"Plus, Rowan and Richard had experienced prison, so they probably won't be stirring up any more problems," Ethan said.

I managed a teary grin and nodded repeatedly in his arms.noveldrama

But in just three days, Grayson Group ran into a serious string of setbacks. I flopped down on the couch, turned on the TV, and caught up on the latest news.

Nearly every channel was all over Grayson Group's meltdown. Meanwhile, Evelyn Studio still seemed to be in the clear.

First, one of Grayson Group's five-star hotels got busted for using expired ingredients and having terrible hygiene. Then, some press exposed Grayson Group's huge tax evasion scheme, which amounted to several hundred million dollars. There were even rumors going around that Ethan's success was tied to shady deals and organized crime.

All that gossip was nonsense, but online rumors spread fast and hit hard. Grayson Group took a major hit, and its stock plummeted.

At the same time, Rovera Group took off like a rocket. Almost overnight, it became the new star of the business world, and Holden's name was everywhere like some kind of legend.

Rowan wasn't a pushover, either. He graduated from a top-tier university and had spent years proving himself at Rovera Group. He was Holden's right-hand man.

Even though Richard was just Rowan's sidekick, he was just as ruthless. It was a good thing they had been locked up before. I gritted my teeth, feeling like an idiot for frequently hanging out with them back then.

It took Holden less than a week to put Grayson Group in a tight spot. If we let him keep having his way, Ethan and I would be done for.

Ethan had been swamped with work lately, pulling all-nighters and barely hanging on. Watching him getting skinnier every day broke my heart.

I turned off the TV and realized it was already late. The fact that the news had been running for that long definitely meant it was making waves worldwide.

I headed upstairs and saw the dark circles under Ethan's eyes. He was so wrapped up in his work that he didn't even notice I was there.

He continued typing away at the keyboard like it was the end of the world. He had no time for me at all.

I mustered the courage to bring up the idea of breaking up. "Maybe we should take a break, Ethan. Right

is over

now, you need to focus on your work, not wasting time on someone like me who's just dragging you down. Once this whole mess is and the company's back on track, we can "

"What are you talking about?" Ethan jerked his head up, his eyes blazing. He slammed his laptop onto the floor, breaking it into pieces. "Break up? No way! Didn't you promise you'd never leave me? You're just

going to walk away now?"

I broke down in tears and choked out, "I'm doing this for you! Didn't you see all the gossip out there? I'm the reason you're in such a tough spot. I can't keep holding you back like this—"

"Enough!" He cut me off, pulling me

into a hug so tight that I could barely

breathe. "You're not holding me back. I'm doing this because I want to protect you. I promised I'd never let go of your hand. No matter how tough it gets, I'll be right here with you. You'll never be alone in this!"

I cried my heart out and hugged him just as tightly.

The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!