End of the World? I'm the Boss novel Chapter 268

Chapter 192: I’ve Got It Straight.–1

Ethan

I never thought coming back to this point would feel like this. It’s not like before… not the same ease, not the same naive confidence with which I once believed everything was guaranteed. This is different, deeper. More conscious and at the same time, more… real.

I lightly adjust my tie knot as I watch my reflection in the dressing room mirror. Everything is in place: impeccable suit, firm posture, controlled expression. The man everyone expects to see. The CEO. The businessman. The one with answers for everything. But inside… Inside, there’s something that wasn’t there before. Clara.

Her name appears in my mind with an ease I no longer try to avoid. On the contrary… I allow it. I like that she’s there. I like knowing that she’s now part of my thoughts without that painful distance… without that emptiness I tried to fill in a thousand futile ways.

I lightly touch the watch on my wrist and smile slightly. Everything has changed.

“We’ll be on air in two minutes, Mr. Blackwood,” a voice says from the doorway.

I nod.

“Perfect.”

I take another deep breath and leave the dressing room.

The set is bright, elegant, and modern. Cameras, technical equipment, and assistants move about with precision. It’s an environment I know well. I’ve been here before… on other shows, other interviews, at other times in my life. But today… it’s different. Today I’m not here just for business. Today… there’s something more that’s inevitably going to come out.

I take a seat across from the host, a confident, charismatic woman with a practiced smile and an observant gaze. She knows her job.

“Welcome, Ethan,” she says warmly as the cameras start rolling. “It’s a pleasure to have you here.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” I reply naturally.

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And it begins… We talk about the company, recent projects, growth, and strategic decisions. I answer as I always do: clearly, directly, without unnecessary beating around the bush. But there’s a moment… There always is. That moment when the conversation stops being entirely professional and becomes… more personal.

I’m not one for this kind of thing, but… my luck has changed for a while now, my company is doing well, and I think it’s because of her, because of Clara. She’s like my blessing.

“Your career has been impressive,” she says. “But there’s something else that’s also caught people’s attention recently…”

I look at her; I know where she’s going with this.

“Your personal life.”

apter 197

# Straight

+25 Points

There it is, and it doesn’t bother me. It used to. Before, I would have changed the subject, I would have answered with something neutral, something empty. Not today, though. Today I don’t want to hide it.

“There’s been a lot of talk…” she continues. “About your relationship with Clara Sinclair.”

Hearing her name mentioned by someone else… in public… should be strange. But it isn’t, because now… there’s nothing to hide.

“You’ve been seen together again,” she adds, “Events, meetings… even that recent award where you mentioned her in a very special way.”

I smile slightly, I don’t deny it. I don’t soften it.

“Are you in love?” she finally asks.

Direct, no beating around the bush. And for a second… I don’t answer immediately. Not because I doubt it. But because I want to say it right. Because there are things that deserve to be said with intention.

“Yes,” I finally answer. My voice is firm. “I’m in love.”

The silence on the set is brief, but I notice it. That small pause where everyone understands that it’s not an automatic response… that it’s real.

“With Clara?” she asks, even though it’s obvious.

I look at her.

“It’s always been Clara. Only her.”

There’s no doubt in my words, no room for interpretation.

“But you were separated,” she adds. “What changed?”

I exhale gently.

“Life,” I reply. “Decisions… mistakes.”

I pause briefly.

“Sometimes you need to lose something to truly understand what it means to you.”

I don’t go into details. It’s not necessary… What matters… is what comes next.

“We drifted apart,” I continue. “Each of us went through our own process. But some things… don’t completely break.”

I look directly at her.

“And when they’re real… they find a way back.”

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