Ethan Storm’s Dark Awakening novel Chapter 38

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Alice forced herself to steady her breathing, forcing calm to lace through her veins despite the turmoil swirling inside her. The conference room felt suffocating-every eye burning holes into her back, every whisper like a knife edging closer to breaking her resolve. She lifted her chin, voice firm despite the quake beneath it.

“I’ll handle everything,” she said, eyes sweeping the room once more. “Leave it to me.”

Without waiting for protest, she pulled out her phone and dialed Nova Corp’s main line, the digits etched into her memory like a lifeline. The line rang twice before a cold voice slithered through the speaker.

“Maxime Trent speaking.” 1

Alice’s heart dropped-Maxime. The name was poison.

“This is Alice Morgan. I demand to know what’s going on. What are these accusations? Why sabotage the Morgan Group?” she demanded, swallowing her fear.

A sinister laugh echoed on the other end, smooth and chilling. “Oh, Alice. So eager, so desperate. I’ve been waiting for this moment.”

Alice’s fingers clenched the phone tighter. “Maxime, this ends now. You’re playing with fire.”

“Oh, no,” Maxime replied, voice low and mocking. “This is just the beginning. Come to dinner tonight- let’s discuss how far this game can go.”

Alice blinked, disbelief flashing across her face. “Dinner? You’re joking.”

“Not at all,” Maxime said, the cruel edge in his voice razor-sharp. “Maison D’Artois. Eight o’clock. Come hungry-I like discussing destruction over dessert. Consider it an invitation… or a warning.” 1

She ended the call, heart thundering in her chest. Ethan’s expression darkened, brows furrowed in

thought.

She ended the call, heart thundering. 1

Ethan frowned deeply, the pieces clicking into place. Maxime was behind all of this. But how had he managed to bypass Elsa-the one who controlled Nova Corp’s security and operations-and issue such a major directive? Clearly, Maxime had insiders supporting him within the company.

As the true boss, Ethan thought grimly, I’ll deal with Maxime. But those who collude with him? They’ll pay the price too.

Alice swallowed hard, the weight of the situation crashing down. No one’s going to lend us time or money freely now. If we don’t fix this, Morgan Group faces a cash flow crisis that could bury us.

She looked at Ethan, guilt heavy in her eyes. “I dragged you into this mess. Had you pose as the mysterious boss. If my lies are exposed… you could lose everything-your status, your standing with Nova Corp.”

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Ethan gave a small, steady smile. “I’ll handle it. You’re not alone.”

Alice assumed he was simply trying to comfort her. He always did that-saying what she needed to hear in moments of crisis. So she gave him a half-smile, grateful but still determined to carry the weight

herself.

“I’ll take care of it,” she said again, firmer this time, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

But Ethan didn’t budge.

“Where are you going?” he asked, eyes following her as she reached for her coat.

She hesitated for a moment, then replied, “Newman Bank. I used to work with the branch manager, Richard Bennett. He might still trust me enough to help.”

Ethan immediately straightened up. “Then I’m coming with you.”

Alice turned to him with raised brows. “You don’t have to. I mean-this might get messy.”

“I know,” he said evenly. “That’s why I’m coming.”

She blinked, caught off guard. “Ethan, you really don’t have to-”

“I want to, Alice,” he interrupted gently. “You said I could lose everything if your lies get exposed. That means I’m already in this. I might as well stand beside you while we fix it. And truthfully?” He paused, then added with a trace of steel in his tone, “I want to see who’s still willing to stab you in the back.”

Her throat tightened. She glanced away, composing herself before looking back at him. “Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me,” he said, walking beside her. “You’ve carried this for too long alone.”

The next stop was Newman Bank-the one Alice trusted most, the one where she’d built a history with the branch manager. She needed a loan-now more than ever-to keep the company afloat and to buy time to fight Maxime’s war.

Ethan followed silently, his eyes scanning every corner, every face. If someone wants to ruin the Morgan family, they’ll stop at nothing-even banks won’t give us money easily, 1

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