CEO loves me with all his soul.-Chapter 51.

Ethan woke up groggily, his head pounding slightly. His first instinct was to groan, but the cold, damp sensation beneath him forced his eyes open. He blinked a few times, adjusting to the dim light in the room. Water was trickling in from somewhere, pooling on the floor, and the sound of dripping echoed around the otherwise quiet space.

"What the—" Ethan muttered, rubbing his temple. He tried to sit up, feeling an odd sense of vertigo as he realized the floor was slightly slanted, and the water was steadily rising. He glanced around, spotting two figures lying nearby—one of them was his elder brother, Leclair. The other, a stranger he recognized from television, though the name didn’t come to him immediately.

"Leclair!" Ethan crawled over, shaking his brother’s shoulder forcefully. "Wake up, big bro!"

Leclair stirred, his eyelids fluttering open. He blinked at Ethan in confusion before registering the water. "Ethan? What...what’s going on?"

Before Ethan could answer, the other man, Yuin Sebanil—now clearly recognizable as the subject of several missing reports—groaned as he came to. Yuin sat up, glancing at the rising water with an alarmed expression. His sharp eyes immediately assessed the situation.

"We need to get out of here. The water’s coming in fast. We’ll drown if we don’t find a way out." Yuin’s voice was steady but urgent.

Ethan, still feeling a little disoriented, rolled his eyes. "No kidding, Sherlock. You think we’re just going to sit here and let the water fill up the room?"

Yuin shot him a glare. "I was just stating the obvious because someone needs to take action."

"Oh, believe me, someone is going to do something," Ethan shot back, his sarcasm thick. "But that someone isn’t going to be you with your ’Captain Obvious’ remarks."

Yuin huffed, clearly annoyed. "I’m trying to stay calm, you should try it sometime."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Oh, trust me, I’m calm. I’ve been through worse. But we’re not getting out of here by playing nice, are we?"

Leclair, who had been observing their exchange in silence, finally spoke up. "Will you two stop bickering? We need to focus."

Both Ethan and Yuin quieted down, though they glared at each other like they might start another round at any moment.

Leclair looked around the room carefully, his sharp gaze settling on the hole in the far wall where the water was flowing in. "There," he said quietly, pointing.

Ethan followed his gaze and squinted at the hole. "You think that’s how the water’s getting in?"

Leclair nodded. "It’s the only point of entry I can see. And it’s too low for us to use to get out."

Yuin stepped forward, observing the hole with a frown. "So what do we do? Wait until we’re completely submerged?"

Ethan rubbed the back of his neck, his sarcastic tone returning. "Yeah, because that sounds like a great plan. Let’s just sit here and practice our swimming skills."

Yuin shot him a dark look. "I’m serious."

Ethan smirked. "So am I."

Leclair shook his head, exasperated with the two. "We need to figure out where we are first. Ethan, any ideas?"

Ethan blinked a few times, taking in their surroundings more carefully. The metallic walls, the slant of the floor, the sound of water lapping in the background... Slowly, it dawned on him, and a laugh bubbled up from his chest.

"What’s so funny?" Yuin snapped.

Ethan glanced at him, then at Leclair, grinning. "We’re in the sea."

Yuin’s brow furrowed. "The sea? What are you talking about?"

Leclair’s expression remained calm, but his eyes showed a glimmer of realization as well. "You mean...we’re on a ship?"

Ethan nodded, still laughing lightly. "Exactly. We’re on a boat. This isn’t just some random room filling with water—we’re in the middle of the ocean."

Yuin paled slightly. "You’re serious?"

"As a heart attack," Ethan replied, his smirk widening. "And if I’m right, we’re probably below deck. Which means if we don’t get out of here soon, this place is going to sink, and we’re going down with it."

Yuin’s eyes widened as he took in the implications. "So what now? Do we just wait for rescue, or—"

Ethan cut him off. "I don’t plan on waiting around to be saved. We need to get above deck and find out who’s running this ship. And hopefully, we can figure out why the hell we’re even here."

Leclair stood up slowly, balancing himself on the slanted floor. "First, we need to find an exit. If we’re on a ship, there’s bound to be a way out of this compartment."

The three men scanned the room, the tension thick as the water continued to rise.

Yuin glanced at Ethan, who was now focused and serious, a stark contrast to his earlier teasing. "Alright," Yuin said, his voice steady. "Let’s work together, at least until we get out of here."

Ethan nodded, his earlier sarcasm gone. "Agreed."

Leclair, as always the calm voice of reason, gestured towards the door on the far side of the room. "Let’s start there. Hopefully, it’s not locked."

The three men moved quickly, adrenaline now fueling their actions as they tried to make sense of their situation—and find a way out of the sinking ship before time ran out.

---

Adrian woke up with a start, his heart pounding erratically in his chest. The room was dark, with only the faint glow of the moonlight filtering through the curtains. His hand instinctively reached for the space beside him on the bed—empty. The coldness of the sheets sent a chill down his spine. Ethan wasn’t there.

"Ethan?" Adrian called out, his voice shaky. He sat up, the unsettling silence around him making his heart beat faster. His breaths came out in short, panicked bursts. Where was Ethan? Why wasn’t he home yet?

Clutching the fabric of Ethan’s discarded T-shirt in his trembling hands, Adrian called out again, his voice louder this time. "Ethan!"

Tears welled up in his eyes as dread curled in his stomach. The babies—his hand instinctively went to his slightly swollen belly. He had to stay calm, for their sake, but the anxiety clawing at his chest made it hard to breathe.

"Ethan... Ethan, where are you?" Adrian whispered, his voice breaking as tears streamed down his face. He buried his face in Ethan’s shirt, holding onto it like a lifeline, inhaling the faint scent of him that still lingered on the fabric.

Hearing the commotion, Augustin rushed into the bedroom, his eyes wide with concern. "Adrian!" he called out as he entered the room.

What he saw stopped him in his tracks—Adrian, curled up on the bed, clutching Ethan’s shirt tightly to his chest, tears running down his cheeks as he repeatedly whispered Ethan’s name. It was heartbreaking, and for a moment, Augustin was at a loss for words.

He quickly crossed the room and sat down on the edge of the bed, pulling Adrian into his arms. "Shh... it’s okay, Adrian. We’ll find him. I’m sure Ethan is fine," Augustin said softly, his voice soothing despite the panic gnawing at him too.

Adrian sobbed quietly into Augustin’s chest, unable to calm himself. "Why isn’t he home yet, Augustin? What if something happened to him? What if..." His voice trailed off, the fear of losing Ethan overwhelming him.

Augustin held him tighter. "Nothing will happen to him. Ethan is strong, and we’ll find him, okay? I won’t let anything happen to him," he promised, though his mind raced with worry.

As Adrian’s sobs slowly subsided, Augustin gently helped him lie back down on the bed, stroking his hair in an effort to calm him further. "I’ll make sure everything’s alright," Augustin said softly. "You need to rest for the babies, Adrian. Please try to stay calm."

Meanwhile, across town, Isaac was speeding down the highway in his car, the engine roaring as he pushed it to its limits. His jaw was clenched, and his hands gripped the steering wheel tightly. Luri had sent him the exact coordinates of the ship—a rundown, abandoned vessel that was drifting out at sea.

"An abandoned ship? What the hell are they doing out there?" Isaac muttered to himself, his eyes flashing with anger and concern. He could feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins as he raced towards the ocean, desperate to get to the ship before anything happened to Ethan—or his little brother, who was back home, unaware of the imminent danger his husband was in.

Luri’s voice crackled over the car’s Bluetooth. "Isaac, slow down. You’re going to get yourself killed driving like a maniac."

Isaac scowled, barely sparing a glance at the speaker. "I don’t care, Luri. Just keep me updated. I’m not stopping until I get to that ship."

Luri sighed audibly. "You’re so reckless sometimes, you know that? Just be careful. The ship is falling apart; it’s been abandoned for years. And whatever they’re doing out there, it’s not good."

"I know," Isaac replied, his voice tense. "But I’m getting that man back—no matter what."

The thought of his little brother, Adrian, crying in fear because of the man he loved being in danger made Isaac’s chest tighten. He might have been a bit overbearing and possessive, but deep down, all he wanted was to protect his brother.

"Don’t do anything stupid," Luri warned one last time. "I’m tracking the ship. You’re getting closer. Just make sure you don’t run straight into trouble without thinking."

Isaac’s eyes narrowed as he saw the coastline approaching. "Don’t worry. I’ve got this."

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