جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 80

Eight o'clock at night, Blackwood Group headquarters, eighty-third floor.The executive suite glowed bright under the lights.Ethan sat at his desk, scrawling his signature on the final merger contract before shoving it aside.Tap tap tap.Brian rapped lightly twice before pushing the door open."Mr. Blackwood, here's that file you asked for.""Set it down."Ethan didn't look up, his fingers swiping across the tablet as he pored over the quarterly financials.Brian placed the documents on the desk but lingered instead of heading out."No need for you here. Go on home," Ethan said finally, glancing up.Brian nodded with a small smile. "Sure thing, Mr. Blackwood. You get some rest soon, too." He turned and slipped out.By the time he wrapped up the last of his tasks, it was nine.Ethan leaned back in the leather chair, easing his eyes shut, long fingers pinching the bridge of his nose.Out of no

"Go on, drink up before it gets cold," Sophia urged softly.Ethan packed away the first-aid kit and picked up the bowl of soup, settling back on the sofa.He took a sip, then nodded. "Mm, hits the spot."Her face broke into a beaming smile. "Glad you like it."He polished off the bowl in a few quick gulps."Ethan, Alexandra knows about us getting hitched," Sophia said out of the blue."She even gave me this gorgeous gemstone necklace."Ethan set the bowl aside. "Sounds like Grandma's given you her stamp of approval.""I was planning to loop them in after a bit, hash out the wedding details.""But them finding out early? Not the worst. Mom and Dad will catch on soon enough."Sophia shook her head. "Alexandra said she won't tell your folks—wants us to come clean on our own.""So we carve out a time to break the news?" Ethan checked in with her.She paused a second. "If you've got a timeline in mi

The others jumped in, piling on. "I agree—too cut-and-dried. Things could go south fast down the line.""I'm against it too...""I back it..."The room split down the middle, voices clashing with solid arguments on both sides, the debate dragging on hot and heavy.Through it all, only Dylan—Alexandra's stand-in—sat stone silent."I've got a suggestion," Ethan cut in sudden.The chatter died like a switch flipped."Look, since we're all over the map on direction, why not table this for now?""Once Mr. Sullivan's project hits its stride and we can gauge the outlook, we'll circle back on feasibility.""No way—that's blowing our shot at prime timing," Edgar shot back, voice ramping up. "Mr. Blackwood, you pulling some stall tactic here?""I'm playing it smart," Ethan drawled, casual as ever."Unless your thing holds up under fire, you won't get my vote.""You..." Edgar glared dagg

Upstairs in the villa's nursery, Sophia sat cross-legged on the rug, helping Buddy stack his blocks.A soft creak came from the door, easing open slow.Sophia glanced over, spotting Ethan in the frame."You're back." Her smile bloomed warm and easy.Buddy's head popped up next, and the second he saw his dad, he dropped everything, toddling over with a yell. "Daddy!"Ethan watched the little guy barrel toward him, something melting in his chest. He dropped to a crouch, pulling Buddy into a hug.The kid smelled amazing.A light milky sweetness mixed with baby lotion, his tiny body all plush and warm.It smoothed out the rough edges in Ethan's mood, settling him steady."Daddy sad?" Buddy peered up with those big, round eyes.Ethan ran a gentle hand over his hair. "Nah, just wiped out a bit."Buddy tipped his chubby face up without warning, planting a sloppy kiss on his dad's cheek."Mommy says one smoo

Inside a high-end jewelry boutique.Evelyn's slender fingers trailed along the display case. "Mind pulling this one out for me to see?"Her fingertip tapped lightly on the glass over a solid gold bracelet tagged at six figures.The sales associate's face lit up with instant charm."Miss, you've got impeccable taste. This is the 'Eternal Lock,' handcrafted by Italian master Marco.""Global run of just nine pieces, each with its own serial. Only three in the country."Whitney, standing by, rolled her eyes inwardly. Yeah, right—who's buying that? Some "master" churning out gold bling for mid-six figures?These salespeople would hawk ice to Eskimos.Evelyn took the bracelet from the associate, cradling it in her palm for a closer look. "The workmanship is exquisite."Spotting an opening, the associate leaned in. "Exactly. This design's one-of-a-kind—nothing like it on the market."Whitney, puzzled, edged c