Chapter 4

"Your father seems to miss Sarah more than you do," Mark commented wryly the next day at the office. He' d heard about the call.

Ethan shot him a dark look. "Don' t start, Mark."

"Just saying. He has a point about her efficiency."

Ethan grunted, turning back to his screen.

But later that day, alone in his office, a memory surfaced.

Sarah, a few months ago, sitting up late with him in his study.

He' d been struggling with a complex contract, frustrated and tired.

She hadn' t said much, just quietly refilled his coffee, placed a plate of his favorite cookies beside him, and found a small error in a clause he' d overlooked multiple times.

She' d pointed it out so gently, he hadn' t even felt stupid.

He' d barely thanked her.

The memory left a bitter taste. He pushed it down.

Mark didn' t let it go. Over lunch, he tried again.

"She did everything for you, Ethan. Never asked for anything in return. Not really."

"It was her role in the arrangement," Ethan insisted, his voice harder than he intended. "Don' t try to romanticize a business transaction, Mark."

That night, Ethan found himself at a bar, drinking more than usual.

He wanted to numb the strange, unsettled feeling that clung to him.

Thoughts of Sarah, his father' s words, even Mark' s probing – it was all a dull hum beneath his carefully constructed indifference.

He woke the next morning with a pounding headache, the sun glaring through his bedroom window.

The mansion felt cavernous, cold.

No quiet presence offering him water, no gentle hand drawing the curtains.

He was alone. Utterly. And for the first time, it didn' t feel like freedom. It felt like a void.

His phone rang, shattering the silence. It was his father' s personal assistant, sounding flustered.

"Mr. Hayes, it' s your father. He' s... he' s not feeling well. He' s asking for Mrs. Miller... I mean, for Sarah. He says she was the only one who understood his dietary restrictions for his gout. The new chef isn' t getting it right."

Ethan felt a surge of irritation. "He has a team of doctors and a nutritionist. Hire a specialized nurse if you have to. Sarah is gone."

"But Mr. Hayes, he' s very insistent... he' s quite upset..."

Suddenly, Arthur Sr.' s booming, angry voice cut in.

"Ethan! Get over here now! And you better find a way to fix this. That girl knew things. She paid attention. Something you clearly never learned to do!"

The line went dead.

Ethan stared at his phone, a muscle working in his jaw.

His father, unwell, and asking for Sarah.

It was absurd. It was infuriating.

And deep down, a cold dread began to uncoil in his stomach.