Ethan Storm’s Dark Awakening novel Chapter 37

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Alice forced herself to remain calm despite the tightness in her chest. Her fingers were still trembling around the phone as she drew in a steadying breath. Then, lifting her chin, she addressed the gathering

of tense relatives.

“This meeting ends here,” she said, her voice surprisingly steady. The murmuring room fell silent.

“There are urgent matters at the company that require my immediate attention,” she added, eyes scanning the crowd with guarded composure. “We’ll reconvene at another time. Thank you for your…

concern.” €2

Without another word, she turned and grabbed Ethan’s hand, striding briskly out of the estate without a single glance back.

Once inside the car, Ethan leaned back in the passenger seat, arms folded, expression unreadable. He didn’t speak until Alice had pulled out of the estate and turned onto the main road.

“I heard everything,” he said quietly. “The call. Nova Corp’s investigator. One hundred million in damages

…?”

Alice’s grip tightened on the steering wheel, her knuckles turning white. “I don’t understand. Just this morning, everything was fine. No complaints. No warnings. The materials were cleared. There was no indication something like this was coming.”

Ethan frowned, his sharp eyes narrowed in thought. His hearing was extremely sharp-every word from

the phone call had been crystal clear to him.

“Nova Corp doesn’t operate like this,” he said slowly. “They don’t make sudden accusations or file

damages without months of internal review. Someone pushed this.”

He was very confused. After all Nova Corp was his company.

Alice glanced at him, her voice laced with dread. “You’re saying… this is sabotage?”

“I’m saying someone powerful wants to hurt the Morgan Group,” he murmured. “And maybe… hurt you.”

Back at the Morgan estate, the mood turned from smug triumph to raw hysteria.

“Did you hear what she said?” Eleanor snapped, pacing furiously. “She dismissed all of us! Like we were nobodies!”

Alice’s father slammed his hand against the armrest. “And that man-Ethan-what kind of stunt is he pulling? He walks in like a king, and now we’re suddenly being dragged into a scandal?”

They might not have believed Ethan’s identity-but no one could find any flaw in his background either.

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The uncertainty made it worse.

Then Sophia, lounging on the velvet couch, suddenly gasped. “Oh my God-look!”

Everyone turned toward her as she held up her phone.

“Nova Corp just posted an internal memo. They’ve launched an investigation into Morgan Group for substandard materials and fraud. They’re claiming a hundred million in damages!”

The room exploded.

“What?!”

“You’re joking-no way!”

“Check their procurement page! It’s live!”

Alice’s father’s face turned a dangerous shade of red. “If this is real… then that bastard, Ethan, fooled all of us. He’s no partner. He’s a conman! He’s infiltrated us and dragged the company into ruin!”

Eleanor’s eyes blazed with fury. “That girl! That naive, brainless girl! I told her not to trust anyone with an

unknown background. Look what she’s done!”

Sophia smirked, satisfaction glittering in her eyes. “Well, this certainly means Alice is finished. The board

won’t protect her after this. No one will.”

Belen folded his arms and leaned back, smug. “Looks like the heir position is opening up sooner than expected.”

“And guess who’s next in line?” Sophia purred, nudging his arm.

The room fell into a dark silence. No one needed to say it. If the partnership was fake-if Alice had been tricked by a man she brought into the family-then her reputation and position were irreparably damaged.

At Morgan Group headquarters, Alice stormed into the lobby, her heels clicking against the marble floor with urgency. The staff-usually warm and eager to greet her-looked pale and tense, their smiles nowhere in sight.

“Where’s Darren?” she asked, voice sharp.

Her secretary, May, looked close to tears. “He’s in the boardroom with legal. They’ve been trying to reach Nova Corp since lunch. No one’s responding.”

Alice pushed open the boardroom doors without knocking,

Inside, Darren stood at the head of the long table, flanked by several executives with weary eyes and furrowed brows. He looked up at her, guilt written all over his face.

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