Chapter 21
Author: Mayday
last update2026-04-21 16:52:01

After thinking it over, Ethan decided to go.

Not because of Vivian's threat. That text had pissed him off, but it wasn't the reason.

It was Eleanor.

Eleanor Whitmore — Vivian's mother — was the only person in that family who had ever treated him like a human being.

Three years of marriage. Three years of Reginald's sneers, his cold remarks, his endless comparisons to men Ethan had never met and didn't care about.

But Eleanor?

Eleanor asked him if he'd eaten. Eleanor noticed when he looked tired
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  • Chapter 52

    The words hit like a slap. Damian's face went hot. There was no spinning that one. No excuse that would hold.But Reginald wasn't done. "Relax. Vivian doesn't know about that."Damian forced himself to breathe. What does this mean? Could it be that Reginald has no intention of telling Vivian about this? Would he actually cover it up?"Here's the truth," Reginald said. "I don't care about your motives. You want Vivian? Fine. But I want to see results. Make this deal happen. Deliver that hundred million. Then we'll talk."Damian let out a huge sigh of relief. Now he understood. As it turned out, Reginald was doing this for the hundred million dollars. In the face of that money, he was willing to let his daughter's happiness take a backseat.Reginald was a shrewd businessman, a trait that had once caused Damian to suffer greatly in their dealings. But thank God, that very same trait was finally working in his favor.Damian broke into a wide grin. "I will." "Good. I'll have the contract

  • Chapter 51

    The next day, Ethan woke up with a pounding headache. Having had a bit too much to drink with Aurora the previous night, he had completely forgotten their conversation, let alone the covert clash between Aurora and Sophie. After washing his face, he headed to the office as usual. Vivian had finally agreed to finalize the divorce, meaning things on her end could finally be put to rest, although he didn't know whether Vivian would actively come looking for trouble. For now, the more pressing matter was that he was considering giving himself a promotion. Over the past few days, he had gotten a firm grasp on the company's operations. Securing Sophie's order had also helped him build a solid reputation within the firm. The role of a mere sales representative was no longer fitting for him. He was going to give himself a promotion and get involved in Stellaris's transformation plan. Meanwhile, after many years, Damian finally set foot in the Lockwood household again.He knew Vivian

  • Chapter 50

    The villa lights were dim. Aurora paced.Three messages. Ethan had sent her three messages since she'd ignored his first one. Each notification had lit up her phone like a small victory.'Not answering yet?''Is something wrong?' 'I'll be back before midnight.'She read them again. A tiny, fierce smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.She'd done it. Sophie had been hovering around him like a vulture all week, and all Aurora had needed was a little silence—a strategic withdrawal—to pull his attention back where it belonged. Back on her.The smile faded as quickly as it came. He was still Ethan Carter. Still her young master.When he walked through that door, she'd need to read him perfectly—calibrate her response down to the exact degree. Play hurt, but not too hurt. Push back against Sophie, but not so hard he felt cornered.She rehearsed it in her head. A cool greeting. A deliberate pause before meeting his eyes. Let him explain himself first, then—The front door swung open.Aur

  • Chapter 49

    "Alright, since you've made up your mind......" He stepped back. One step. Then another."Then I wish you and Damian all the best," he said, flashing a wide grin."Of course Vivian will be happy with me," Damian stepped forward, wrapping his arm around Vivian and flashing another provocative smirk. "I can help Vivian's company secure business partners, land orders, and scale up. I can turn Lockwood Enterprises into a business empire. But you..."He looked Ethan up and down. "You are nothing but a useless, paranoid, live-in son-in-law. You were never good enough for Vivian in the first place, let alone the fact that you just openly cheated on her with someone else!" The word "cheating" seemed to infuriate Vivian, her face contorting. "That's right, Ethan. To humiliate me, you actually stooped so low as to publicly play Sophie's paramour, just to make me jealous and miserable?" Her eyes burned with fury. "Ethan, I never thought you could be so despicable. You don't deserve to be my

  • Chapter 48

    "You really are something else, Damian." Ethan shook his head, still smiling, though the smile didn't reach his eyes. "You want to steal my wife. Fine. I can respect ambition, even the grubby kind. But this?"He gestured at Damian, a dismissive wave."This fake nice-guy routine. The concerned whispers. The 'if she were mine' speeches." Ethan's smile vanished. "It's pathetic. And it's beneath even you."Damian's face flushed. "I don't know what you're implying —""You want to talk about who's been there for her?" Ethan cut him off, voice sharpening. "You keep saying you care about Vivian. You keep telling her how much better you'd treat her. So let me ask you something simple."He took a step closer to Damian."What's her favorite food?"Damian opened his mouth. Nothing came out."What's she allergic to?"Silence. "When her stomach acts up — and it does, chronically, because she skips meals and drinks coffee like water — what medication does she need?"Damian's throat bobbed. A sheen

  • Chapter 47

    The last note of "Cheater, Cheater" faded into the dead air of the karaoke suite.Nobody clapped. Ethan set the microphone down on the table. His gaze swept across the room — the frozen faces, the half-raised glasses, the phones that had stopped recording mid-chorus.Vivian sat in the far corner. Her face was the color of ash.Good enough. He checked his phone one more time. Still nothing from Aurora. The unread message sat there like a small, cold stone in his chest. She always replied. Always. Even if it was just a single emoji or a voice note telling him not to stay out too late.It's already too late. He needs to get home as soon as possible to check what happened to Aurora. He was worried about some kind of accident happening in Aurora.Sophie stumbled toward him, both hands reaching for his arm. Her cheeks were flushed deep scarlet, and her eyes had that glassy, unfocused shine of someone who'd crossed the line between tipsy and wrecked about four drinks ago."Ethan — one mo

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