The Billionaire CEO Betrays his Wife: He wants her back

"The last damn thing I want is to get tangled up with her again," he muttered, more to himself than Steph. His voice was rough, carrying the weight of years he’d tried to pretend didn’t matter. "She’s like a storm you can’t see coming ’til it tears through your life."

Steph crossed his arms, leaning on the edge of the desk, the ghost of a grin tugging at his lips. "Then why’s she still in your head, Ethan? I mean... You wouldn’t be this worked up if she didn’t still have a string somewhere tied to you."

Ethan shot him a sharp glare. "What do you think she wants to talk about?"

Steph shrugged like it wasn’t his problem because it wasn’t, not really. "You won’t know ’til you ask. But if I were you? I’d guess she wants something. Nobody does a murder wrap clean like that unless they’re covering for someone or hoping someone saves ’em at the last second."

That gnawed at Ethan more than he cared to admit. Because he knew Maria. Knew how sharp she was sick, how she could cry on cue and have you doubting your own guilt in five minutes flat. And maybe...maybe somewhere deep down, he still felt a sliver of guilt. If it wasn’t for his selfishness, his mistakes... Maria wouldn’t have lost everything. And neither would Mara.

But none of that mattered now. Not with Lucy’s case on the horizon like a loaded gun. "I can’t leave the country now," Ethan said, seizing on the excuse like a lifeline. "Not with Lucy’s case about to hit. After that... we’ll see."

Steph’s smirk was razor thin. He knew an excuse when he heard one, but let it slide. "Sure," he said, brushing imaginary lint off his jacket. "But I’ll tell you something, man, ghosts don’t stay buried just ’cause you stop digging."

Ethan grunted, his attention already shifting. "We’ve got a meeting about the new project at High Tower in twenty minutes. You wanna keep picking apart my disaster of a love life, or you wanna actually do your job?"

Steph barked out a low laugh, raising both hands. "Relax, boss. I can take a hint. We’ll talk about your mess later. Right now? High Tower."