Lena stood behind Ethan's wheelchair, her arms crossed over her chest, her expression cold and unreadable. She had watched Gale shove Ethan without intervening, but the fury simmering behind her eyes was unmistakable. She was calculating, measuring, deciding how to respond.Gale noticed her for the first time. His rage faltered as his gaze swept over Lena's figure, taking in her sharp features, her designer clothes, and the way she carried herself with effortless authority.His expression shifted from anger to something far more repulsive. A slow, greasy smile crawled across his face, and his eyes lingered on places they had no business lingering."Well, well. Who do we have here?" Gale said, his voice dropping to what he clearly imagined was a charming tone. He smoothed down his wrinkled shirt and puffed out his chest. "I didn't realize our little programmer had such beautiful company. Tell me, sweetheart, what's a stunning woman like you doing pushing around a cripple like him?"Len

The office went deathly silent. Every pair of eyes was fixed on Gina and Gale, waiting to see what would happen next. Gale's face turned a shade of purple that looked medically concerning, his mouth opening and closing as he struggled to process the fact that this tiny girl had just challenged him publicly.Ethan stared at Gina, and something warm flickered in his chest. He hadn't expected this. He hadn't expected anyone to stand up for him, let alone Gina, who had everything to lose and nothing to gain from confronting Gale. She was a fresh college graduate with student loans and rent to pay, and she had just thrown it all away for him.Without another word, Ethan turned his wheelchair toward the elevator. Lena followed, her heels clicking against the floor with deliberate composure. Behind them, Gina grabbed her bag from her desk, slung it over her shoulder, and walked out after them without looking back.The three of them stood outside the building in the late afternoon sun. The ai

Gina stared at him, trying to read his expression. There was clearly something he wasn't telling her, some plan he was keeping close to his chest. But the certainty in his voice was impossible to ignore."You really mean that?" she asked cautiously, hope flickering in her eyes despite her best efforts to remain practical. Her head tilted slightly, studying his face for any sign of false comfort."I mean every word," Ethan replied, his voice unwavering. His eyes held hers, and there was a strength in them that seemed at odds with the wheelchair he was sitting in. "Trust me on this."Gina's expression gradually shifted from uncertainty to relief. The tension in her shoulders melted away, and a genuine smile spread across her face for the first time since she had seen him in the wheelchair."Okay. I trust you," she said simply. Then her smile faded slightly, replaced by concern. Her eyes dropped to his legs, and the question she had been avoiding finally surfaced. "But what about your le

Ethan gripped the edge of the mattress and pulled himself up, forcing his weight onto legs that no longer wanted to hold him. His feet touched the cold floor and immediately began to shake, and no matter how hard he clenched his jaw, the tremble refused to stop. Three seconds. That was all he managed before his knees buckled and he dropped back onto the bed with a heavy thud that rattled through his bones.He slammed his fist against the mattress and cursed under his breath. A grown man reduced to counting seconds just to stand. The thought alone made his chest burn with something close to hatred, not for anyone else, but for himself.Lena entered the room quietly, her footsteps almost silent against the wooden floor. She found him sitting there, breathing hard, his knuckles still pressed white into the sheets."Get up again," she said.Her voice carried no pity, only expectation, and that irritated him more than sympathy ever could.Ethan turned his face away from her. "You don't und

While Ethan sat quietly with his plans slowly taking shape in his mind, Clara arrived at John's office to review the investment contract one final time before signing. He barely looked up from his desk as she stepped inside, her heels clicking softly against the polished floor."Your husband is disabled now," John said, his tone almost bored, as though discussing the weather rather than a man's ruined body. "He can no longer interfere with what we're building together."Clara forced a smile onto her face, though it never quite reached her eyes. "That's not something I want to discuss right now, John. Can we just go over the numbers?""Then don't discuss it," John said simply, leaning back in his chair with an easy confidence that made her skin crawl. "If you want this investment to go through, stop wasting your energy worrying about a man sitting in a wheelchair. Focus on the company. That is where your future actually lives, not beside his hospital bed."Clara's smile faltered for ha