Chapter 262

Vivian's screams echoed uselessly across the crashing waves. Ethan kept swimming forward without hesitation, his broad shoulders cutting through the turbulent water like a man possessed.

"Fine! Drown then! See if I care!" Vivian's nails dug into her palms as she watched his retreating figure. The sharp pain grounded her against the rising panic. "You selfish bastard! Is she really worth dying for?"

The realization hit her like a physical blow - the infamous Ice King of Wall Street wasn't incapable of love. He just reserved every ounce of it for Olivia Sinclair.

Ethan reached Olivia in minutes, his powerful strokes cutting through the current with ease. He hooked an arm around her waist, turning back toward shore.

Then the ocean roared.

A monstrous wave swallowed them whole, dragging both figures beneath the churning surface. The water calmed moments later - empty.

"No!" Vivian's knees buckled. Her vision tunneled until all she saw was the spot where Ethan had disappeared. Her throat burned from screaming for help.

Nathan and Dominic arrived with a security team, but the crew hesitated at the water's edge. The riptide warnings flashed red on the nearby monitors.

"Move your asses! They're drowning!" Vivian's voice cracked. Tears mixed with salt spray on her cheeks. Only the twins kicking in her womb stopped her from plunging in herself.

Nathan lunged forward, only to be yanked back by Dominic. The usually composed lawyer's face had gone sheet-white. "We'll have more casualties if we rush in blindly. The coast guard's en route."

"Fuck protocol!" Nathan wrestled against Dominic's grip. "That's Ethan out there! And Olivia!"

Vivian wasn't listening. She'd already taken three steps into the surf when strong arms wrapped around her waist.

"Ms. Lockhart! Stop!" Dominic hauled her back, seawater soaking his designer slacks. "You'll get yourself killed!"

"Let me go!" Vivian twisted violently, then froze when a cramp shot through her abdomen. The babies. She had to think of the babies. "I just... I need to see..."

Her breath came in ragged gasps. The lie tasted bitter. She needed to see him alive. Needed those piercing dark eyes glaring at her with their usual irritation.

Dominic lifted her effortlessly, ignoring her weak struggles. "Ethan's survived worse. Remember the yacht explosion in Monaco? The man's part shark."

Vivian went limp. The memory flashed through her mind - Ethan emerging from flaming wreckage with nothing but a scorched shirt and that infuriating smirk.

"Put me down," she muttered, but the fight had drained from her voice. The sunset painted Dominic's determined expression in gold. For the first time since Ethan disappeared, hope flickered in her chest.

Maybe... just maybe, the bastard would survive this too.