Now that something had happened to Seraphina, it was only right for Ethan, as her husband, to come and collect her belongings…

"Mr. Vance," Arthur braced himself and walked over, still remembering Ethan's murderous glare from that day.

Ethan’s gaze swept over coldly. "Who are you?"

Arthur’s words caught in his throat. He bit his lip, walked over to the reception desk, picked up a cardboard box, and stepped in front of Ethan.

His voice dropped a register, "These are all of Seraphina's effects."

The small cardboard box acted like a lit fuse to the bomb inside Ethan's heart, sending a blast of smoke tearing through his mind.

With a loud crash, Arthur watched in shock as the items scattered all over the floor, looking in sheer disbelief at Ethan, who had reached out and violently flipped the box over.

Was he completely insane?

Ethan stomped his foot directly onto a personal journal. "I will say it one more time. Call Seraphina Cross out here."

Arthur’s face flushed red with pure anger, "You—as Seraphina's husband, do you mean to say you didn't even know about her death?"

Mandy beside them gasped, quickly rushing over to support Arthur while glaring at Ethan accusingly, "How can you hit someone?!"

Ethan felt as though he had reverted to his high school days—that reckless, arrogant brat who would fight without a care for the consequences just to get his way.

Right now, he had only one purpose: to see Seraphina!

And he would show absolutely no mercy to anyone who stood in the way of him seeing Seraphina.

Seeing Ethan trying to charge toward the broadcasting rooms, Mandy panicked and immediately called the police.

It was close to midnight when the rain finally stopped. The police station.

After Leo finished speaking with the officer, he hurried over to see Ethan.

"CEO Vance." He held a fresh coat, preparing to drape it over his shoulders, but Ethan shoved him aside and walked straight out.

Leo froze, not daring to say another word due to Ethan's grim, dark expression.

Having worked by his side for so many years, this was the very first time he had ever seen Ethan wear such a terrifying look.

Could it really be because of Seraphina…

Ethan drove expressionlessly. It was only when he returned to the estate, kicked open the front door, and sat down on the sofa that he managed to reclaim his scattered consciousness.

In the pitch-black living room, there was only the sound of his heavy breathing.

He pulled out his phone, scrolling to the contact he had stared at countless times over the last few days: Seraphina Cross.

His trembling thumb pressed the call button. Ethan’s breathing softened unconsciously, terrified of missing that gentle voice on the other end.

"We're sorry, the user you are calling is powered off. Please try again later…"

Chapter 12: Waiting for Her Call

The mechanical female voice drifted from the phone.

Ethan felt a sudden, sharp wrench in his chest. He gripped his phone so hard with pain that he nearly crushed it to pieces.

He stared blankly at the name "Seraphina Cross" on the screen, whispering to himself, "It's just powered off..."

Just like those past few days, she didn't answer simply because she was in a bad mood.

Yet, this attempt to comfort himself was like a hook, pulling up more memories of Seraphina.

Her wretched pleading and desolate sorrow in the torrential rain, along with that dead, hollow look in her eyes—all of them turned into steel thorns driving into his aching heart.

With a sharp thud, the phone was hurled onto the coffee table. Ethan braced his elbows on his knees, pressing his palms against his forehead, which was covered in a fine sweat.

In the darkness, a pain he could not conceal flowed within his star-like eyes.

He wouldn't believe it. He absolutely would not believe that Seraphina was just dead!

Suddenly, the phone that had just been thrown onto the table rang. Ethan’s heart skipped a beat. He reached out swiftly to grab it, answering without even looking at the caller ID.

"Hello!"

"Ethan."

The name "Seraphina" that was about to escape his lips choked back into his throat at Janice's sweet, cloying voice. Ethan’s eyes dimmed, and a wave of disappointment washed over him.

His tense body instantly went slack, and his urgent tone turned icy cold. "What is it?"

Janice seemed to sense his shift in mood, slightly restraining her urge to act coddling. "Tomorrow is Sebastian's birthday. 8:00 PM, our usual spot at The Mirage Club."

Hearing her casual tone, there seemed to be absolutely no grief over losing a relative.

Ethan’s expression sank. He had forgotten that Janice was a stepdaughter; she shared no blood relation with Seraphina.

"Ethan? Why aren't you speaking?"

Ethan knitted his brows tightly, let out a flat grunt, and hung up the phone.

Everything returned to silence.

Ethan leaned back against the sofa, slowly closing his bloodshot eyes.

The next morning.

The long-awaited sunlight spilled across the damp ground, releasing hints of a crisp chill.

Knock, knock, knock.

The pounding on the front door was as noisy as a clanging gong. Before Ethan’s consciousness was even fully awake, his brows furrowed first.

Leo kept knocking while shouting, "CEO Vance!"

He looked down at the time on his phone; it was already ten o'clock. If Ethan didn't head to the office right away, he would miss the meeting.

It took five whole minutes before the door was finally opened.

A crumpled white shirt, slightly disheveled dark hair, and a faint dark tint under his lower eyelids all made it clear that Ethan had not slept well.

He lifted his bloodshot eyes. "What is it?"

Leo said, "CEO Vance, did you forget? You have a board meeting today at ten-thirty."

Ethan’s hand rubbing his head paused, his gaze freezing for a brief moment. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he turned around and dashed back inside.

He snatched his phone off the coffee table.

However, in the next instant, the light in his eyes vanished like a candle blown out by a gust of wind, leaving behind only a lonely wisp of smoke.

Seraphina still hadn't called.

Leo gathered his courage and reminded him once more, "CEO Vance, there's really no time left."

Ethan shot him a fierce, irritated glare. "I know!"

With that, he shoved his phone into his pocket and went upstairs to change his clothes.

Seeing this, Leo let out a helpless sigh, knowing he could only delay the meeting for now.

Yet, looking at this, he couldn't help but feel worried for Vance Enterprises. In the past, Ethan was just the Vice President, and Leo was his assistant.

But that title had been nothing more than a figurehead; Ethan's mind had never been on the company at all.

Leo couldn't understand either why Old Mr. Vance had so confidently handed Vance Enterprises over to Ethan.

Chapter 13: The Mermaid

After cleaning up, Ethan, dressed in a sharp suit, transformed back into that high-and-mighty CEO of Vance Enterprises.

Inside the car, Ethan tightly clutched his phone, his gaze fixed on the roadside scenery flashing past the window.

Leo glanced at him through the rearview mirror, bit his lip, and chose to remain silent.

"Turn on the radio."

Suddenly, Ethan coldly spat out four words.

Leo froze. Turning on the radio now... did he miss Seraphina? But even if Seraphina were still alive, it wasn't the airtime for her show.

Still, Leo didn't say much and reached out to switch it on.

A gentle melody slowly drifted out, followed closely by the somewhat youthful voice of a girl.

"The story we are going to tell today is called The Mermaid."

Leo instinctively reached to change the frequency, but was stopped by Ethan's cold, sharp command: "Leave it."

He was completely bewildered. This was clearly a fairy tale meant for young children; why did Ethan want to listen to this?

Amidst the silence, Ethan leaned against his seat, his fingers rubbing the slightly warm phone as he quietly listened to the female voice narrating.

"A long, long time ago, a very beautiful little mermaid princess lived at the bottom of the sea. On her fifteenth birthday, she swam up to the surface..."

"Seeing the prince struggling in the water, the kind little mermaid swam over and saved him, bringing him to the shore..."

"The little mermaid fell in love with the prince. She traded her most beautiful voice in the sea with the sea witch, drank the potion, and turned into..."

"But the prince ended up with another princess, believing that it was that princess who had saved him..."

"...The little mermaid was heartbroken, but she loved the prince too much to hurt him. She threw the dagger into the ocean, and the moment the sun rose, she turned into foam, floating toward the kingdom of heaven..."

The story came to an end, followed by another soft melody.