Could it have been just a dream, or was there something more to it? Adrian shook the thought from his head, telling himself it was just the strain of his current situation playing tricks on his mind.
Still, the image of Ethan holding him, of Ethan's lips brushing his cheek, refused to fade.
He was lost in those thoughts when Mathew entered the hospital ward, his expression clouded with tension. "Adrian," Mathew said, his voice low, "have you seen Ethan's phone or laptop around here?"
Adrian blinked, shaking himself from his reverie. "No, I haven't. Why?" He could see the lines of worry etched deeper into Mathew's face.
Mathew ran a hand through his hair, clearly agitated. "There are some urgent business matters I need to check. Ethan's phone or laptop might contain critical information." His eyes darted toward Ethan's bed. "Let me know if you come across them, alright?"
Adrian nodded, his mind already spinning. What could possibly be so urgent?
As Mathew left, a cold sensation settled in Adrian's stomach. Something felt wrong. Mathew was always composed, always the reliable right-hand man of Ethan, but today his agitation was palpable. Adrian stood in the middle of the room, staring blankly at the space where Mathew had just been.
His eyes drifted over to the drawer next to Ethan's bed.
"Could it be?" Adrian whispered to himself, feeling a strange pull toward it. His heart sped up again, but this time, it wasn't from thoughts of Ethan's dream self; it was from the unknown. Slowly, he approached the drawer, hesitating as his hand hovered over the handle. Should he even be looking through Ethan's things? Wasn't that a violation of privacy?
What he didn't know that Ethan's soul was standing beside him and gently saying.
"It's ok, You can open it and take a look."
As if hearing what Ethan said, Adrian bit his lip and forced himself to open the drawer.
Inside, lying innocuously, was Ethan's laptop. His fingers trembled as he pulled it out, placing it on the small hospital table. His mind raced. What was Mathew looking for?
After a few moments of hesitation, Adrian powered up the device. He stared at the blank screen before him, breathing deeply. It took him a few attempts, but he finally cracked the password — Ethan's birthday, something simple and almost too personal.
He knew about Ethan's birthday from internet.
The screen lit up, revealing a mess of desktop files and icons. Adrian's fingers glided across the trackpad, unsure of what exactly he was looking for. Then he saw it — a folder hidden in plain sight, its name coded in letters and numbers, something intentionally designed to be overlooked. It piqued his curiosity. He clicked it open, heart pounding.
The folder contained several spreadsheets and encrypted files. Adrian's stomach churned as he clicked through them, watching numbers that didn't make sense scroll past his eyes.
There were multiple entries about transactions, but what stood out were the discrepancies in the company's profits — large sums were being moved offshore, and the numbers seemed deliberately tampered with. Adrian's confusion turned to horror as he realized that this wasn't just regular business — it was embezzlement on a grand scale.
It took him a moment to digest the magnitude of what he was seeing. Someone in Twilight Corporation was siphoning money out of the company, using Ethan's coma as a shield to hide their actions. The longer Adrian looked at the files, the clearer it became. There were names on some of the documents — executives, people Adrian didn't know personally, but the significance of their involvement was undeniable.
"This can't be real…" Adrian whispered. He stared at the files, his mind racing to comprehend the implications. Twilight Corporation was bleeding, and if this continued, it would collapse. Thousands of employees would lose their jobs, and the Levidis family's entire empire would crumble.
He felt sick to his stomach.
Adrian closed the laptop, his hands shaking. What was he supposed to do with this information? Ethan wasn't here to handle this. Adrian had no business experience, no idea how to navigate something so intricate and dangerous. But if he did nothing, everything Ethan had built would fall apart.
And how did this information come here when Ethan is in coma?
Ethan looked at the confused and scared boy and glanced at the laptop with complex eyes, It was elder brother...again.
Adrian was still thinking, He had to tell someone — but who? The first person who came to mind was Lady Sachel. Surely Ethan's mother, despite her coldness toward him, would want to know.
With trembling hands, Adrian picked up his phone and dialed her number.
It didn't take long for Lady Sachel to answer. "Adrian," she said icily, her tone as cold and distant as always. "What is it now? I hope you're not calling to ask for more money or something frivolous."
Adrian gulped, trying to steady his voice. "No, it's not that, Lady Sachel. I… I found something on Ethan's laptop. It looks like there's been embezzlement going on at Twilight Corporation."
There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment, and then she spoke again, her voice dripping with disdain. "Embezzlement? Really, Adrian, what are you even talking about? Why would you, of all people, be going through Ethan's personal files? That's completely inappropriate."
"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry," Adrian stammered, "but Mathew mentioned something about needing Ethan's phone or laptop, and I thought maybe I could help. I found these files, and I think someone is stealing from the company."
There was another pause, and when Lady Sachel spoke again, her voice was cold and sharp. "Adrian, listen to me very carefully. You are Ethan's spouse, yes, but you are not part of this family in the true sense of the word. Do not meddle in matters you do not understand. You have no idea how businesses are run, and the last thing we need is you creating a mess by playing detective."
Adrian's heart sank. "But Lady Sachel—"
"Enough," she snapped. "Ethan is not in a position to make decisions right now, and neither are you. Leave the business to those who actually know what they're doing. I will not tolerate you jeopardizing anything."
Adrian wanted to argue, to insist that something needed to be done, but her words hung like a weight around his neck. He didn't know anything about business. Maybe she was right. Maybe he was just making things worse by getting involved. Still, the thought of doing nothing gnawed at him.
"I understand," he said softly, though his chest ached with frustration.
"Good," Lady Sachel replied, her voice cutting. "Focus on taking care of Ethan. That's the only role you're needed for right now. Do not interfere again." The line went dead.
Adrian stood in the middle of the hospital room, feeling utterly lost. The files on Ethan's laptop haunted him. He could sense the gravity of the situation, but no one seemed to care. Lady Sachel had shut him down, dismissing his concerns as though they meant nothing.
He looked over at Ethan's body, lying still and unmoving on the hospital bed. "I don't know what to do," Adrian whispered. "How can I just sit here and let this happen?"
Adrian clutched his phone tightly, his mind racing. Could he really let this go? Could he allow the company to crumble under the weight of corruption without even trying to stop it?
Lady Sachel had made it clear that he wasn't welcome to intervene, but Ethan… Ethan wasn't here to speak for himself. Wasn't it his duty, as Ethan's spouse, to protect what Ethan had built?
The answer was obvious. He couldn't just walk away from this.
Adrian felt a sudden resolve as if he had found a new goal. If no one else would act, then he would. He wasn't going to stand by and watch the company fall apart, not when he had the power to do something. Even if Lady Sachel didn't believe in him, even if he had no idea what he was doing — he had to try.