The Billionaire CEO Betrays his Wife: He wants her back-Chapter 69: Ethan Junior

Mara’s first instinct was to refuse. But after a brief pause, she gave a small nod.

Gently, Ethan placed his hand over her still-flat stomach, his touch warm and cautious. His eyes widened, and a slow grin spread across his face.

"I swear I felt something," he said, his voice filled with wonder.

Mara let out a soft laugh. "That’s impossible," she teased. "It’s too early for the baby to be kicking."

Ethan shook his head, completely undeterred. "No, I know what I felt." He crouched down slightly, bringing his face closer to her belly.

"Hey there, champ," he murmured. "This is Daddy, and I can’t wait to meet you."

Mara’s heart clenched at the tenderness in his voice.

Then he added with a smirk, "I think I’ll call you Ethan Junior."

Mara rolled her eyes playfully. "And what if it’s a girl?"

"Then I’ll call her Princess."

Mara chuckled. "I was thinking Stef. Keeping up with the Shepherd family tradition, you know? All names start with ’S.’"

Ethan scrunched his nose in protest. "No way. Our baby is not following that tradition. It could be any name—but not one that starts with an ’S.’"

Their laughter filled the room, light and unburdened, a rare moment of ease between them.

Ethan stood and stretched. "I’m going to take a shower. You’re welcome to join me."

Mara shot him an incredulous look. "Are you serious right now?"

He chuckled, holding up his hands in surrender. "Just putting it out there."

With one last teasing smile, he disappeared into the bathroom.

But after a minute, he peeked his head back out—just to make sure she was still there.

Mara rolled her eyes again. "Go take your shower, Ethan."

He grinned and finally stepped away.

The room fell into silence, and Mara turned her attention back to the pendant in her hand.

Something about it felt... different.

She examined it closely, turning it over and over between her fingers. Then, after a moment, she noticed it.

A tiny, almost invisible slot.

Her heartbeat quickened.

Was this a chip? A hidden flash drive?

Without hesitation, she grabbed her laptop, plugged it in, and waited.

A password prompt appeared on the screen.

She bit her lip, thinking.

It wasn’t asking for a code, just a password. That meant it could be something personal. Something only her mother would know.

Taking a deep breath, she typed:

Stefania Morissette Shepherd

The screen blinked.

Then—files began flooding in.

Mara’s eyes widened as she scrolled through them.

They weren’t just documents. Some were encrypted files, but the ones she could access were full of codes, bank records, and—

Her breath hitched.

Huge sums of money.

Accounts linked to different organizations.

Her hands trembled as she clicked through the transactions. The dates. The recipients.

What is this? Why did my mother have this?

Her mind raced, trying to piece it together.

This wasn’t just family history. This was something bigger. Mara’s tense expression as she stared at the files. Her fingers trembled slightly as she scrolled through the damning evidence, proof of an operation so covert yet so insidious that she could almost hear the ghosts of her past whispering in her ear.

Ethan walked in, half-naked, a towel slung low around his waist, water still dripping from his toned, muscular body.

He knew exactly what he was doing.

If there was one thing he was confident about, it was that Mara wouldn’t be able to resist him. Not when he looked like this.

He strolled toward the closet, deliberately dropping the towel as he reached for his clothes, giving her a perfect view.

Nothing.

Not even a glance.

He coughed.

Still nothing.

Mara remained focused on her laptop, completely ignoring his shameless display.

Ethan frowned, glancing down at himself. Has my charm... failed?

He sighed in defeat, slipping into his pants and loosely buttoning his shirt, leaving the top few undone one last attempt to get her attention.

But she didn’t even blink.

Annoyed but curious, he walked over to her, peering at the laptop screen.

The second he saw what was on it, his breath caught.

Lines of files, bank records, and encrypted codes flashed across the screen.

His stomach dropped.

"Where did you get this?" His voice was sharp, urgent.

Before Mara could respond, he reached over and slammed the laptop shut.

Mara’s head snapped up, eyes flashing with anger.

She wasn’t done. And now, she knew, without a doubt, that Ethan recognized what she had just found.

"Hey! Why did you do that?" Mara demanded, frustration clear in her voice as she reached for the laptop.

Ethan didn’t answer right away. His body was tense, his hands trembling slightly. That was when she noticed it—

He wasn’t just shutting the laptop.

He was scared.

Her anger faltered.

"What do you know about this foundation, Ethan?" she asked, her voice quieter now.

Ethan ran a hand through his damp hair, exhaling sharply. "I only heard about it from my sister before she died," he admitted.

Mara’s brows furrowed. "Heard what?"

Ethan hesitated, then leaned in, lowering his voice.

"It’s a dark web operation, Mara. A system built to launder money, small amounts taken from corporations, organizations, even the government. Tiny transactions, barely noticeable. But when combined? Trillions of dollars."

Mara felt her stomach churn.

"They say the organization controls everything," Ethan continued, his voice laced with urgency. "Even the government. Even the president. They call themselves the keepers of order." freewebnσvel.cøm

Mara’s hands clenched into fists.

Her family was involved in this?

"That’s not possible," she whispered, shaking her head.

"Mara, listen to me." Ethan’s grip tightened on her wrist, forcing her to meet his eyes.

"You need to stay away from this. It’s darker than you realize. About eleven years ago, I was told the operation was turned into a charity foundation to make it look legitimate.

But no one knows if that’s actually true.

Please, just let it go."

Mara’s mind was racing.

It all made sense now.

Her mother was a kind and selfless woman who had been the head of the foundation. If she had been in control of that wealth and influence, she would have ensured that the money and power were used for good.

And if that was true...

Then someone in the foundation, someone powerful, hadn’t liked that.

Someone had wanted her parents gone. To keep the foundation under their control.

Mara’s pulse pounded in her ears. She wasn’t just inheriting a family legacy. She was stepping into a war.

"Where did you get these files, Mara?" Ethan asked again, his tone laced with disbelief and concern.

Mara’s grip tightened on the edge of the bed.

A storm brewed in her chest, emotions she had fought hard to suppress threatening to spill over. She didn’t know if she wanted Ethan involved in this. Right now, she couldn’t trust anyone except her brothers, men she knew, without a shadow of a doubt, would never harm her or anyone else for money.

Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders. "Just something from my past," she said, her voice carefully controlled. "But you don’t have to worry. The foundation was run by my mother, and she was a good woman. I will ensure that her work continues."

Her voice hardened with determination. And I will find the murderers who took my parents away. They will pay. She said almost to herself.

Ethan’s eyes widened in shock. "No, Mara," he said, shaking his head in frustration. "I can’t believe your brothers, who have sworn to protect you from me, would allow you to take over something so dangerous." His voice rose with barely contained fury. "This isn’t something you should be involved in."

Mara’s jaw clenched. "Things aren’t the way you think they are, Ethan. And I don’t need you dragging my brothers into this."

"They were involved the moment they kept you from me," Ethan shot back, his eyes dark with intensity. "You know why they did it. You know why they tried to keep us apart."

She turned away, unwilling to rehash the past.

The wounds were still there and he just bruised it.

Ethan exhaled, rubbing his temples before turning his gaze back to her. "I forbid you to put yourself, or my baby in danger."

Mara’s head snapped up, eyes blazing. "You have no right to forbid me from anything, Ethan." The nerve he has.

But as she met his pleading gaze, something inside her wavered. She saw it, the genuine fear and desperation.

Realizing the tension wasn’t good for her or the baby, Ethan took a deep breath and did something unexpected. He sank to his knees before her, his hands outstretched in surrender. He knew how stubborn she was, if he pushed further, he would lose her again.

"Please, Mara. If nothing else, let me be close. Use me however you want. I just need to know you and our child are safe."

Mara didn’t respond right away. Her heart clenched painfully, the burden of the past too heavy to hold onto, yet too overwhelming to release. Her gaze softened, but the wall she had built around her heart remained.

She turned to the laptop, taking the box that sat beside it. Lifting a delicate pendant from within, she closed her fingers around it tightly before stepping away.

"Can I at least have your new number?"

Ethan called out as she reached the doorway.

She hesitated but then pulled out her phone, dialing his number so he could save it. She heard his sharp intake of breath, a hint of relief in the simple act. At least he was getting somewhere. At least he wasn’t entirely shut out.

As she descended the grand staircase, one of the maids rushed forward to help. The woman reached for the box, ready to place it inside Mara’s car, but Mara stopped her with a quiet yet firm command. "Burn it."

The maid hesitated, glancing at Ethan for confirmation.

Mara didn’t look back as she got into her car and drove away, leaving Ethan standing there, his fingers still wrapped around the phone, her number glowing on the screen as a soft smile curled up on his lips.