As she got up to leave with the assistant, she even heard some whispered gossip behind her.
“Sigh, I heard all of Ms. Harlow’s design sketches for Stellar Attire got rejected this time. The standards are crazy high.”
“No kidding, I bet Mr. Rowe is going to tear into her. Our CEO is ruthless in business, always icy even with his own team. He only ever smiles at that childhood sweetheart of his.”
“Seriously! If I were his wife, I’d dump him right away, no matter how handsome or rich he was. No way I’d spend my life with someone so cold.”
Amelia kept walking, but a cold, ironic smile tugged at her lips.
Yeah, well, I’ve already dumped him. We’ll be divorced soon.
She followed the assistant to the CEO’s office on the top floor.
Ethan was waiting for her in the office.
When he saw Amelia, his gaze lingered for a moment.
She had lost weight. Her jawline was sharper than ever, making her pale face look even more delicate. Her eyes were clear and striking, full of quiet intensity.
Ethan’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He quickly covered his reaction with a cough. “Amelia, don’t get the wrong idea. I didn’t ask you here for any personal reason. You know I treat everyone the same at work.”
Amelia didn’t bother exposing the lie. She got right to the point. “I’m only a contracted designer at Rowe Group, but now you’re demanding I work on-site for this project. Who’s going to cover the losses for my personal studio?”
Her tone was calm, just stating the facts.
Ethan’s face flickered. He clearly hadn’t expected her to get straight to money.
He went back to his desk, laced his fingers together, and put on his negotiation face. “Is the profit from your personal studio comparable to what you’d make from the Stellar Attire project? Amelia, you need to get your priorities straight.”
When she didn’t answer and just looked at him coldly, Ethan’s tough attitude faded. His voice softened as he said, “Whatever you’re losing, I’ll cover it personally.”
“All right.” Amelia nodded. “Just make sure you keep your word, Mr. Rowe.”
With that, she turned to leave, making it clear that she didn’t want to waste another second in his office. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll get back to work now.”
“Wait,” Ethan called after her. “Are you free after work? Let’s have dinner together.”
Amelia raised an eyebrow and turned around, her smile a little mocking. “Mr. Rowe, didn’t you just say you treat everyone equally at work? Are you planning to abuse your authority by inviting a subordinate to dinner?”
She threw Ethan’s words right back at him, leaving him speechless for several seconds.
He pretended to check his watch and changed the subject stiffly. “It’s my personal time now, so I’m allowed to talk about private matters.”
After a moment’s hesitation, he finally dropped his proud demeanor and apologized in a low voice. “About Isla’s allergy – I know I blamed you without checking the facts first, and that was my fault. I shouldn’t have frozen your bank account, either. It put you in a terrible spot.
“So I wanted to take you out to dinner to make it up to you.”
No Sex for Six Years Because of Her? I’m Done!
Amelia didn’t want to argue. She just answered calmly, “I accept your apology, but dinner isn’t necessary. I need to get back to my studio and finish some orders.”
Ethan’s fingers paused mid-tap on the desk.
He stared at her distant, guarded face for a long time. Clearly, she wanted nothing to do with him. Then, he suddenly grinned, a wicked and shameless expression appearing on his face.
“Amelia, if you refuse,” he lowered his voice, letting a hint of threat slip in, “I’ll wait for you at the Design Department after work, and call out in front of everyone …
Honey!’”
Amelia’s expression finally changed, her tone sharp with anger. “Ethan, don’t you dare pull this kind of stunt!”
“Stunt?” Ethan didn’t even seem to notice her warning. He leaned forward over the desk, looking at her as if he had all the time in the world. “Amelia, we’re legally married. As your husband, isn’t it normal for me to wait for you after work?”
Amelia felt her chest start to tighten.
That’s right, we’re married.
What a joke.
Back when she first joined Rowe Group, she’d gone to great lengths to hide the fact that she was married – partly because Grace had warned her to keep a low profile.
Grace didn’t want her to use her status as the CEO’s wife to cause problems at work. That would only give the other Rowe relatives excuses to attack Ethan.
But it was also Amelia’s own choice.
At the time, she wasn’t even close to being one of the top designers at Rowe Group. She wanted to prove herself by competing with everyone else on her own merit.
So she hid her marriage with Ethan and pushed herself to work as hard as she could.
Just as she expected, everyone in the Design Department saw her as just another designer with no special background.
No one gave her special treatment, and no one tried to curry favor.
She started out as a complete rookie, struggling her way through setbacks and late-night drafting sessions. After pushing through countless all-nighters, she eventually became the top designer she was then, fully capable of handling tough assignments and excelling at even the hardest projects.
But she never imagined that now, right as she was about to leave, Ethan would turn their marriage into a weapon against her.
Now, to everyone at Rowe Group, the CEO’s wife – the one no one had ever seen – was just some unfortunate woman who was ignored by her husband. Worse still, her husband was rumored to be dangerously close to his childhood sweetheart.
She had no intention of becoming a joke for others to gossip about.
Amelia gritted her teeth. “Fine, just dinner. Don’t bother me again after that.”
“Fine.” A hint of triumph flickered in Ethan’s eyes as he quickly agreed.
Amelia, tamping down her frustration, fired off another demand. “And about that villa at Emberfall – you promised you’d transfer it to me, and you signed an agreement.”
Ethan didn’t look surprised. His tone was calm. “My lawyer told me yesterday that everything’s done. The deed should be delivered to you soon. If you don’t believe me, check for yourself.”
That finally took some of the sting out of her mood.
At least he’d kept his word.
“Understood.” She tossed the reply over her shoulder and walked out.
The moment she left, Ethan’s phone rang.
It was Hannah.
Ethan answered, and Hannah’s careful voice came through. “Ethan, you said you’d take Isla to dinner tonight. Where are we meeting? Will your work schedule get in the way?”
Ethan pinched the bridge of his nose and answered calmly, “No change. I promised, so I’ll be there. I’ll have my assistant send you the address soon.”
That evening, Amelia left work right on time and headed to the underground parking lot.
She spotted Ethan’s black Bentley from a distance. He was leaning against the car, his silhouette stretched out in the dim lights.
Not wanting to attract attention, she hurried over, yanked the door open, and got into the car as quickly as she could.
Amelia thought she’d slipped away unnoticed, but someone had spotted her from the shadows.
Ava Turner, a staff member from the Design Department, saw everything while she was on her way to get her car. She watched that luxury car disappear down the road, curiosity flickering in her eyes.
Inside the car, the atmosphere felt stifling.
Amelia kept her gaze turned toward the window, refusing to break the silence.
Ethan hated that suffocating quiet.
After driving for a while, he finally broke the silence. “Amelia, I’ve already apologized, haven’t I? Why are you still acting like I did something unforgivable?”
Amelia replied, her tone flat, “That’s just who I am. You know that.”
That single sentence brought everything to a
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.