The CEO's Regret: Darling, Don’t Leave Me novel Chapter 366

Chapter 276: Lies.

Clara

The house was silent when I arrived, a heavy, strange silence. Even the staff’s footsteps were barely audible. Everything seemed… restrained. As if the very atmosphere were waiting for something.

I closed the door behind me and placed my bag on the entryway console.

“Ethan?”

He didn’t answer.

I frowned slightly and walked down the hall to the living room. And there he was. Sitting on one of the sofas, a glass of whiskey in his hand, serious. Too serious.

My heart skipped a beat.

Ethan looked up as soon as he saw me enter, but he didn’t smile. He didn’t say anything, which immediately made me nervous. I tried to act normal.

“Hi…” I approached slowly and leaned in to kiss him, but although he accepted it, he barely moved his lips. He didn’t really reciprocate.

I pulled away slowly.

“What’s wrong?”

He held my gaze for a few seconds. And then he asked… “Why did you lie to me?”

My whole body tensed, the air caught in my lungs.

“What?”

Ethan calmly placed his glass on the table. Too calmly.

“I called your assistant this afternoon. I wanted to send you lunch… surprise you for a while.”

My throat went dry. God.

“And she told me you weren’t in the building… I kept assuming that meeting you supposedly had was outside the office,” he continued. “I asked her where you were. She wouldn’t tell me. I insisted… and she finally told me you went out to lunch.”

I swallowed slowly, Ethan didn’t take his eyes off me.

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< Chapter 276: Lies.

“With Alexander.”

The silence between us became unbearable.

I looked down for a second.

“I’m sorry…”

He let out a low laugh. No humor.

“Sure.”

“I didn’t mean to lie to you, but…”

“Is something wrong with Alexander?”

I immediately looked up.

“No. Don’t jump to the wrong conclusion.”

That seemed to irritate him even more.

Ethan stood up slowly.

“How can I not jump to the wrong conclusion, Clara?”

His voice was still controlled, but I could feel the anger beneath every word.

“You lied to me so you could go to lunch with him. What am I supposed to think?”

I shook my head quickly.

“That’s not how it happened.”

“Then explain how it happened.”

+25 Points

I took a deep breath… Trying to organize my thoughts. Trying to keep this from exploding.

“I just wanted to understand why he did all that.”

Ethan frowned.

“Why what?”

I looked directly at him.

“The Boston thing.”

I saw something change in his eyes. An immediate tension.

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< Chapter 276; Lies.

“What’s going on with Boston?”

I hesitated for barely a second, but I’d already started. I couldn’t stop now.

+25 Points

“Alexander found out that before the trip I’d spoken with Hale… about getting him out of the

company.”

Ethan froze, completely still.

“What?”

“He knew before going to Boston.”

His jaw tightened.

“And how do you know that?”

“Because he told me today… Well, that’s what I understood; he was ambiguous in his

statements.”

Ethan slowly ran a hand over his face. As if trying to hold himself back.

“Clara… what’s really going on?”

I let out a tired sigh. My head felt like it was going to explode.

“Alexander knows I’m aware of everything… he caused the whole Boston thing.”

The silence fell so heavy it hurt my ears. Ethan stared at me, unblinking. As I spoke, I watched his face harden. Colder, more dangerous.

When I finished, he let out a dry laugh and took a few steps back.

“That son of a bitch. You shouldn’t have gone anywhere with him. What did you want to understand? There’s nothing to understand, Clara.”

I hugged myself.

“I didn’t want to tell you because I knew… I knew it would make you angry, and I really wanted to, I wanted to know his intentions. At least, at least give him the benefit of the doubt.”

Ethan immediately turned to me.

“And after finding that out, you decided to go to lunch with him alone?”

His question was more to make me realize the “mistake” of going to see him.

“I needed to hear him out.”

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< Chapter 276: Lies

“No, Clara!”

+25 Points >

His voice echoed loudly in the room for the first time. It startled me. He immediately took a deep breath, trying to lower his tone.

“No. No. This is no longer a business game.”

He moved closer.

“Do you understand the gravity of what you’re saying?”

I nodded slowly.

“Yes.”

“No, I don’t think so.”

His gaze locked onto mine.

“That man crossed a line, Clara. You know it… don’t you think about your safety?”

A chill ran through me, because hearing it from Ethan made everything sound even worse. More real, more terrifying.

“Something could have happened to you, Clara.”

I looked down.

“I know.”

Ethan let out a disbelieving laugh.

“Can you really say that?”

I didn’t answer, because I couldn’t. Because honestly… I no longer knew who Alexander really

was.

Ethan watched me for a few more seconds before speaking again. This time, his voice was lower, more hurt.

“What hurts me the most isn’t lunch.”

I slowly looked up.

“It’s that you felt you couldn’t tell me the truth.”

My chest tightened.

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< Chapter 276: Lies.

“I didn’t want you to think badly of me.”

“But I ended up thinking worse.”

Tears began to well up behind my eyes. God. Everything was going wrong.

“I’m sorry…”

+25 Points

Ethan closed his eyes for a moment and let out a long sigh. Then he came closer until he was standing right in front of me.

“Look at me.”

I did, and then he cupped my face in his hands. Gently, as if even in his anger he couldn’t bring himself to be harsh with me.

“Don’t ever do that again.”

His voice was broken, soft, and honest.

“Don’t ever lie to me again to see another man. Much less someone like that.”

I felt the tears finally start to fall.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“I know that.”

I placed my hands on his wrists.

“I was just… confused, and I want to have all the pieces of the puzzle together so I can stop overthinking.”

Ethan shook his head gently.

“And that’s exactly what he wanted.”

I frowned.

“What?”

“He wanted to get inside your head somehow… he wanted to get into your life, he wanted to get between us. To screw everything up, but since he couldn’t, then… so he’s doing it where he can also affect you. Your job.”

His words silenced me. Because yes, now I could see everything.

Ethan stroked my cheek with his thumb.

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< Chapter 275: Lies

‘Don’t let him do it.”

I closed my eyes for just a moment. And shook my head.

“He won’t.”

Ethan watched me for a few more seconds, then rested his forehead against mine.

“What are you going to do now?”

I slowly opened my eyes, and this time my voice was firm, confident

“I’m going to get him out of the company no matter what. The board meeting is in two days.”

“I’ll be at the company with you, I’ll be close to you. I’m not going to leave you alone.”

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