While driving, Leo quietly glanced at Ethan through the rearview mirror.

He caught his breath, nearly hitting the brakes instead of the accelerator by mistake.

The rearview mirror was spotless, and he could clearly see a crystalline tear resting at the corner of Ethan’s reddened eyes.

The proud and powerful CEO Vance had actually been moved by a children's fairy tale?!

Ethan knit his brows and closed his eyes. His memories from when he was seventeen were pulled up by this brief fairy tale.

That year, he had a massive fight with his grandfather. In a fit of rebellion, he drove a speedboat out into the sea alone, only to accidentally fall into the water.

By the time he woke up, he was already in the hospital, and his grandfather told him that Janice had saved him...

Yet, in his nightmares of drowning, he could always see a girl swimming desperately toward him. His intuition told him that it wasn't Janice.

"CEO Vance?" Leo said softly, "We've arrived."

Ethan opened his eyes, his gaze returning to its usual coldness.

Oakhaven, St. Jude's Hospital.

Outside the intensive care unit, Julian Vance stared anxiously at the unconscious Seraphina inside, his heart still uneasy after days of suspense.

Upon receiving the call from the hospital, he had rushed over without a single stop, yet he had nearly lost Seraphina forever.

Hearing a set of footsteps, Julian turned around. Seeing it was Seraphina's attending physician, Dr. Thomas Kane, he hurried forward and asked, "Dr. Kane, when will she wake up?"

Dr. Kane adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose. "Given her current condition, it's still hard to say. The patient suffered severe brain trauma, so perhaps..."

He paused before adding, "Let's see how she recovers over the next two days."

Hearing this, Julian felt his heart grow half-cold.

Even though Dr. Kane had put it delicately, he could tell that Seraphina was still hovering at death's door.

He said hoarsely, "Then I must trouble you to take extra care of her, Dr. Kane."

Dr. Kane waved his hand. "It's my duty. Though if I may ask... the news of the patient's death has already been sent out. If something goes wrong later..."

Julian froze for a moment, then said solemnly, "Don't worry. I will take full responsibility."

Chapter 14: Didn't My Wife Come?

Hearing Julian say this, Dr. Kane finally set his mind at ease.

Seraphina wasn't dead, but the news of her death had been relayed to her workplace, and this was entirely Julian's doing.

Though the doctor didn't know why Julian wanted to do this, he worried that such an action would impact the hospital.

After a few more words, Dr. Kane returned to his office.

Julian looked down at the time on his phone, his tightly furrowed brows knitting deeper.

By now, Ethan must have heard the news that Seraphina was "dead."

A flash of revulsion crossed his eyes. If Ethan didn't love Seraphina, then fine—they would never cross paths again, and he would take care of her.

Riverdale.

Neon lights painted the pitch-black sky, and no place was more bustling than The Mirage Club.

The black Bentley parked precisely at the grand entrance.

Janice, who had been waiting for nearly half an hour, saw Ethan stepping out of the car, and the impatience on her face vanished instantly.

"Ethan, why are you just getting here?" She walked over, intimately looping her arm through his. "Sebastian and the guys have been waiting forever."

Ethan glanced at the hand wrapped around his arm like a vine, his expression darkening.

"Meeting." He pulled his arm away, coldly spitting out a word.

Janice froze. "Ethan?"

She looked at him in astonishment as he showed a trace of estrangement toward her, only to realize his gaze wasn't on her at all.

In the next second, Ethan strode forward, ignoring her completely.

Janice's expression twisted, her hands clenching into tight fists.

Ethan had suddenly become distant; could it really be because of Seraphina?

At that thought, she cursed inwardly. She's dead anyway, what is there to keep thinking about!

But on second thought, she rejoiced that Seraphina had at least transferred the Vance Enterprises shares to her before dying; otherwise, she might have gotten absolutely nothing from Ethan.

Janice's expression softened slightly before she followed him inside.

The VIP private room.

The moment Ethan stepped inside, Sebastian Shaw and the others stood up one after another. Several empty alcohol bottles already littered the table.

"CEO Vance is here!"

Hearing this, Ethan’s brows furrowed. Without a word, he walked over and sat down, placing a cigarette between his lips.

For some reason, he felt a sudden resistance toward this place he used to frequent so often.

Particularly the music blasting through the entire private room; it felt like a blade scraping against his every nerve.

Seeing Ethan remain silent, the men exchanged glances, completely at a loss.

It wasn't until Janice walked in that Sebastian reopened the conversation, "Jan! Come, come! It's my treat today, let's drink until we drop!"

Before Janice could even sit down, another flushed, half-drunken man laughed and asked, "Where is the CEO's wife? Why didn't she come?"

Ethan’s eyes darkened. His two fingers holding the cigarette tightened, flattening the cigarette completely.

Janice acted as if she hadn't heard a thing, though her heart was filled with disdain.

These wealthy socialites only knew how to indulge in wine and women; they naturally had no idea about Seraphina's death.

"Hey, I heard..." a tipsy hostess hiccuped, stammering out, "that radio host... died in a car accident!"

Ethan suddenly kicked the table in front of him, flipping it over. Alcohol and food splattered everywhere, plunging the private room into instant chaos.

Aside from Janice, who remained somewhat composed, everyone else stared in pure terror at Ethan, whose gaze looked ready to kill.

Ethan violently grabbed the hostess by her jaw. "Say one more word, and I'll tear your mouth apart!"

The hostess was so terrified that she sobered up instantly, nodding in trembling fear.

Ethan shoved her away heavily, turned around, and strode out of the private room.

The waiters all knew his identity; even if they were bumped into, they didn't dare say a word.

It wasn't until he walked out of the club that Ethan halted his steps, the viciousness in his gaze slowly fading.

He took a deep breath, but the raging fire in his chest refused to die down. He could not tolerate hearing Seraphina's name tied to the word "dead"!

Chapter 15: Vocal Cord Damage

Late night, Oakhaven.

The quiet hospital corridor was filled only with the footsteps of the night-shift nurse and the low hum of large medical instruments operating inside the intensive care unit.

Before Seraphina even opened her eyes, she heard a mechanical "beep, beep, beep" near her ear.

Her brow furrowed, her eyelashes fluttered slightly, and she slowly opened her eyes.

Mild light shone from fixtures embedded in the off-white ceiling; it wasn't harsh, yet it made her feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Was she... still alive?

Seraphina tried to move her stiff body, only to find that she couldn't move at all; her entire body was practically bound by various tubes and bandages. The nurse happened to walk over to the window, and seeing Seraphina's head swaying slightly, immediately went to call Dr. Kane.

Dr. Kane rushed over at once.

"Don't move around."

The moment he entered the room, he saw Seraphina trying to turn over and quickly pressed down gently on her shoulder.

Seraphina forced open her dry eyes. Seeing a male doctor in his thirties, she opened her mouth.

"Uh... ack..."

Her eyes froze in shock. She actually couldn't speak—was it because of the coma?

Putting on his stethoscope, Dr. Kane also noticed that something was wrong with Seraphina. He said, "Don't be anxious just yet, you have to recover slowly."

With that, he focused his mind and began examining her thoroughly.

Seraphina gasped for air a few times, but she ultimately couldn't fight off the exhaustion and fell back into a deep sleep.

After a short while, Julian hurried over. Seeing him arrive, Dr. Kane quickly closed the door and walked out to meet him.

"Dr. Kane, how is Seraphina?"

Julian looked through the window, his brow furrowing deeply upon seeing Seraphina still fast asleep.

Dr. Kane replied, "Don't worry, she has no major issues, it's just..."

A troubled expression appeared on his face as he slipped his hands into the pockets of his white coat. "The nerve to her vocal cords is severely damaged. I'm afraid it will be difficult for her to recover."

Julian froze. "What do you mean by that?"

"It means she might never be able to speak again." Dr. Kane let out a heavy sigh.

Julian's expression turned rigid. It was as if he could still hear Seraphina's gentle, clear voice echoing in his ears.

Could she truly never speak again?

"Mr. Vance?"

Julian composed his emotions and said in a deep voice,