𝐁𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐄'𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐃 𝐖𝐈𝐅𝐄 || 𝐉𝐉𝐊

chapter fourty-five

—#[skiptime:a week later]:[Ethan’s pov]: 

I walked into the living hall, phone pressed to my ear as I spoke, “Yeah, the meeting—” but my words faltered mid-sentence, caught in my throat as my gaze shifted toward the dining room.

There she was, Y/n, seated at the table, her breakfast untouched before her.

Something felt off.

Her face was pale, her eyes downcast, staring silently at her plate. The sight of the untouched food made my brows knit together in concern. She wasn’t just avoiding the meal—there was a weight about her, a heaviness in her demeanor that I couldn’t ignore.

“Sir?” The voice on the other end of the call broke through my thoughts, pulling me back momentarily. I shook my head slightly to regain focus.

“Ah—yeah. Do one thing: cancel all the meetings and appointments for today…”

My gaze remained locked on her as I gave the instruction, watching her closely, trying to decipher what was troubling her.

“Okay, sir.” With that, the call ended, and I slipped the phone back into my jeans pocket.

Both hands found their way into my pockets as I stood there, unmoving, silently observing her from a distance.

“Do you not like the food?” the maid asked gently, her concern evident in her voice as she looked at her. But she only shook her head, giving her a soft almost apologetic smile, as if trying to hide her distress. 
          
The maid gave her a nod while my eyes stayed glued to her, studying her expressions, searching for clues to her discomfort. I couldn’t stand seeing her like this, so withdrawn, so unlike herself. 

I needed to know what was wrong. 

I finally resolved to approach her, determined to get to the bottom of it. But just as I was about to take a step forward, I felt arms suddenly wrap around my neck from behind.

The embrace was unexpected, almost as if someone had flung themselves at me.

Startled, my hands instinctively grabbed the arms around my neck. They were slender—too slender—immediately alerting me to the fact that it was a woman.

My brow furrowed in confusion until a familiar voice reached my ears, soft and sweet, “I missed you…”

That voice—it was unmistakable. My gaze lifted in recognition, and a jolt of realization shot through me. 

As she hopped off my back, I turned to face her, a name slipping from my lips, “Ava?” My brows knitted together in surprise, while she flashed that familiar bright smile, the one that never seemed to fade.

“Surprised to see me?” she asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement, raising her brows playfully.

I wouldn't deny that I wasn't surprised to see her, I was taken aback seeing her. And the question that first crossed my mind was, “What was she doing here?” 

Just then, my gaze shifted towards the door, where Noah stood, holding her suitcase.

Our eyes met, and he subtly shook his head, signaling that he, too, was caught off guard by her sudden arrival.

Ava, Noah’s younger sister. Noah has been my friend since I moved out to an unknown country with my mother at the age of ten.

Our friendship grew over the years, and through him, I was introduced to his warm, welcoming family—and his energetic, demanding, but sweet sister, Ava.

Despite her occasional clinginess, she was a good-natured girl, and I had often looked out for her during our high school days.

Noah and I were her seniors, and though I’m not someone who naturally looks after others, being my best friend's sister made it hard to ignore Ava’s presence.