Chapter 0012
Ignoring his suspicions, William carried on his tale: “Lucas isn’t an only child. He has a sister who works as a flight attendant. In college, Lucas was in a relationship with a girl named Sophia. They were together for three and a half years, but eventually went their separate ways due to some disagreements. According to investigations, Sophia had another man on the side even when she was still with Lucas. This man is now her soon-to-be ex-husband and also Michael’s cousin. Lucas’s parents never approved of Sophia because of her scandalous acting career, and this became the root cause of their eventual split.”
“Sophia later married her lover, while Lucas… Lucas had a whirlwind marriage with a Miss Clark. However, Sophia’s life didn’t turn out as well as one might think. Michael’s cousin, being an introvert and too sincere for his own good, could never get a grip on a wild, ambitious woman like Sophia. Even worse, Lucas had been secretly helping Sophia behind Clark’s back.”
“Now, Miss Clark has no living relatives. Her assets consist of nothing more than some savings.”
As William’s words came to an end, Ethan finished reviewing all the papers.
“William.”
“I’m here.”
Ethan’s expression was dark and chilling, “Don’t you think everyone who betrays others deserves to die?
William’s pupils dilated in shock, reminding him of an old man from the Grant family. Bowing his head, he said, “Yes, they indeed deserve to die.”
“Do you know what to do?”
William responded resolutely, “I understand.”
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“What?”
Lucas, who was in the middle of a tender moment with Sophia, was taken aback, “Wasn’t it agreed that the contract would be signed next month?”
“That’s not… we had already agreed, how can you back out now?”
“I’m sorry, Lucas. This decision was reached after a reevaluation by our board of directors. It’s only a minor delay, and we hope for your understanding.”
Expect him to understand?! What if he doesn’t? a
His airline, Environ Airlines, is a mid-level airline in the aviation sector and can’t compete with the scale of Mokino International. So, when Ma
national proposed an acquisition at the beginning of the enticing profit-sharing proposal, Lucas didn’t hesitate to ecome a subsidiary of Mokino.
g part of a major corporation would certainly be stronger than going it alone.
The ever-increasing domestic and international travel volume made the aviation sector quite lucrative, attracting numerous competitors.
To be successful in the current environment, it was crucial to find reliable and powerful partners, with Mokino International being the top choice.
With basically all the details sorted out with Mokino, Lucas became arrogant and upset some of his peers in the industry. He was looking forward to soaring to new heights with the backing of Mokino and
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crushing the businesses that once competed with him.
But now, Mokino postponed the acquisition date without giving him a definite contract signing date.
Most importantly, he had already promised his pilots a salary raise in August. Without the support of Mokino, what was he supposed to do?
A capable pilot costs at least a million per year, not to mention. various subsidies. His company, although small, still had quite a few pilots, not counting the co-pilots.
Where would he get the money?
Lucas was frustrated.
Even when Sophia wanted to continue their moment, Lucas was not in the mood.
He gently pushed Sophia away, dialing a number while walking out. Sophia watched Lucas’s retreating figure with gritted teeth.
The next day.
At four o’clock, it was still dark.
Madison hadn’t woken up at this hour in a long time.
Back when she was a co-pilot, she spent countless nights in the sky, taking for granted the beautiful views she was privileged to witness.
“So early?” Ethan’s voice came from behind.
Startled, Madison turned around, “You’re up this early too?”
“I’m flying to Seaside City in a bit.”
Ethan, in his pajamas, leaned against the balcony railing, staring at
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the direction of the sunrise.
Madison stood behind him, leaning against the glass door.
They stood there, one in front of the other.
Ten minutes later, the sun began to rise, its hopeful light casting over their faces.
“Madison.”
“Hmm?”
Ethan took a drag of his cigarette, “Ever watched the sunrise with someone else before?”
Madison’s gaze briefly fell on his broad back, “No.”
This was the first time she had ever watched the sunrise with someone else.
At 5:15, the helicopter’s rotor started to spin, stirring the air and leaves around it.
Madison, less nervous than yesterday, calmly lifted the helicopter off the ground.
Ethan, seeming a bit fatigued, didn’t sit in the co-pilot’s seat today, instead choosing the back seat.
As the helicopter took off, Madison spoke, “You should rest. I’ll make sure you reach safe and sound.”
Ethan looked at her, “And if I end up dead?”
The noise in the helicopter was a downside, but luckily Ethan had his headset on and could hear Madison,
Then he heard Madison say, “If you die, I won’t be able to live either.”
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Ethan’s eyelids twitched.
He let out a small, unnoticed smile, then closed his eyes to catch up on some sleep.
By the time the helicopter was over Seaside City, Ethan woke up.
Noticing him awake, Madison spared a glance at the cityscape below, “I’ve heard from people that Seaside City is the most romantic city in the country. It’s perfect for proposals because it’s windy all year round. The wind always manages to blow flower petals to the lovers.”
Ethan-squinted, “I’ve never heard of such a thing. You’re too gullible.” Madison, for some reason, asked with a chuckle, “Did I manage to fool you?”
This question caught Ethan off guard, prompting him to look at Madison’s silhouette.
This woman, who had disappeared for more than two years, was completely different from the woman he had met before.
n, he was overseas while news of his mother’s suicide, ving the revelation of his father’s illegitimate child, reached him. as the middle of the night abroad, and the helicopter couldn’t make such a long journey.
So he chartered a flight back home. While on the plane, he was
looking over his mother’s pictures when a woman in a pilot’s uniform appeared.
That was the first time Ethan found a woman in a pilot’s uniform dazzling. She was as radiant as his mother had been.
It was her who told him that life still held hope, that everything would pass if he persevered.
The cup of milk and piece of candy she gave him seemed to sweeten
the next half a year of his life.
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When he inquired later, the people at the airline told him that the female pilot had resigned.
They said her name was Madison, a graduate of the top-flight academy.
Ethan couldn’t stop thinking, why had these two women fallen into the same trap?
Why would they sacrifice their dreams, their time, even their lives for a man?
While he couldn’t undo what had happened to his mother, he held out hope for Madison.
He wanted to see Madison finally break through the barriers. Back then, he didn’t have the means to protect his mother. But now, he was capable of protecting this foolish girl.
Snapping back from his thoughts, Madison also felt she had asked an inappropriate question and decided to stay silent.
But Ethan didn’t give her the chance: “Do you want me to be fooled?”
In other words–
Do you want me to believe that this is a romantic city?
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