Claire stared at the photo, her fingers trembling.

So it wasn't that he never got her messages. It wasn't that he had a reason.

He had already given his heart to someone else.

She thought of how he hadn't come after her in the rain, of the way he had said he had no interest in her, of how he had stood by while she was dragged away…

Now everything made sense.

Had the pain she endured for five years meant nothing to him at all?

She had to get answers from Ethan.

Claire rushed out of the room and headed straight for the Quinn estate.

She had just reached the main building when two maids came out from a side entrance carrying a black garment bag, whispering to each other.

"Did you hear? Mr. Quinn's getting engaged."

"Yeah. Sophie said this is the engagement outfit. Mr. Quinn is trying it on today."

Claire froze as if struck by lightning, her feet rooted to the ground.

Ethan was getting engaged?

To Sophie?

All her courage drained away in an instant. She no longer wanted to face him.

She turned to leave, but footsteps sounded behind her.

"Claire?" Ethan's voice was low, with a trace of restrained urgency. "What are you doing here? Did you come to see me?"

Claire turned slowly.

He stood in the morning light, his shirt slightly open, his expression unreadable.

She stared at him, her voice shaking. "That outfit just now… is it yours?"

He frowned. "Which one?"

"The one the maids were carrying." Her voice almost broke into a shout. "Is it yours or not?"

Ethan paused for a second, then let out a cold laugh. "If it's not mine, whose would it be, yours? Do I need your permission to have an outfit made now?"

The words cut into Claire like a blade.

Five years ago, they were supposed to run away together, and he vanished without a trace.

For five years, ninety-nine emails, all unanswered.

And now, five years later, all he gave her was mockery and humiliation.

Everything inside her snapped at once. Her eyes burned red as she raised her hand.

A sharp slap landed across his face.

Ethan froze. One side of his face burned, but he did not move.

Claire's eyes were red as her voice shook. "I must've been blind to fall for someone like you five years ago!"

With that, she turned to leave.

Ethan stood there, his cheek still burning, yet something in his chest loosened unexpectedly.

She had just said she loved him five years ago?

For a moment, he felt the slap had been worth it.

But when he saw the finality in her back, panic set in.

He caught up, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her into his arms. "You're still the same spoiled rich girl. Slapping me without even asking what really happened?"

Claire had never seen anyone this shameless. Yet the more she struggled, the tighter his hold became.

Feeling the familiar warmth she had not known for five years, the steady beat of his heart beneath his chest, she suddenly broke down. "Ethan..."

Ethan felt dampness spreading against his chest. Panic flickered through him. Without thinking, like he had done countless times before, he reached up and gently wiped her tears. "Claire, don't cry..."

Before he could finish, Sophie rushed out from the corridor.

The moment she saw the mark on Ethan's face and Claire in his arms, she let out a sharp scream and lunged at Claire.

"You dared to hit him?"

Claire had no time to react before Sophie's hand was already raised.

Ethan reacted instantly, grabbing Sophie's wrist with enough force to make her cry out.

"What do you think you're doing?" he snapped coldly.

But in Claire's eyes, he was protecting Sophie, afraid she might get hurt.

Claire broke free from his arms and walked away without looking back.

Ethan moved to follow, but Sophie wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, crying out, "I'm the only one who deserves you! She'll only hurt you!"

Claire's figure disappeared beyond the gates of the estate.

Ethan's expression darkened. He shoved Sophie away hard, his voice ice-cold. "If you try anything like that again, you're out."

Sophie collapsed to the ground, staring at him in disbelief, before scrambling up and running off in tears.

Ethan stood in the middle of the garden, the morning wind ruffling his hair.

His assistant hurried over. "Mr. Quinn, the outfit for tomorrow night's dinner with the four major families is ready. As for your face..."

"I know." He cut him off, touching his still-burning cheek. A faint smile curved his lips. "It's nothing."

The assistant was stunned. He had just been slapped by Claire, and he was… smiling?

Ethan looked toward the gate, his gaze deep. "As long as she can still get angry because of me, it means she still cares. I can forgive her for leaving without a word five years ago, as long as she's willing to speak now, willing to stay by my side. I can forgive her anything."

Claire returned to the office and sat at her desk, staring at the computer screen, her fingers cold to the touch.

Her whole body trembled with anger, but the weight of her workload pressed down on her, forcing her to rush through the report.

The day after the data submission, the annual key account she was responsible for, Aurora Group, flagged irregularities and accused her of falsifying the data.

The penalty for breach of contract was thirty million dollars. If she failed to clarify the situation today, the company would pull out immediately, and her career would be over.

"Ms. Sterling, are you certain these user growth figures are real?" The client representative asked coldly, "We checked the backend. The numbers don't match at all."

"I'll check it again," Claire said, biting her lip.

But she knew very well the data had only been uploaded yesterday, and she had personally verified it three times.

Unless someone had tampered with it.

Suddenly, she remembered Sophie "kindly" offering to back up her files yesterday.

It had to be her.

But if she said it now, no one would believe her.

The only person Claire could think of now was Ethan.

If Ethan was willing to believe her and pull up the original backup data, it would clear her name.

Claire walked into Ethan's office, her heart pounding. "Mr. Quinn, could you pull up the data backup? I think someone tampered with my data..."

Ethan lifted his head from the documents and looked at Claire without a trace of emotion, yet it still sent a chill down her spine.

"Your mistake, why should I be the one to pay for it?"

Claire froze for a second. "It's not a mistake. Someone altered my data..."

Ethan cut her off. "Where's your proof?"

Claire's face turned ashen. He didn't believe her.

Ethan noticed the change in her expression and spoke slowly, almost like a reminder. "I'm the CEO. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to interfere in disputes between employees. But you could always go to your ex-boyfriend. I hear he's loaded. He could cover the penalty for you, as long as you're willing to ask."

Her ex-boyfriend.

That was Ethan.

Claire understood now. All of this was just to humiliate her.

Claire shoved the door open and walked out. She would rather quit than lower herself to beg Ethan.

At that moment, the assistant walked in. "Mr. Quinn, Aurora is preparing to withdraw their investment. Ms. Sterling's project probably won't survive."

Ethan recalled the way Claire had walked out without looking back. His fist tightened, then slowly loosened.

He remembered what she had said last night when she slapped him. "I must've been blind to fall for someone like you five years ago."

He actually let out a quiet laugh. It didn't matter. She loved him.

That was enough.

The assistant hesitated. "This is Ms. Sterling's hard work. If it's destroyed..."

Ethan turned away, his tone casual. "I already told her how to solve it. She can ask her ex for money. He has plenty. As long as Claire is willing to ask, her ex would give everything to help her."

The assistant froze. "Isn't that... a bit much?"

Ethan's lips curled slightly. "But if she's willing to bow her head just once, I'll forgive her for leaving without a word five years ago."

But Claire never came.

3 p.m., meeting room. The client representative stood up, his tone final. "Ms. Sterling, unfortunately, we've decided to terminate the partnership."

Claire's face went deathly ashen as her nails dug into her palm.

At that moment, the meeting room door was pushed open.

Ethan walked in slowly, followed by the legal and finance teams.

"The original data is here. This wasn't Claire's mistake." His voice was calm, yet carried undeniable authority. "Quinn Group will fully fund this project and assume all risks."

The room erupted in shock.

The client representative stammered, "Mr. Quinn? Why would you..."

His gaze swept over Claire's ashen face, and for a brief moment, his tone softened. "I trust her ability."

Claire stared at him in a daze. He was about to get engaged to Sophie, so why was he helping her?

She wanted to go thank him, but the moment she stood up, Ethan was already surrounded by investors asking about the next steps.

She would have to thank him another time.

As Claire walked out of the meeting room, a man stopped her.

"Ms. Sterling!" Adrian Cole, the investor, smiled as he draped an arm over her shoulder. "The project's safe! Dinner tonight to celebrate?"

She hesitated. Adrian had helped her a lot. It was only right to treat him to something.

"Let me buy you a coffee instead."

At the café, Adrian kept trying, subtly but persistently, to close the distance between them, only to be politely avoided by Claire.

"Mr. Cole, you're a bit too close."

A teasing smile spread across Adrian's face. "I heard you're still hung up on your ex, Ms. Sterling. Mind telling me who he is?"

That was blatantly inappropriate.

Claire frowned, about to respond, when her phone buzzed. It was a message from Sophie.

In the photo, she and Adrian appeared to be laughing in a close embrace at the café. The angle was deliberately misleading, making them look like a couple.

Another message popped up. "I heard he's your fiancé, Claire. You two look perfect together. Once Ethan sees this, he probably won't bother you anymore, right?"

She looked up sharply and saw Ethan standing by his car across the street, his gaze locked onto her, his expression dark.

The next second, he turned, got into the car, and sped off.

Ethan had waited for Claire the entire day. After everything he had done for her, she should have come back to thank him in person. He had planned to finally talk about what happened five years ago.

As long as Claire admitted her mistake, he was willing to let the past go.

But instead, he found her laughing with Adrian at a café, as if she had already lined up someone new.

Claire rushed out of the café and chased to the roadside, only to see the taillights vanish around the corner.

He had clearly misunderstood.

Inside the car, Ethan slammed his fist against the steering wheel, the horn blaring loudly.

"So she really found someone else." His voice was hoarse, almost mocking himself. "Five years without a word, and the moment she's back, she's already cozying up to an investor..."

But a voice deep inside him argued back. She had been upset over him just yesterday. How could she move on so quickly?

He took out his phone, intending to call her.

His finger hovered over the call button, but in the end, he didn't press it.

For the next three days, Ethan seemed to deliberately avoid Claire. He even brought a different secretary to business meetings.

Watching Sophie grow more smug by the day, Claire became certain that Ethan was really going to get engaged.

She had told herself countless times not to cry over him again, but her body betrayed her. A sharp, throbbing pain tightened in her chest, making it impossible not to think about him.

At that moment, Adrian's invitation interrupted her thoughts.

"Ms. Sterling, I'd like to discuss the new budget allocation in person. Maple Grove Villa in the suburbs, three in the afternoon."

She hesitated, but knowing this was a critical stage of the project, she agreed.

At three in the afternoon, the moment Claire stepped into the living room, the door was locked behind her.

The smile vanished from Adrian's face. "Ms. Sterling, my apologies."

Claire immediately sensed something was wrong and turned to run, but two men in black stepped forward and forced her into a chair.

Adrian dialed Ethan's number. "Mr. Quinn, if you want your woman to live, hand over the core access key to Quinn Group. Otherwise, she'll be nothing but ashes tonight."

Claire struggled. "Are you insane? He won't—"

Adrian lifted her chin with a faint smile. "He will."

Ethan was about to get engaged to Sophie. He wouldn't risk everything to save her. And she wasn't worth that much. Quinn Group was his life's work.

But just over ten minutes later, the roar of an engine echoed outside, and the front gate was smashed open.

Ethan charged in alone, his suit disheveled, his eyes bloodshot, looking like he was ready to kill.

"Let her go," he said, his voice low. "I'll give you the key."

Claire's breath hitched. "Are you crazy? Leave! It's a trap!"

Adrian laughed. "Do it."

Gunfire exploded.

Ethan lunged forward, shielding Claire beneath him.

Calmly, he drew the gun from behind his waist and returned fire, his other hand covering Claire's ears.

Claire clung to his chest, tears streaming down her face. It felt like the first day they met all over again, when Ethan had protected her with the same reckless abandon.

A bullet grazed Ethan's left shoulder, instantly staining his shirt red.

"Run!" he growled, shoving her toward the side door. "Fire exit!"

"I'm not leaving! We go together!"

"Go!" He shoved her out the door.

The moment she turned back, the gas line inside the villa exploded.

Flames surged into the sky.

She fell to the ground, watching helplessly as the blast wave threw him down at the doorway.

"Ethan!"