2026-07-31 17:33:15
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Chapter 108
"Oh, you know." She gave a tired exhale. "Not well. Not really.""It is what it is," she said. "Reginald and I haven't seen eye to eye in a long time. Marriage, family... I wasn't particularly happy to begin with." She paused. "Damian's arrival made everything worse."She trailed off, then shook her head."I've always felt something was wrong with that man. The way he appeared out of nowhere, the way he attached himself to Vivian, the way he wormed his way into the family. It's not normal. He wants something.""I've tried to warn Vivian." Eleanor's voice tightened. "Over and over. But she won't listen. She thinks I'm jealous, or paranoid, or trying to control her. She's pulled away from me completely."Ethan's jaw clenched. "And Reginald?" he asked.Eleanor laughed—a short, bitter sound. "Reginald used to agree with me. He didn't trust Damian either, not at first."Her fingers tightened around the glass. "Then Damian's uncle—Vincent Hale—invested a hundred million into Lockwood Indu
Chapter 107
Back inside, Ethan closed the door and exhaled.The tension drained out of his shoulders like water. He walked back to the couch, dropped onto it, and tipped his head back against the cushion. His eyes closed.Quiet. Finally. He'd barely settled for ten minutes when three knocks came at the door again.His eyes snapped open. His jaw tightened.What now?He stood slowly, muscles coiling with instinctive wariness. If Vivian had come back—He pulled the door open.It wasn't Vivian. Eleanor Whitmore stood in the hallway.Ethan blinked. His former mother-in-law looked the same as he remembered—warm eyes, soft face, the kind of woman who always seemed slightly out of place in the Lockwood household's sharp edges."Ethan." She breathed his name like a relief.His guard dropped instantly."Eleanor?" Genuine surprise broke through his composure. "What are you doing here?"She stepped forward, her gaze scanning his face, lingering on the bruise along his cheekbone, the small cut near his jaw.
Chapter 106
Vivian's entire body trembled.The silence after Chloe's words was suffocating. Every muscle in Vivian's face twitched, cycling through humiliation, disbelief, and finally—pure, blinding rage.She lunged forward, hand raised, aimed straight at Chloe's face."You bitch—"Ethan moved faster. His arm came up between them like a wall, catching Vivian's wrist mid-swing. He didn't squeeze. He didn't need to. The grip alone stopped her dead."Let go of me!" Vivian snarled, thrashing against his hold.Ethan's voice was low and dangerous. "If you act out one more time in my house, I will throw you out myself. Right now."Vivian's eyes went wide. She stared at him like she'd been slapped."You're defending her?" Her voice cracked. "You'd throw me out—for an outsider?"Ethan released her wrist. Let it drop."You're the outsider now, Vivian."The words hit her like a physical blow. She stumbled back half a step, her hand pressing against her chest. Her lips parted, but nothing came out.Ethan n
Chapter 105
Vivian's lips parted. Ethan didn't stop. "I used to be in pain because of your betrayal," he said. "Now I can see it clearly. You're not just disloyal. You're a complete mess. You can't even tell right from wrong."His voice dropped, each word harder than the last. "I'd rather stay single for the rest of my life than ever get back together with you!"Vivian's face turned white.Then red. "You—" She laughed once, sharp and furious. "You dare talk to me like that? You started attacking me now?""What right do you have to say any of this?" she shot back. "You were a live-in husband. A man living off his wife. That's what you were.""You think you're attractive? You had no charm at all. Not even a little!"The words were still hanging in the air when a knock came at the door.Three light taps. Polite. Almost musical.Ethan turned and walked to the door without a word, grateful for the interruption.He pulled it open.Chloe stood in the hallway, a bouquet of fresh flowers in one arm
Chapter 104
Vivian's face went white.She stared at the apple on the floor, then at Ethan, then back at the apple. Her fingers were still curled in the shape of holding it.For three full seconds, she didn't move.Then something shifted behind her eyes. The softness she'd been performing cracked apart, and what came through was raw, ugly fury."Ethan Carter." Her voice shook. "You got beaten up because of Damian. Fine. You have every right to be angry about that. But I came here myself. I brought flowers. I brought fruit. I sat here and tried to take care of you, and you're still acting like this?"Her chest rose hard. "Do you have any idea what that means? A CEO came here in person to look after you. How many men would kill for that kind of concern?"Ethan almost smiled. Not because it was funny. Because it was absurd.Vivian pointed at him, her voice rising. "And what exactly are you so proud of? Do you really think being Sophie or Aurora's little pet is going to end well for you? Wake up."She
Chapter 103
Damian glanced down at the notification. For one unguarded instant, his eyes lit with pure, naked delight.He had lied. He had escaped. He had even gotten money out of it!He smothered it instantly, dropping his gaze, folding his hands together with the picture of humble gratitude."Thank you, Vivian. I don't deserve this. Really, I don't."She didn't answer. She was already walking out, heels clicking sharp against the floor, her mind somewhere far ahead of the room she was leaving.The truth was simple, and she'd known it since the moment her assistant repeated Aurora's message to her. The root of Lockwood's crisis wasn't Stellaris. It wasn't even Damian's stupidity.It was Ethan. As long as Ethan was still out there, unresolved, unaddressed, this problem would keep resurfacing in new and uglier forms. If she wanted the crisis gone, she needed to deal with him directly.If she could ease her relationship with Ethan, or even reconcile with him, Aurora would naturally no longer targe
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