All Chapters of The Stranger Hidden in My Sketchbook: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

84 Chapters

Chapter 20 - An Unexpected Connection

As expected, Amelia quickly became the first topic. Ethan leaned back comfortably. "So." Lyra already knew. "Amelia." "Amelia." They both sighed simultaneously. The coincidence made them laugh again. "How long have you known her?" Ethan asked. "Since high school." His eyebrows lifted. "Seriously?" "Fifteen years." "That's impressive." Lyra nodded. "What about you?" Ethan smiled. "A collaboration." "Streaming?" "Two years ago." He stirred his coffee. "My gaming company sponsored one of her travel streams." Recognition immediately appeared. "Oh." "Then she adopted me." Lyra laughed. "That sounds accurate." "She's terrifying." "Also accurate." Ethan pointed dramatically. "See?" "See what?" "You're smiling more whenever we discuss Amelia." "That's because Amelia is ridiculous." "True." The food arrived. Thankfully. Because Amelia stories could continue forever. While sharing fries, the conversation gradually expan

Last Updated : 2026-08-25

Chapter 21 - Cappuccino

Ethan leaned back comfortably. Unlike Lyra, who was fighting for her life internally. "You're alone today." The streamer sounded curious. "No driver." "No secretary." "No army of executives." Arsen sighed. "Fortunately." Ethan laughed. "Escaped?" "For twenty minutes." "Only twenty?" "I have another meeting." "Of course you do." Arsen looked entirely unapologetic. "I always do." Ethan shook his head. "That's unhealthy." "That's business." "Same thing." Arsen rolled his eyes. The sight nearly broke Lyra's understanding of reality. Arsen Vale. Rolling his eyes. At someone. Nobody had prepared her for this. The man standing here felt different from the chairman she knew. More relaxed. More human. Less guarded. Almost... Normal. Ethan pointed accusingly. "See?" "See what?" "You work too much." Arsen sighed. Again. "I've heard this speech." "Good." "Many times." "Excellent." The streamer folded his arms.

Last Updated : 2026-08-25

Chapter 22 - Dangerous Information

The blind date ended exactly as Lyra had hoped. And exactly as she feared. No romantic spark. No dramatic moment. No sudden realization that Ethan was secretly the love of her life. Nothing like that. Instead, they spent nearly three hours talking about work, Amelia, streaming, business, and life. Comfortable. Easy. Surprisingly enjoyable. Which was precisely the problem. Because now Ethan wanted to see her again. And Lyra had absolutely no idea what to do. The moment she arrived home, she collapsed face-first onto her bed. A muffled groan escaped into the blanket. "This is a disaster." A complete disaster. The ceiling offered no sympathy. Neither did her pillow. Nor the universe. Because somehow, against impossible odds, the man Amelia introduced her to wasn't just a random streamer. He was Arsen Vale's cousin. His actual cousin. Blood-related cousin. Family. Family. The word alone was enough to make her bury her face deeper into the mattress. "Oh God." Ar

Last Updated : 2026-08-25

Chapter 23 - A Different Kind of Empire

Three days after their coffee meeting, Ethan sent another message. This time, it wasn't a dinner invitation. Or another blind date. Or anything remotely romantic. Instead, it was surprisingly simple. Ethan: Want to see where I work? Lyra stared at the message. Then blinked. Then read it again. A company visit? That was unexpected. If she was being honest, she had always imagined Ethan's gaming company to be relatively small. Not because she doubted his talent. But because Amelia had described it in the most unhelpful way possible. "Oh, Ethan? He owns some gaming company." Some gaming company. The same way people described hurricanes as "a bit windy." Unfortunately, Amelia's definitions of scale were completely unreliable. A private island was "nice." A luxury yacht was "cute." And apparently a gaming company worth millions was simply "some company." So when Ethan sent the address, Lyra agreed. Mostly out of curiosity. A little out of politeness. And definitely

Last Updated : 2026-08-25

Chapter 24 - The Future Between Them

The day of the exhibition finally arrived. Forty-five days of sleepless nights. Forty-five days of endless revisions. Forty-five days of fabric samples, fittings, production delays, meetings, and last-minute disasters. And now, the result stood beneath thousands of lights. Waiting. Breathing. Alive. The private exhibition occupied one of Bellevaux's most prestigious event halls. Unlike traditional fashion shows, this event felt closer to an immersive experience. The entire venue had been transformed. Silver structures stretched toward the ceiling. Geometric holographic projections floated between walkways. Soft neon lights illuminated transparent panels resembling futuristic architecture. The air itself seemed to glow. Purple. Blue. Silver. Electric white. Like a city built hundreds of years into the future. ----------------------------- Backstage, Clara stared at Lyra. Then stared again. Then sighed dramatically. "I've lost." Lyra blinked. "What?" "You fina

Last Updated : 2026-08-25

Chapter 25 - The Wrong Headline

The fashion exhibition had ended. The runway lights dimmed. The final applause faded. The official presentation concluded. Yet somehow, the event felt more alive than before. Because now came the part every celebrity secretly feared. The media. And tonight, for once, the media wasn't chasing Arsen Vale. For years, whenever Vale Group attended an event, the attention naturally gravitated toward Arsen. The chairman. The billionaire. The mysterious executive. The man who rarely gave personal interviews. The man whose appearance alone generated headlines. Tonight was different. Completely different. ---------------------------------- The center of attention had shifted. Toward Lyra. And Ethan. The collaboration announcement had exploded across social media within minutes. Fashion fans loved it. Gaming fans loved it. Investors loved it. Journalists loved it. Everyone wanted details. Which was exactly why reporters immediately surrounded them. "Miss Avelline!" "W

Last Updated : 2026-08-25

Chapter 26 - The Wrong Expression

The exhibition ended long after midnight. Guests departed. The journalists went home. The influencers moved on to their next event. The venue slowly returned to silence. Yet Lyra found herself unable to sleep. Again. Not because the exhibition had failed. Quite the opposite. It had been one of the most successful presentations of her career. The collaboration with Ethan's company had generated enormous attention. Orders were already increasing. Messages flooded her inbox. Investors wanted meetings. Gaming companies wanted partnerships. Fashion magazines wanted interviews. Everything had gone perfectly. Almost. -------------------------------- Sitting alone in her apartment, still wearing a silk robe after removing her makeup, Lyra opened her second phone. The secret one. The one nobody knew existed. Not Clara. Not Amelia. Not Ethan. No one. On that phone was an email account she never used for business. Never used for family. Never used for friends. Only o

Last Updated : 2026-08-25

Chapter 27 - After The Exhibition

Eight days after the exhibition, the excitement surrounding the collaboration had not disappeared. If anything, it had grown larger. Social media was still discussing the futuristic collection. Gaming communities were creating concept art inspired by Lyra's designs. Fashion magazines continued publishing editorials about the unusual partnership between a luxury designer and a game studio. Even the livestream clip of Ethan saying "maybe" when asked if they were dating continued circulating online. Much to Lyra's eternal embarrassment. The meeting that morning was supposed to be simple. Two hours. Three at most. Review feedback. Discuss implementation. Approve adjustments. Done. Instead, Ethan arrived with what Clara immediately called his "dangerous ideas face." The moment Clara saw him carrying three tablets and a notebook, she knew they were doomed. "I don't trust that expression." Ethan sat down. "I have ideas." "Exactly why I don't trust you."

Last Updated : 2026-08-25

Chapter 28 - Four Months of Momentum

What was originally expected to be a simple collaboration between a fashion designer and a game studio had grown into something much larger. Much, much larger. Four months had passed since the exhibition. Winter had disappeared. The snow-covered streets of Bellevaux had transformed into avenues lined with fresh greenery and warm sunlight. The city felt alive again. And so did the project. Meeting after meeting continued. Sometimes at Vale Group headquarters. Sometimes at Ethan's company. More often than not, inside the famous coffee corner that Lyra had unexpectedly grown fond of. The place had become an unofficial war room. Developers occupied tables with laptops. Artists covered walls with character concepts. Marketing teams argued over promotional campaigns. And Ethan... Well. ------------------------------ Ethan continued being Ethan. "Absolutely not." The lead developer slammed a folder onto the table. "We can't add another customization

Last Updated : 2026-08-25

Chapter 29 - Nobody Was Supposed to See

The celebration became absolute chaos. The good kind. The kind people remembered for years. The kind that turned into stories employees told new recruits. The kind that flooded social media for weeks afterward. The moment Ethan revealed Lyra's birthday to millions of viewers, the entire atmosphere changed. Music exploded through the venue. Massive screens illuminated every stage across seven countries. Fireworks erupted into the night sky. Confetti cannons fired. Spotlights danced across the audience. A gigantic birthday cake rolled onto the stage. Not a normal cake. A ridiculous cake. An Ethan-level cake. Seven layers. One layer representing each galaxy in the game. Tiny illuminated spacecraft moved around the structure. Miniature planets rotated slowly. Silver and blue lights glowed beneath transparent sugar sculptures. The entire thing looked like it belonged inside the game itself. The audience lost their minds. "ETHAN IS INSANE!" "THA

Last Updated : 2026-08-25

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