Say sorry and tell them to wait patiently. I hope you understand what I mean."
"Yes, I understand. Then I'll leave first, sir," Hazel replied swiftly.
After bowing politely, she left Ethan's room and, not forgetting to close the door again, walked gracefully towards where Ariana was.
Ethan was silent again, seemingly thinking about something. Then he walked around the table, sat in his chair, and turned on his computer to monitor the movement in the waiting room.
Hazel, who had just arrived, greeted Ariana and her secretary in a friendly manner. The two people also gave her a big smile. Then, the three of them sat down in their respective seats.
"Miss Celeste, I apologize for keeping you waiting," Hazel said as an opening.
Ariana just smiled, looking so beautiful that anyone who saw her would instantly fall under her spell. "No problem, Miss Hazel. I know you must be busy."
"But my coming here is not without cause. The Celeste family has become a client willing to pay a high price for every transaction. No matter how high the price is, we still agree to go ahead with the deal. Money is not a problem for us. So I am curious about the reason for the villa project I proposed last time." There was an obvious arrogance and hubris in her words, showing that she was a powerful woman and no one could get rid of her.
Living and growing up in a family that spoiled her with wealth, seeing material things as everything, made Ariana a person with a very high level of confidence, thinking that she was the only woman at the top.
Her ego and bad logic completely clouded her conscience. Her beautiful face and body are very supportive, making her feel even more above the clouds.
Hazel could only smile at the sight. She had met many people like this, so she was used to it. "Miss Celeste, I'm sorry, you might have to wait a little longer to be able to run this project. Our CEO doesn't want to take the risk of running many big projects at once because this company doesn't have much experience yet. So, we can only ask for your availability to wait. However, if it can't be delayed, you can go to another company. I will help you contact them later."
"Miss Hazel, why do you think I left this project to you guys?" Unexpectedly, Ariana asked the question with her expressionless face. But anyone who heard her tone would know that the 28-year-old was upset.
"Of course, we're very grateful that you've put your trust in our company. But, Miss Celeste, we are truly sorry," Hazel calmly said. She also smiled gracefully, making her sweet figure look even more charming.
"You know very well that trust is a rare thing in the business world. Something this big... if I've given it to you, shouldn't you do your best not to let me down?" This time, Ariana's expression became angry. Her thin eyebrows dipped sharply with a haughty look in her eyes. "I don't want to know, this project should still be run by you guys."
"Jade, you take care of everything. Whatever the funds are, just give them, the important thing is that this project should run smoothly." Then, Ariana stood up, bowed briefly to Hazel, and waltzed away with her haughty stride.
Hazel lowered her gaze and smiled faintly. She then looked at Secretary Jade, who was also looking at her while handing her a document. "Secretary Hazel, please help."
What happened there was seen by Ethan.
He immediately had a big smile on his face. He whistled happily as he shut down his computer and walked out of the room with his car keys in hand.
Big money was coming soon!
After arriving at the basement, he sent a message to Hazel and then entered his car and ran it at a moderate speed.
However, unbeknownst to Ethan, when he was just getting out of there, Ariana, who was about to head to her car, accidentally saw him.
"Isn't that the poor loser's car?" she muttered in surprise. "What's he here for?"
"Basement? No...." Suddenly, a thought crossed Ariana's mind. She rushed into her car and chased after Ethan, who was already far away.
Even so, she did not give up. Swerving right and left at high speed was nothing new to Ariana. And that was realized by Ethan, who was enjoying the music in a good mood.
Ethan looked at the side mirror, which showed a white car trying to catch up with him. Without guessing, he already knew who the person in the car was. "Ariana? Why is she chasing me?"
After that, he stepped on the gas pedal and accelerated the speed. He immediately overtook two cars at once, causing Ariana, who was behind him, to frown in annoyance.
"Damn it! That loser seems to know already!" Ariana gritted her teeth and raced to get Ethan.
The chase continued for a long time, making other drivers' horns honk in annoyance.
When on a quieter road, Ariana didn't waste it and immediately overtook Ethan's car, blocking it abruptly and forcing the man to slam on the brakes to avoid a collision.
Ethan's breath caught, not from surprise, but from anger.
This crazy woman was really looking to die. What she did could not only get him hurt but others as well. Thinking this, Ethan immediately looked at the rearview mirror, and instantly, he breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, there were no other vehicles besides them.
Just then, Ariana walked quickly up to Ethan's car and hit the glass roughly. "Get out, you loser!"
"Oh, Miss Celeste, hello." Once out of the car, Ethan greeted Ariana kindly, as if they were not an ex-husband and wife whose marriage had been filled with conflict.Of course, Ariana felt annoyed when she heard it. Moreover, the man's smile in front of her looked very cheerful, much different from when he was her husband. And that made her fed up."What's wrong? Why did you stop my car?" asked Ethan, pretending not to know."Stop acting out, damn it! You must know what I'm coming to you like this for," Ariana replied in a raised voice."But I don't know." Ethan looked at Ariana innocently, making him look adorable. "I'm even surprised that you're suddenly here. It's an honor to come face to face with the honorable Miss Celeste.""Ethan!" growled Ariana with glaring eyes. "I told you to stop acting!""We may be divorced, but don't even think about embarrassing Celeste's family. As hard as it is to admit, you were once a part of this family. If that happens, I'll be the first to sue you
"Hi," Ethan replied kindly.But then his face turned confused. "Excuse me, who are you?"Suddenly, the happy smile that had been wide slowly faded, leaving her annoyed face with faintly dipped eyebrows. "You don't remember?""Have we met before?" Instead of answering, Ethan asked back with growing confusion.The woman with shoulder-length hair snorted in annoyance while averting her eyes for a moment. Afterwards, she said with emphasis. "I'm Aurora, the only daughter of the Marlowe family and a good friend of Ariana, your wife.""Oops, sorry, you guys are divorced, I should have called her your ex-wife. You don't mind, right, Ethan?" In an instant, her pretty face turned cynical with a smile full of mockery.But Ethan didn't change at all. He remained calm and said, "It's you. Sorry for not recognising you for a while.""No problem. It's normal for someone who's never been around the outside world like you not to recognise important people," Aurora said, smiling so sweetly that her eye
"Call your manager out. I want to see her!" ordered Ethan, looking at the three employees in front of him casually."You won't be able to see her for a long time. So please leave here immediately, Mr. Ethan," said the employee who had spoken earlier. Her lightly made-up face looked patient and friendly.However, it was different from the friend next to her, who looked fierce with her eyes squinting sarcastically. "You're not deaf, right? My friends have been saying it since before. You can't and shouldn't enter this shop. If you still insist, I'll call security for you!"Suddenly, the first friend immediately nudged her, warning her not to speak carelessly. But the woman with the little barrette on the right didn't care and said deliberately. "What? You have nothing to fear. He's just a poor man discarded by his wife's family, has no influence, and means nothing."Ethan's smile was etched without anyone noticing.He glanced at the name tags on the front of their left chests one by one
As soon as the question was asked, Ethan, who had been serious, immediately fell silent with a faint frown. He thought for a long time until, finally, he shook his head softly. "Let it go first. There's no need to care too much about it. But don't let your guard down, though. Let's just say she's not so dangerous that it doesn't require any quick action.""But, Ben...." Ethan hung his words. He slowly moved forward with his arms crossed on the table, staring intently at Benedict, who was now staring at him tensely. "You are now my assistant, which means my person. From the moment you introduced yourself to me, you have no connection with Grand Master Grant or his family, Madam Celeste. You are starting a new life with a new name and boss. Everything from the past is gone, like a dream."Benedict swallowed hard. The aura his Master gave off was piercing, making him feel intimidated."Before taking care of what I said, there is one thing you must do first. That is the signing of the con
After arriving at the hospital grounds, an old black car pulled up in front of Alvina, making her rush into the back seat before the four-wheeled vehicle sped away from the hospital area and joined the other vehicles.Not long after, the car stopped in front of a five-star restaurant. Alvina got out while smoothing her outerwear and stepped inside quietly. A waiter approached her and led her to the second floor, where a row of VVIP rooms were located.Alvina nodded briefly as she stood in front of the room at the end. The waiter left, leaving her alone. Then the girl opened the door and entered.A large round table surrounded by chairs was immediately visible to her. When she turned to the right, two single sofas were beside the window, with a small table as a buffer. On one of them, there was someone already occupying it.Alvina instantly straightened up and approached, standing by the table and bowing. "Thank you for saving me."The person staring at the scene outside the window chuc
"Sir, this is the new manager I told you about yesterday." Benedict introduced a young man who looked boyish. His hair was neatly styled with a slight tuft at the front.Ethan's gaze went straight to him. However, all his expectations of a manager who was older or at least like Benedict were instantly shattered.He glanced at Benedict with a doubtful look.Realizing that the Velvet Vault's new manager immediately bowed. "Hello, Mr. Ethan. My name is Bevanka Joshua. Mr. Benedict has my complete data. I will do all the tasks you give me well."Even his voice sounded crisp, typical of a teenager.Ethan hesitated even more."Sir, this is Joshua's file," Benedict said, handing Ethan a thick folder.The man wearing a white shirt today immediately took it and read it carefully. However, some of the words there managed to shock him into wide-eyed surprise. He stared at Joshua intently, not hiding his surprise at all. "This is your real data?""Yes, Mr. Ethan," Joshua replied quickly."How long
Ethan walked through the crowded Pasaraya at a leisurely pace. The oval-shaped glasses already on his face added an addictive sweetness.He stopped in front of the branded watch shop right in front of the Velvet Vault and told Benedict to choose two couple watches. Meanwhile, he stood by the storefront, staring straight at the Velvet Vault just to watch how the fun happened.Both corners of his lips lifted, forming a faint smile as he saw how calm and mature Joshua was in handling the matter.Everything still looked normal until the hurried arrival of Madame Bernita, followed by Alvina, caught his attention."Esme! Esme, come out!" shouted Madame Bernita as soon as her foot entered the Velvet Vault area. Her eyes, adorned with luscious lashes, stared at the employees, who looked surprised by her arrival. "Where is your manager?""Madam." However, they were so shocked that their voices were stammering.That, of course, added to Madam Bernita's annoyance. She clucked and gyrated her wais
"What is the meaning of this?""Why are we suddenly fired?""Is it possible that what he's talking about is true? He's the new manager here.""We're dead if it's true.""Huss! No way. This is Mrs. Bernita's territory, how could it suddenly change hands? It's just foreigners playing tricks on us.""Yes, that's right. We must not be swayed. This is just a meaningless bluff."Instantly, the employees were abuzz with panic. But they still tried to deny and disbelieve what had happened. Nothing could shake their faith in Madame Bernita.Overestimating someone to the point of forgetting themselves made them even more unable to guard their actions and words. They forgot that trusting someone too much would only cause deep wounds."Madam, this... what happened? Why is there a dismissal letter all of a sudden?" Manager Esme looked at Mrs. Bernita with reddened eyes. Her voice became shaky. "What should we do, madam? I don't want to be fired. Please... this is my only job.""Shut up! Can't you
"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