Chapter 3 I’m Not Done Playing
1312 Words
Ethan tightened his grip on the wine glass.
At that moment, he felt a stab in his heart.
That day, when Hannah tried to kill herself, Olivia had called him multiple times due to her cramps. At first, he answered, but then, in frustration, he hung up.
Could that be the reason she wants to break up?
Ethan lowered his eyes, listening to Shawn Yates and Lucas curse out that scumbag husband. The cigarette burned down to his hand, but he didn’t feel a thing.
The whole night, he was restless.
Normally, by this time, Olivia would have called to check on him.
But now, it was already past one in the morning, and he hadn’t received a single message.
A bad feeling crept over him.
He quickly stubbed out his cigarette and, grabbing his phone, left.
Just as he stepped outside the bar, a little girl with a basket of flowers approached him.
“Sir, would you like to buy some flowers for your girlfriend?” she asked with a smile.
Ethan glanced at the basket full of champagne roses and suddenly remembered Shawn Yates’ words: “Just make it up to her.”
“I’ll take them all,” he said.
The girl beamed and quickly wrapped the flowers beautifully before handing them to Ethan with a cheerful string of blessings.
For the first time that night, Ethan’s dark expression softened slightly.
He took out a few hundred-dollar bills from his wallet and handed them to the girl.
But when he returned home with the flowers, it wasn’t Olivia who greeted him, but the housekeeper.
“Sir, you’re back. I made some sobering soup for you. Would you like a bowl?”
Ethan frowned, staring upstairs. “Is she asleep?”
The housekeeper hesitated for a moment before saying, “Miss Olivia left. She asked me to give this to you.”
Ethan took an envelope from the housekeeper’s hand.
Inside was a list of clothes Olivia wanted him to send her.
His temples throbbed with anger, and he crumpled the list and tossed it into the trash.
He pulled out his phone and dialed Olivia.
The phone rang for a long time before she finally answered.
Her slightly hoarse voice came through the receiver.
“What do you want?”
Ethan’s hand clenched tightly around the phone, his jaw taut. “Are you really serious about this?”
“I am,” Olivia replied calmly.
“Olivia, don’t regret this.”
With that, he hung up the phone.
Face cold, he stormed upstairs.
Behind him, the housekeeper called out, “Sir, what about the flowers…”
“Throw them out!”
Without looking back, he headed to the bedroom.
Just as he reached the bedroom door, he saw the white Samoyed dog wearing a yellow charm around its neck.
He had seen it in Olivia’s social media posts. She said she had gotten it from a mountain from someone she loved the most.
Turns out the one she loved most was this dog.
Ethan clenched his teeth in frustration.
He yanked the charm off the dog’s neck and stuffed it into his pocket.
The dog barked at him.
He glared at it. “What are you barking at? Your mom doesn’t want you anymore!”
With that, he slammed the door shut.
The next morning, Ethan instinctively stretched out his arm to pull someone close.
Feeling nothing but emptiness beside him, he suddenly opened his eyes.
That’s when it hit him. Olivia was gone.
A wave of frustration surged in his chest.
Every morning, he and Olivia would start the day with a “special breakfast.”
Seeing her beneath him, helpless and yielding, always stirred something indescribable inside him.
That feeling, like a poison, had seeped deep into his bones.
Now, he couldn’t control the urge to go find Olivia.
But the thought of her leaving without a word made Ethan burn with anger.
If she thought he’d go after her, she was wrong!
When he came downstairs, he saw Aiden standing in the living room, holding his phone, texting someone.
Ethan walked over, glancing at him. “Busy?”
Aiden quickly put down his phone, concerned. “Ethan, is Olivia very ill? Should we visit her at the hospital?”
Ethan frowned. “She told you that?”
“Yeah, she just asked for a week off. I was thinking, why didn’t she just tell you directly instead of going through me?”
Ethan’s dark eyes narrowed. “You approved it?”
“I just did. Don’t worry, I’ll handle her work. She can rest at home.”
Aiden thought his boss would commend him for his efficiency.
But instead, Ethan’s cold voice replied, “Your quarterly bonus is canceled.”
---
Olivia returned to work a week after her surgery, still weak from blood loss.
As soon as she stepped into the office, her colleagues complained about how rough the past week had been.
They had been working late every night.
Aiden had even lost his quarterly bonus, worth tens of thousands, for approving Olivia’s week off.
Olivia knew that money was meant for Aiden’s wedding, and now it was gone because of her.
After quickly going over work matters with her colleagues, Olivia knocked on the door of the CEO’s office.
As she entered, she saw Ethan, dressed in a sharp black suit, sitting at his desk.
His expression was cold and distant, his sharp features radiating an air of authority. His deep eyes held a touch of casual arrogance.
The surrounding atmosphere was icy and commanding.
He barely glanced at her, letting his gaze rest on her for a few seconds before returning to his work.
Seeing him again, Olivia couldn’t deny that her heart ached.
Seven years ago, it was this cold, handsome man who had attracted her, leading her to abandon everything to be by his side.
But she hadn’t expected that her years of love would be nothing more than a shallow fling to Ethan.
Olivia tried to mask her emotions as she walked up to Ethan, her tone all business.
“Ethan, according to the company’s HR policy, leave requests under ten days can be approved by direct supervisors. Aiden is my supervisor, so what’s the problem with him approving my leave? Why did you cut his bonus?”
Ethan glanced up lazily, his sharp eyes locking onto her, as if he could see right through her.
“What do you think?” he asked, his tone laced with mockery.
Olivia’s heart tightened. “Is it because I broke up with you? If you’re upset with me, take it out on me. Don’t punish others.”
Ethan chuckled dismissively. “If you don’t want me to punish others, it’s simple. Move back in with me, and I’ll let it go.”
A bitter smile crossed Olivia’s face as she handed him a resignation letter she had already prepared.
“Ethan, not only will I not move back in, but I’m also resigning. Here’s my letter of resignation. Please arrange for someone to take over my work.”
Ethan stared at the letter she handed him, his fingers gripping his pen tightly, his knuckles pale.
His deep black eyes locked onto her.
“What if I don’t approve it?”
A small, amused smile played on Olivia’s lips. “Ethan, you were the one who said we’d part ways when you got bored. If you don’t let me go now, I might start thinking you can’t handle it.”
At her words, Ethan shot to his feet, moving to stand right beside her.
He grabbed her chin, his thumb brushing her smooth, pale cheek.
His voice was low and full of a powerful, oppressive force.
“Olivia, it’s not that I can’t handle it. It’s that I’m not done playing.”
- Writer
