Chapter 56: Unraveling Truths and Embraces

Chapter 56: Unraveling Truths and Embraces

Ethan's strength was astonishing. As he grabbed the bodyguard by the collar, it seemed as though he might lift the man clean off his feet.

The bodyguard's neck was being choked by his own collar, his face gradually turning a purplish-red, his expression one of pain.

Behind them, Eric and the others were stunned, their voices shaky. "Chairman Harrison…"

Ethan's entire body was tense, from the veins bulging on the back of his hands to the clenched muscles in his jaw. It was a terrifying sight.

He paused for a moment, then suddenly tightened his grip again, slamming the bodyguard into the wooden door with a loud crash.

"Open the door!"

The bodyguard's face contorted in pain, and after a couple of dry coughs, he managed to gasp out, "I… don't know… the password."

The butler, finally understanding, exclaimed, "Oh! These cabins can be locked with a code. If you don't know the password, the key won't work either…"

Ethan finally released the bodyguard.

"Step back."

Before anyone could react, Ethan raised a long leg and kicked the door. The sound of the impact was deafening, and the entire floor seemed to tremble.

The door didn't give way on the first kick, but no one dared to stop him.

Ethan kicked it two more times in quick succession, and the doorframe shattered, the door crashing backward.

The first person they saw behind the door was Jessica.

The stylist stood frozen, her face pale as a sheet.

"What happened?" She stared at the broken door, her eyes wide as she demanded answers. "What's going on?"

Ethan was momentarily taken aback when he saw her, then his gaze shifted.

Emily was slumped over the table, her entire body limp. She had her hands over her head, covering her ears, looking small, vulnerable, and utterly miserable.

"What's wrong with her?" Ethan asked Jessica.

"She's drunk," Jessica pointed to the empty glass on the table, her eyes still wide with fear from the terrifying expression Ethan had worn when he burst in. His face had been filled with so much anger that it looked as though he was ready to kill someone.

But as soon as he saw Emily, the man's expression softened immediately. He walked over, crouching beside her and gently patting her back.

"Emily."

It took Emily a few seconds before she slowly lowered her hands from her ears. She raised her face groggily, her eyes glazed over and unfocused.

Ethan looked at her flushed cheeks and reached out to touch her. "Come on, I'll take you home."

Emily immediately shook her head, her small face crumpling in distress. "No! I don't want to go home! I don't want to marry James!"

Ethan froze.

"You remember?" He placed a hand on her exposed shoulder. "What do you remember?"

Emily swatted his hand away with a slap. "Don't touch me!"

She flopped back onto the table, her lower lip jutting out as she mumbled quietly, "I'm waiting for my Brother Ethan…"

Ethan felt as if an invisible hammer had smashed his heart to pieces.

Emily pouted even more, looking like a wounded little animal.

"Brother Ethan will come to get me…"

"Who's Brother Ethan?" Olivia whispered to Eric, clearly confused. "Who's Brother Ethan?"

Eric quickly grabbed her hand and gave her a look to keep quiet.

Ethan moved closer to Emily, wrapping an arm around her to lift her up and hold her against his chest.

"Your Brother Ethan is here," he whispered in her ear, fighting the urge to kiss her flushed earlobe.

"I'm here to take you home."

Unexpectedly, Emily pushed him away with surprising strength.

"Get off me!" She glared at him with her reddened almond eyes, her tone fierce. "You're not Brother Ethan!"

After her outburst, she made a small circle with her thumb and forefinger, placing it around her eyes as if inspecting herself, and muttered, "Brother Ethan has glasses…"

Ethan: "…"

It was true that he used to wear glasses, with thin gold frames. Just before their wedding, he had undergone laser eye surgery to correct his vision, and he no longer needed them. Emily had been a little disappointed at the time, saying she liked how he looked with glasses, like a villain from a crime drama.

That comment had left Ethan wondering about his new wife's mental health…

But she remembered this.

Bitterness welled up in Ethan's heart. He stared at the woman slumped over the table for a few seconds before leaning in again, this time as carefully as if he were afraid of scaring her.

"Emily, look at me," he said softly, as if soothing a child. "I'm Ethan. I'm your Brother Ethan."

Emily, behaving much like a child throwing a tantrum, turned her head sharply away. "No!"

"What's going on here?" a clear male voice suddenly interrupted.

Ethan looked up to see Ryan standing in the doorway.

He was holding a steaming cup of water, along with a towel and other items.

Ryan glanced at Emily slumped over the table, then at the broken door, and finally at Ethan, a flash of displeasure and suspicion crossing his gaze.

"Chairman Harrison, what are you doing here?"

After Alisa drank that Emerald Martini, something had changed. She had gulped down several more mouthfuls, and the high alcohol content had quickly gone to her head.

Seeing she was about to get drunk, Ryan had hurried outside to fetch hot water and some medicine. Before leaving, he had asked the bodyguard to keep an eye on the door, making sure no one, especially men, went inside. On the way, he had run into Jessica and given her the cabin's password, asking her to take care of Alisa.

But in the time it took to fetch some water, how had things escalated to this?

And how had Chairman Harrison found his way here?

Ethan rose to his feet, scrutinizing the actor for a few moments before letting out a faint, humorless laugh. "That's the question I should be asking."

He raised an eyebrow, his tone brimming with authority. "What are you doing here?"

"Alisa is drunk," Ryan said as he moved towards Emily.

"I know she's drunk," Ethan cut him off, his tone leaving no room for argument. "I'm taking her home. There's no need for you to concern yourself."

Ryan's outstretched arm froze mid-air.

Ethan ignored him and bent down to lift Emily. Just as he was about to pick her up, Emily suddenly lashed out, struggling wildly like a cat.

"Don't touch me!" She backed away repeatedly, "I'm not going with you!"

She rubbed her reddened eyes, her voice trembling as if she was on the verge of tears. "Where is Brother Ethan…?"

Ethan moved forward to comfort her, but Ryan suddenly stepped in, placing himself between Emily and Ethan.

"Sorry, but she doesn't want to go with you," Ryan said, standing tall and unyielding as he met Ethan's gaze head-on. "Didn't you hear her?"

Ethan's face darkened, his expression flickering with irritation.

"Mr. Yan." Jessica, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke up.

She looked at Ryan, then nervously glanced at Ethan—after all, this was the same Chairman Harrison who had just kicked down a door. Who knew what he might do next? Better not to provoke him…

"Mr. Yan," Jessica attempted to smooth things over, "Chairman Harrison is actually—"

She didn't get to finish, as Ethan cut her off with a sharp hand gesture, silencing her.

Ethan stepped forward, closing the distance between himself and Ryan, his dark eyes heavy with intensity.

Everyone held their breath.

The tension was palpable, and just when it seemed Ethan might resort to physical confrontation again, he did something entirely unexpected.

"Emily," Ethan's voice, when he spoke again, was soft in a way no one else had ever heard. "I'll marry you."

Everyone in the room froze.

Ethan's gaze never wavered, his eyes locked on the only person who mattered to him.

"I'll marry you. I won't let you marry into the Zheng family."

Emily stiffened, slowly turning her head to face him, her eyes flickering with recognition.

Seeing her reaction, Ethan's eyes deepened.

She remembered.

Finally, he wasn't the only one holding onto these memories.

He took a deep breath, continuing the conversation that had been etched into his mind for so long.

"I won't let you marry James, okay?"

Emily stared at him for a few seconds, swallowing hard, then slowly nodded.

Ethan extended his hand to her. "Come with me?"

Emily numbly reached out and took his hand, still looking dazed. When Ethan lifted her into his arms, she didn't push him away this time.

With her securely in his arms, Ethan shot a sidelong glance at the frozen Ryan—a clear declaration of his claim.

He said nothing more to the others in the room, carrying Emily straight towards the door.

After a few stunned seconds, the others quickly followed him out.

Ethan held Emily in a practiced, effortless grip as he walked through the hallway, making his way towards the banquet hall.

Guests soon took notice of him—and of the woman in his arms. The entire hall fell silent, with all eyes on the wealthiest man in the room.

Ethan didn't seem to notice, keeping his gaze straight ahead as he walked.

Just as they were about to leave the hall, Emily

suddenly started to resist.

"Let go of me!" she cried out, looking up at Ethan with wide eyes. She wriggled more fiercely in his arms. "Let go! You're not Brother Ethan; Brother Ethan wears glasses…"

Ethan: "…"

How did we end up back here?

The room was deathly silent.

Many had witnessed Emily's earlier confrontation and slap, and the rumors about her and Chairman Harrison were swirling. But now, they exchanged puzzled glances—this wasn't exactly what they had imagined.

Before they could fully process the scene, something even more shocking happened—

"Let me go, do you hear me!"

Emily's anger flared as she raised her hand and slapped Ethan across the face.

The room collectively gasped.

"Let go of me!"

Emily raised her hand to strike again, but Ethan loosened his hold, gently setting her down.

Unlike the slap she had given the girl earlier, this one was more like a kitten lashing out with its claws, all anger and frustration, leaving Ethan standing there quietly, watching her without any visible reaction.

After delivering the slap, Emily's lip quivered, and she looked more like the one who had been hit. Suddenly, she crouched down, burying half of her face in her knees.

"Why isn't Brother Ethan coming…?" she sobbed, rubbing her eyes in despair. "He's not going to marry me after all… this isn't how the story is supposed to go…"

Ethan: "…?"

What story?

Ethan stared down at the crying woman for a long moment. Just when everyone expected him to retaliate, he suddenly raised his arm and waved at Eric, who was standing nearby.

Eric pointed at himself, confused, before reluctantly walking over.

Ethan swiftly removed Eric's glasses from his nose. "I'm borrowing these."

He slipped the thin gold frames onto his own nose, then reached out to Emily, lifting her from the ground.

"Emily, it's me."

Emily looked up, her face streaked with tears.

The moment she saw Ethan, her almond eyes lit up, and her lips trembled slightly.

"Brother Ethan…"

Ethan responded with a soft "Yes," his voice gentle. "It's me."

He removed his coat, draping it over her exposed shoulders and neck. His hand cupped her face, tenderly wiping away her tears, before he gently patted her on the head.

"Let's go home."

With that, Ethan picked Emily up again, ignoring the stares and whispers around them, and carried her out.

**

Zhaixing Pavilion.

Ethan reached the elevator, and the butler quickly pressed the button for the residence floor.

Ethan tightened his grip, holding Emily securely in his arms.

He hadn't let go of her the entire way, even while they were in the car. He had kept her close the whole time.

"Have someone bring up some honey water," Ethan instructed as he entered the elevator, adding, "And some porridge."

Mr. Guan nodded, "Yes, Ethan."

Ethan carried Emily across the soft carpet of the bedroom, gently placing her on the bed.

Emily, who had been half-asleep the whole way, suddenly woke up as soon as she touched the bed. She furrowed her brows, rubbing her eyes, and mumbled something incoherent.

Ethan immediately leaned in. "What's wrong?"

Emily opened her eyes and looked at him.

Her hair was a bit messy, with a few strands falling across her temples and mouth, making her pale, delicate skin look even softer. Her flushed cheeks, heated by alcohol, were now a deeper shade of red, spreading to the corners of her eyes and lips.

Her tear-filled almond eyes looked at him without focus, but with an inexplicable allure.

Ethan's Adam's apple bobbed. He reached out, brushing the strands of hair from her lips, gently caressing her flushed cheek, and asked again, "What's wrong?"

Emily pouted slightly, her voice coming out as a kittenish whimper. "I feel… uncomfortable…"

Ethan's dark eyes flickered, his mind drifting to different memories.

Back then, she had looked up at him with the same teary eyes, softly pleading, "I don't feel well…"

Ethan forced his eyes shut. When he opened them again, a darker intensity lingered in his gaze.

He placed a hand on the back of her head, his long fingers gently running through her silky hair as he pressed his forehead against hers, his voice deepening into a hoarse murmur.

"Where does it hurt?"