Chapter 82

The TV was on. A finance anchor delivered the latest. "This morning at nine, Hilliard Group held its quarterly board meeting. The rise in its stock price was largely due to the sudden marriage announcement of Ethan Hilliard. Most analysts believe this signals his return to the company's top management..." "But once again, the elusive Ethan was a no-show. We haven't even caught a real photo of him so far. And his mysterious spouse? Still a hot topic of speculation..." Calliope was totally absorbed, eyes fixed on the screen. From the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a tall figure approaching silently. Startled, she glanced over and noticed Conrad also watching the news. She broke the silence, teasing, "That's Ethan, right? The one I told you about who looks uncannily like you." Then she started analyzing, full-on gossip mode: "Isn't he just bizarre? I mean, his sudden marriage caused the stock price to spike-talk about free PR. You'd think he'd show up and ride the wave, right?