Chapter 2

At the company's anniversary gala, Ethan walked up to me with a champagne glass. His voice was as gentle as ever.

"Chloe, I will drive you home after this."

I shook my head, my eyes drifting to Naomi, who was laughing and chatting with some investors nearby.

"No need. Stay with Naomi. She is wearing high heels tonight; it is not convenient for her to be alone."

Ethan's brow furrowed slightly.

"When did you start being so polite with me?"

I smiled but didn't say anything.

It wasn't politeness. It was the boundary a "sister" should keep.

During the highlight of the gala, the host decided to play a game to hype up the crowd.

"Mr. Carter, what would you say is the luckiest moment of your life?"

The spotlight hit Ethan. He let out a soft smile, his gaze sweeping past the crowd to land on Naomi.

"The luckiest moment... was meeting my sunshine when I thought my entire world had gone dark."

The crowd cheered and swooned. Naomi blushed and lowered her head.

And I, sitting in a dark corner, downed my glass of red wine.

Only I knew that during those "dark days" he talked about, I was the one who pulled all-nighters for three months straight to rewrite our business proposals. I was the one who poured all of my parents' inheritance into his company to save him from bankruptcy.

But now that he was in the clear, Naomi was his sunshine.

And I was nothing.

Some drunk colleague boldly teased him.

"Hey Ethan, what about Chloe then? You two grew up together. That is a real-life childhood sweetheart romance!"

"Yeah! If it weren't for Chloe back then, Carter Tech wouldn't even exist today!"

The atmosphere instantly turned awkward.

The smile on Ethan's face faded. Just as he was about to speak,

I stood up first.

I raised my glass toward them and smiled.

"Guys, stop joking around. Ethan and I are like family. As his sister, I only want him to be happy."

"Come on, let's toast to Ethan and Naomi!"

I threw my head back and drank the wine, swallowing all my bitterness and pain along with it.

After the gala, I took the initiative to leave early.

Ethan and Naomi caught up to me from behind.

"Chloe."

Ethan called out, but before he could say more, Naomi's phone rang.

She answered it, and her face instantly turned pale.

"Ethan... my mom. She has been rushed to the ER!"

Ethan's expression changed. He immediately held her up.

"Don't panic. I will drive you there right now."

He turned to look at me, hesitating.

Even though this had happened countless times, seeing him hesitate still made my heart ache.

I took a deep breath and pointed to the headlights of an approaching car.

"My Uber is here. You guys should go. Her mom is more important."

Ethan looked relieved. He got into the car with Naomi.

The window rolled down. He leaned out, his brow furrowed as he said,

"The final pitch for the Starlight Initiative is tomorrow. Don't wander off. Wait for me to come back."