Richard Dawson stood straight, his posture formal as he looked directly at Ethan. "It's really good to have you back sir."Samantha gasped in shock, her face pale as her hands flew to her mouth. "Wh-wh-what? Ethan is the owner of HVMX?"Julian whipped his head around, glaring at Samantha with wild, disbelieving eyes. "Chloe, why didn't you tell me?!""I didn't know!" Chloe stammered, her voice frantic and high-pitched. "How come I didn't know?!""Because you're both idiots who only see what you want to see!" Samantha hissed back at them, her hands trembling. "Mr. Dawson, please! There has to be a mistake here! Look at him! He's just a nobody!"Jaxson turned back to Richard, stuttering as a sweat broke out across his forehead. "N-no, no, that's... that's impossible. Richard... Richard, my man, you're joking, right?" Jaxson let out a nervous, breathless chuckle. "Stop messing with me. There's no way this weak piece of shit is the head of a trillion-dollar empire!"Richard stepped forwar

Ethan stood near the edge of the set, watching the production crew clear out the remaining lights and backdrop screens. Cynthia walked over to him, holding a small towel against her neck, her makeup still glowing under the soft studio lights."Well done," Ethan said, a warm smile breaking across his face. "You did incredible today.""I did good?" Cynthia asked, letting out a breathless laugh as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear."You were fantastic," Ethan said, stepping closer to her. "The camera loves you, Cynthia. You owned that entire room."Cynthia looked at him, her smile turning genuine and deeply appreciative. "Thank you, Ethan. Seriously... thank you. I know how much work went into putting me in this position. Making me the brand ambassador for HVMX... it still feels unreal.""You deserve it," Ethan replied smoothly, his dark eyes locking onto hers. "Every bit of it. I didn't give you anything you didn't earn yourself.""Still," Cynthia said softly, "after everything

Cynthia had just picked up her purse when a sudden rustle of movement near the diner's entrance caught her attention. Three college students, two girls wearing Aethelgards university varsity hoodies and a guy holding a camera, were whispering frantically near the jukebox."I told you it was her!" one of the girls gasped loud enough for the sound to carry across the quiet floor. "That’s Cynthia Rose!"Cynthia froze for a fraction of a second, her polished public instincts instantly kicking in as she smoothed down her jacket. "And just like that, the quiet moment is officially over," she murmured under her breath to Ethan."Do you want me to handle it?" Ethan asked calmly, sliding his phone into his jacket pocket without moving an inch."No, it's fine," Cynthia replied with a small, graceful smile. "If I brush them off, it'll end up on the campus forums before we even hit the highway."The three students practically sprinted over to the booth, their eyes wide with excitement."Oh my god

Ethan guided Cynthia down the dark, narrow alleyway behind her mother's estate, keeping his footsteps completely silent against the pavement."Almost there," Ethan whispered, his hand gently resting on the small of her back. "Your garden wall is just past those trees."Before Cynthia could answer, a bright beam of light sliced through the darkness. Foot steps crunched loudly as two night-patrol security guards rounded the corner, flashlight beams sweeping across the stone brickwork."Hey! Who's over there?!" a guard shouted, his voice echoing down the narrow path.Ethan didn't hesitate for a fraction of a second. He grabbed Cynthia's hand, pulled her quickly into the narrow cave between the estate wall and an overgrown ivy, and pressed his body firmly against hers to pull them completely into the shadows. It was impossibly tight. Cynthia gasped softly as her back hit the cold stone wall, Ethan's chest pressing directly against hers. His hand rested firmly on the wall beside her head,

Luis Campbell stood by his large window, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his trousers. The quiet inside the suite was suffocating, a stark contrast to the low hum of student chatter he had just left behind on the campus lawn."You are seething, Luis," Sebastian, his butler, said, placing a crystal decanter onto the side table. He didn't pour a drink, merely setting the stopper down with a quiet clink. As both personal secretary and advisor assigned by the Campbell estate, Sebastian had served the family long enough to read the precise atmosphere of the room without needing to look at his employer’s face. "And seething leads to sloppy execution.""She looked at me like I was a stranger, Sebastian," Luis said, his voice flat, razor-thin, and cold. "Not angry at even flustered, Just indifferent. And that pathetic loser was standing right beside her, acting as if he belonged in the same air.""Pathetic loser? Who might that be, sir?" Sebastian asked, raising an eyebrow slightly