As the group showed up, Martin grinned smugly, giving Ethan a challenging look.
“Mr. Drake, do you understand now? Ready to hand her back to me?” Martin taunted.
He glanced at the people behind him and said seriously, “Mr. Drake doesn’t know how things work around here. Why dorit you show him how it’s done?”
But instead of following Martin’s orders, the leader of the group stepped up to Ethan with genuine respect. “Mr. Drake long ime no see. How’s life treating you?”
As soon as the guy spoke, Ethan realized who he was. “Wait, it’s you?”
The man nodded enthusiastically. “If you hadn’t helped me out back then, I honestly don’t think I’d even be alive right now)
You put your money and effort on the line for a nobody like me. I’ll never forget what you did for me.” he said.
I always thought I’d come find you once I finally made it big, but I never expected to bump into you here,” he added.
Ethan gave him a frosty look, then swept his gaze over the group behind. “So this is your idea of making it big?”
The man hurriedly waved his hands, sounding flustered. “No, no, Mr. Drake, you’ve misunderstood. I swear I’m not involved n anything shady. Mr. Campbell and I go back, and his driver called saying he was in trouble, so I rushed over to help.”
But now it turns out he wasn’t the one getting bullied at all. Mr. Drake, don’t worry, let me handle things here. You go do your thing,” he said.
I promised you I wouldn’t break the law, and I’m sticking to that. I won’t ever go down that road again,” he continued.
I promise,” he added.
Martin, who’d been keeping quiet, suddenly got flustered.
Wait, what’s that supposed to mean? Weren’t we supposed to have each other’s backs? If you keep your spot, I keep mine, sn’t that the deal? I paid you all that money, and now you’re just going to throw me under the bus?” he asked.
The guy replied coldly, “Mr. Campbell, if you told me someone else was pushing you around, maybe I’d believe it. But if you
ay Mr. Drake is the one messing with you, no way I’d ever buy that.”
Sorry, Mr. Campbell, but this time, I’m with Mr. Drake all the way,” he said.
‘Don’t let him leave,” he ordered.
As soon as he spoke, his guys closed in on Martin.
Ethan furrowed his brow as he watched everything go down, but in the end, he decided not to get involved
Since they knew each other and weren’t enemies, he doubted things would get out of hand
Letting Martin reap what he sowed might teach him a lesson. Next time he tried to pull this kind of stunt, maybe he’d think
twice.
With that thought, Ethan strode back to his car.
Irene had totally lost her mind; her clothes were left in complete disarray from all the frantic pulling
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Chapter 184
Ethan glanced at her, his gaze turning stormy
He quickly slid into the driver’s seat, locked the doors, and godt.
As the car sped away, Irene’s voice from the back wat grew more and more unbearable.
woochers
Seeing her like this made Ethan furious. He gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white, but Martin’s words kept echoing in his mind
On the phone, he’d heard Martin bragging about all the things he’d given her, and just now, he’d seen a bunch of jewelry boxes sitting by Irene’s feet in Martin’s car.
With all this laid out in front of him, it was hard for han not to suspect something
Especially earlier that day, when he’d seen Irene staring at Martin’s villa for ages. Back then, he’d even teased her about it.
But the real reason he said stuff like that was because deep down, he was scared Irene might actually end up taking that step someday.
It was just a house, Ethan could easily afford it. But for some reason, he just couldn’t stand the thought of money cheapening what he had with Irene.
Even if he knew he’d never marry her, he still didn’t want things between them to turn into some kind of deal.
He knew it was kind of selfish, maybe even a little messed up, but all he wanted was to make sure things stayed fair between him and Irene.
That way, either of them could walk away whenever they wanted. To Ethan, that was his way of showing respect to Irene
But now that Irene was really about to walk away, Ethan found himself unable to bear it.
He knew Irene was always realistic, but the idea of her trading her body for those things just tore him up inside
If she really wanted to take the shortcut, he could be the one to give her everything she wanted.
If she had to choose, at least picking him was better than ending up with that bloated, sleazy Martin.
As these thoughts raced through his mind, Ethan was getting more and more worked up, he could barely keep it together
And with Irene’s voice ringing out from the back seat, he was right on the edge of losing it.
Ethan floored it, heading straight up the mountain until he found a deserted spot. He pulled the curtains shut, then sharpest in the driver’s seat, taking several deep, steadying breaths, trying to regain his composure.
But for someone who always thought of himself as the calm, collected type, he was totally losing a. No matter how long he sat there, he just couldn’t pull himself together.
Ethan just gave up trying to calm down. He swung open the car door, headed straight for the back seat, and yanked at open
Irene’s eyes were red from how miserable she felt. As soon as she saw Ethan, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his, just wanting to make herself feel a little betier
The moment their lips touched, all that pent–up emotion inside Ethan suddenly fadest.
He grabbed Irene’s hands, pinned her down on the seat, and, through gritted teeth, asid, ‘Irene, look at me! Do you ever realize who’s right here with your
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Chapter 184
But right now, Irene was in no state to answer a question like that.
With her hands trapped, the feeling of distress only intensified, and she started struggling even harder.
I can’t take it.. she whimpered.
Unable to break free, she choked out those words.
Out of options, Ethan leaned in toward her
Irene instantly clung to him, not holding back at all.
This was the boldest she’d ever been, but Ethan didn’t feel any joy at all, just a surge of irritation
Ethan was totally losing it, letting his emotions run wild. Even when Irene started sobbing, he didn’t stop
When he finally snapped out of it, he realized Irene had blacked out underneath him, and he hadn’t even noticed.
Guilt and worry hit Ethan hard. He gently held her face, whispering her name, hoping she’d wake up.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
