Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph

[The beauty can't afford it, so she has to offer herself. Do you dare to accept?]

Frank finally snapped out of it, uncrossed his legs, sat up straight, and looked at us, clearly feeling awkward.

I stood up, made some excuse, and got ready to leave with Dakota.

Before heading out, I gave Nora a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

"Talk it out, the boss isn't unreasonable."

As I stepped out of the bar, I shot Frank another message: [The beauty's name is Nora, she's my classmate. Don't mess with her for now.] Just after sending that, Ethan called me.

I told him I was at the Blue Ocean Bar, about to head home. He asked me to wait for him.

In less than a minute, Ethan's car pulled up in front of the bar.

He got out and walked over to me, saying, "Don't rush off."

"Why?" I asked, looking at him.

He threw an arm around my shoulder and said, "It's a bro's birthday today. Let's go in and have a couple of drinks."

I quickly grabbed him, and he looked back at me, surprised.

I squinted and smiled at him. "No need. I've already given a big gift."

After that, I told Dakota to head home on her own, then pulled Ethan back to the car.

Ethan didn't start the car, just looked at me suspiciously.

"What big gift? Can't I see?"

I looked at him amused and then said seriously, "Of course not. It's a secret."

Ethan was a bit stunned, then quickly smiled, his eyes sparkling under the neon lights.

"Did you set him up with a girlfriend?"

I opened my mouth in surprise. "How did you know?"

Ethan's eyes twinkled, and he raised an eyebrow smugly.

"Just a guess. Frank's got everything but a woman right now."

I looked at the charming man in front of me with admiration, feeling a bit proud that such a handsome and wise man was my husband.

Ethan saw my goofy expression and his smile deepened. As he leaned over to fasten my seatbelt, his warm breath brushed against my forehead.

He suddenly turned his head and kissed the tip of my nose lightly. My heart fluttered like a teenager in love.

"Honey, you're still so pure, so adorably pure!"

Ethan's voice was low and magnetic, and he started the car as he spoke. I looked out the window, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Maybe this was love. No matter how long I was with Ethan, he always fascinated me. A glance, a gesture, an unexpected closeness he always moved me.

As the Blue Ocean Bar's sign faded into the blur of neon lights, I thought about everything that had happened there, about Oliver and Bella, and felt a wave of sadness. "Did Oliver really go to find Bella?" I asked, staring out the window.

"Maybe," Ethan replied.

I turned to look at him.

"I'm really worried about Bella. She must be having a hard time. I want to help her, but she won't reach out to me. Why do you think that is?"

Ethan glanced at me. I guess my sadness was written all over my face.

He kept one hand on the steering wheel and patted my head with the other, trying to comfort me.

"Don't worry. Maybe her situation isn't as bad as you think. She's tough. In tough times, if she's strong enough, it's not easy to be defeated." But I wasn't as optimistic as he was.

"Bella hasn't faced much hardship before, and now she's taking care of a child."

"A child?" Ethan looked at me, surprised.

It seemed he didn't know that Bella had a child with Zachary.

"Bella's kid is only a month or two older than ours. It's really tough for a woman to take care of a child in an unfamiliar place."

Ethan suddenly pulled the car over to the side of the road.

I turned my head in surprise and met his intense gaze.

He held my hand, looking deeply into my eyes, his voice hoarse with emotion.

"It's really tough for a woman to take care of a child in an unfamiliar place, especially when you have two kids. Honey, you've had it hard."

When I said that earlier, I didn't realize that I had gone through the same thing.

I tucked my hair behind my ear and shook my head gently.

"For me, it's nothing because I grew up enduring hardships, so I'm not afraid of them. But Bella is different, she..."

He interrupted me. "She's an adult. Every step she takes is her own choice. If she can't change what she faces, she can only accept it. Everyone ultimately has to live their own life." Indeed, everyone ultimately had to live their own life. If one couldn't change it, he could only accept it.

Ethan said, "Honey, you can't take everything upon yourself. Don't keep putting pressure on yourself. Let's go relax."

He took me to a fancy club. Once inside, he led me straight to the third floor, which was a large billiards hall.

As soon as we arrived, someone came up to greet us. It seemed like Ethan was a regular here.

"A VIP room," Ethan said to the person. Soon, we were led to a VIP room.

The room was bigger than I expected, not just a pool table but also a sofa and a TV.

"Do you know how to play pool?" he asked.

I shook my head but picked up a cue stick, feeling its smooth surface and smiling.

"I don't, but I can learn."

Ethan took off his jacket and placed it on the sofa, then walked towards me and started to take off my clothes.

I instinctively stepped back. "Aren't we here to play pool?"

He crossed his arms, tilted his head, and smiled. "The air conditioning is on. Aren't you hot with your jacket on? Besides, it's not convenient to play pool with a jacket."

I realized I had misunderstood, so I awkwardly took off my jacket and placed it on the sofa.

Underneath, I was wearing a white, low-cut knit top that hugged my curves.

As I walked over, Ethan's gaze intensified.

"Can we start now?" I asked.

"Sure," he said, his smile turning more suggestive.

Then he stood behind me, teaching me how to play hand-in-hand.

His chest pressed against my back, his hand covering mine, correcting my posture, and teaching me how to aim. His warm breath filled my ear as he spoke.

"Aim, steady the cue, and pocket the ball, just like that!"

Was I misunderstanding again? Why did this feel so suggestive?

"Let me try it myself," I said awkwardly.

"OK."

Ethan stepped aside to watch.

After several tries, I finally pocketed a ball by accident and jumped up in excitement. Ethan smiled and gave me a thumbs-up.

When I tried again, he came over to correct my posture. His chest pressed against me, his hand covered mine, and our cheeks touched. In such a suggestive position, I couldn't focus.

As my mind wandered, I realized his other hand had wrapped around my waist. Then, he suddenly kissed my earlobe, making me shiver and almost go weak in the knees.

He turned me slowly and kissed me passionately. I wrapped my arms around his neck, instinctively responding, but then I remembered the room's door was transparent, and people were walking by outside. I sobered up and pushed him away. Using the last bit of my rationality, I created some distance, resisting his allure. In a split second, I saw a scantily clad woman walk past the glass door. My excitement cooled down. I pushed Ethan away, opened the door, and walked out, but the woman was gone.

"What's wrong?" Ethan came out, now calm, and asked me.

I shook my head. "Nothing, I just saw someone who looked familiar. I think I might have been seeing things."

Ethan went back into the room to get our jackets, then put his arm around me and said, "Let's go home."

When we got home, the kids were already asleep.

We sat on the small sofa, watching them sleep peacefully. They were sound asleep, and Ethan's expression was soft and filled with fatherly love as he looked at them. My heart was filled with happiness.

For a moment, we forgot the desire that had been awakened at the club.

"Tell me about the person you introduced to Frank," Ethan asked me.

Thinking about what happened tonight at the Blue Ocean Bar, I couldn't help but laugh.

I sat on the sofa, hugging my legs, and roughly recounted the events of the evening to him. Ethan listened with a smile.

I couldn't help but sigh.

"Actually, many times, fate starts from an awkward or embarrassing situation, just like us."

Thinking about the night we first met, I asked, "Honestly, you had already left. Why did you come back then?"

Ethan moved closer, holding me, and said with a smile, "You were crying so loudly. It was like you were awakening my conscience. If I had really left a helpless woman on the mountainside, my conscience wouldn't have let me." Recalling that day, I still felt a pang of heartache. But more than that, I felt lucky.

I said, "I don't think I've ever cried that loudly again. Although I've been sad and desperate, I haven't cried out loud like that."

Ethan's steady voice sounded in my ear.

"I hope you cry when you need to and laugh when you want to. I don't want to see you cry, but don't hold back your feelings. Even though you're the CEO, you're still just a woman. Successful women carry a lot of pressure, but you shouldn't lose your happiness."

I leaned into his embrace, feeling touched and content at that moment.

Later, while he was showering, I was removing my makeup. When he finished, I went to take a shower.

After showering, I walked out, drying my wet hair as I approached the bed.

Ethan, sitting at the head of the bed, looked at me, his gaze hot as he looked at my entire body, his hand sliding up my thigh.

"You've had two kids, but your figure seems to have gotten even better."