Forced To Marry My Cousin's Fiancé

Chapter 46: Chapter 46

Lane blinked her eyes open the next morning. She expected Ethan to be the first thing she saw. Usually, she was the first one up, which sometimes gave her the chance to just watch him while he slept.

Ever since she got pregnant, she had become a morning person by default since she usually spent dawn hovering over a toilet. She couldn’t fall back asleep after that, and it seemed her body had just adapted to the new routine since she moved into Ethan’s mansion.

Lane finally rolled out of bed. She needed to get moving to fix breakfast and pack Ethan’s lunch for the office. She had promised herself she wouldn’t go all out for him anymore because her efforts always seemed to go to waste. But today, she wasn’t cooking to make him fall for her. She just wanted to pay him back for earlier that morning when he tried to cook for her and the baby’s cravings.

Even though his kitchen skills were basically non-existent, she really appreciated the gesture. She’d assumed he didn’t care about them, but it looked like she was wrong.

Lately, she could feel him looking out for them, even if he didn’t show much emotion.

As she stood up, she glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw the time. She thought she was up early, but she had seriously overslept.

It was already ten in the morning! No wonder Ethan wasn’t in bed. She hadn’t even heard him get up; she must have been out cold.

And why didn’t he wake me up? she wondered.

After a quick bathroom break, she headed straight for the kitchen. The room was empty, but a moment later, Clara walked in.

"Good morning, Ma’am Lane," she said with a smile.

"Morning," Lane replied.

"I’ll get your breakfast ready," Clara said. "Sir Ethan told us to make sure you had a meal waiting the second you woke up."

Lane paused, her heart doing a little flip at that. Clara didn’t wait for a reply before serving up breakfast and a glass of milk.

"Thanks, Clara," Lane said. "Have you eaten yet?"

"Oh, we already ate, Ma’am," Clara replied.

"What about Aunt Catherine?"

"She stepped out. She asked me to tell you she’ll be back tomorrow. She didn’t want to wake you to say goodbye because Ethan said not to disturb you since you were up so late last night," Clara explained.

Lane bit her lip, her heart racing even faster.

"I’ll leave you to it. If you need anything, just Call me, Ma’am," Clara joked before heading out.

Lane finished her meal and, instead of calling Clara back, she washed her own dishes. She wasn’t about to let someone else do something she was perfectly capable of doing herself.

Since she’d missed the boat on packing Ethan’s lunch earlier, she decided she’d just drive it over to his office instead. Her plan was simple: drop it with his secretary and leave. She didn’t want to get in the way of his workday.

She checked the fridge and decided on Brunswick Stew. She got to work, and though Clara offered to help, Lane told her she had it under control. Once the soup was done, she packed it into a container along with some rice. She even taped a little note to the lid telling him to heat it up first since it would probably be cold by the time he got to it.

After a quick shower and a bit of lipstick, she grabbed her bag and the lunch and headed out.

"Clara, I’m heading out!" she called.

"Okay, Ma’am! Take care!"

Lane hopped in her car and made the short drive to Ethan’s office building. The security guard seemed to recognize her because he waved her through without checking her ID. She took the elevator up to Ethan’s floor and spotted his secretary at his desk.

"Hi," she said, walking up to him.

He looked up and beamed. "Morning, Ma’am. Can I help you?"

"Is Ethan in?" she asked.

He nodded. "He is. Do you want to go in? I’ll let him know you’re here."

He reached for the phone, but she stopped him. "No need. I’m not staying—"

"Chris."

Lane jumped as a familiar voice cut her off. She turned and realized it was Travis, one of Ethan’s best friends.

"Sir Travis," the secretary acknowledged.

Travis looked at Lane and gave her a wide grin. "Hey there."

"Hi, Travis," she replied hesitantly.

"You here to see the husband?" he asked.

She bit her lip. He obviously knew about the marriage, which probably meant he knew the messy details behind it too.

"I just brought him some lunch," she said, holding up the bag.

"Man, your cooking is top-tier," he said with a laugh.

Lane frowned slightly. She didn’t remember ever cooking for him. They’d barely met a few times. Maybe he’d eaten at the restaurant where she used to work?

Travis must have read her face. "I tried some of the stuff you brought him before," he said.

Lane felt a pang of sadness. She knew Ethan hadn’t touched her cooking in the past, but hearing it confirmed still stung.

Travis must have seen her face fall because he quickly added, "But lately, he’s been stingy with his packed lunches. He won’t let me near them. He actually gets ticked off if I even touch his food."

Lane was surprised. Was he telling the truth? Does Ethan really get protective over the meals she makes?

"Are you going in to see him?" Lane asked Travis after a second.

"Yep."

"Could you do me a huge favor?" she asked, holding up the containers. "Could you give this to him? There’s plenty, so you two can share."

Travis’s playful smile faded into a slight frown. "You’re not going to give it to him yourself?"

She shook her head gently. "No, I have to get home. I really just came by for the drop-off."

She handed Travis the bag, and he took it. "Alright then. Catch you later, Lane."

Lane didn’t wait for a response before heading back to the elevator. But as she tried to walk out of the building lobby, the security guard stepped right in her way.

"Ma’am, you can’t leave," he said firmly.

Lane blinked, totally confused. "Wait, why not?"

She could see a few other employees in the lobby starting to look over and stare.

"Orders from the top, Ma’am," the guard replied, offering an apologetic but unyielding expression.

Before she could argue or ask what the CEO could possibly want, a voice shouted her name from across the lobby.

"Ma’am Lane! Wait!"

It was Ethan’s secretary, Chris, sprinting toward her from the elevators and looking completely out of breath.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, her concern deepening.

"Ma’am, please, we have to go back upstairs," he panted, leaning over for a brief second to catch his breath.

"Why?"

"Orders from Sir Ethan. Please, you have to come back to the office. He’s going to kill me if I let you leave," Chris said, looking genuinely terrified of the consequences.

"What do you mean?" Lane pressed, her brow furrowing.

"Sir Ethan is furious because I didn’t tell him you were standing right outside his door,"

Chris explained, his voice frantic.

Even now, Lane’s heart still hasn’t settled down as she follows Chris back upstairs.

She has no clue why Ethan is calling her back to his office, and she definitely doesn’t understand why he was so worked up at his secretary for not mentioning she was there. She figured he probably just had something specific to tell her regarding the house or Clara, the maid.

It wasn’t long before they reached the heavy office doors again. Chris raised his trembling hand and gave a quick, respectful knock.

"Come in," Ethan’s deep baritone voice called out immediately from the other side.

Chris opened the door and stepped aside.

"Go on in, Ma’am," he said quietly.

Lane gave him a small, nervous smile before stepping inside. She clutched the strap of her bag like a lifeline as she focused on Ethan, who was seated behind his massive executive desk.

Lane’s breath hitched the moment their eyes met. Ethan’s dark, intense eyes were locked on her, almost as if he’d been counting the seconds until she walked through the door.

She was just about to ask him why he’d summoned her when a voice from the side cut her off.

"Nice to see you again, Lane."

Lane jumped slightly and looked toward the office sofa. Ethan’s friend, Travis, was lounging there with a playful, knowing smirk on his face.

"Oh, hi," Lane greeted him, offering a hesitant smile.

"Travis, aren’t you supposed to be leaving?" Ethan’s voice was ice-cold. Lane looked back at him and saw his brow furrowed in deep annoyance. He clearly wasn’t in the mood for company.

Travis let out a low chuckle, completely unfazed by the glare. "I just got here and you’re already kicking me out?" he laughed.

"What’s the deal, Ethan? You got something planned?"

Instead of playing along or joking back, Ethan just sharpened his gaze further.

Travis laughed again and stood up from the sofa.

That playful, "I know a secret" look never left his face. "That’s where it all begins, Ethan," he remarked cryptically. Ethan didn’t say a single word, his expression remaining stone-faced as he watched his friend.

Travis glanced over at her, still carrying that smirk. "I’m leaving ,Lane. Apparently, your husband doesn’t want me around," he said with a subtle wink.

"He seems like a guy who doesn’t want to be disturbed."

"Just get out, Travis. Stop talking nonsense," Ethan growled softly.

"I’ll buy you a beer if I’m right, Ethan," Travis called out one last time before finally slipping out of the office and closing the door behind him.

Lane watched the door click shut, totally puzzled by the tense, strange exchange between the two friends.

"Lane."

She turned back to Ethan at the sound of his voice. Their eyes locked again. There was something raw and unreadable in his stare that she couldn’t quite put into words.

Lane cleared her throat, trying to find her steady voice. "Why did you call me back? Is everything okay?"

"Why are you here?" he asked quietly, completely ignoring her question.

Lane fumbled for an answer, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to gather her thoughts.

"Well... I over slept this morning, so I didn’t get a chance to pack your lunch before you left," she explained.

She felt her cheeks start to burn. She knew he was watching her every single move, and she was positive he could see her blushing under the fluorescent office lights.

"I really just meant to drop the lunch off and go," she added nervously, gesturing to the bag Travis had left on the desk. "I didn’t want to get in your way. I-I didn’t mean to disturb you, Ethan."

The sudden, anxious thought crossed her mind that he might be bringing her back just to chew her out. Maybe he didn’t want her seen at the office.

Everyone in the building probably knew Olivia was his fiancée, and Lane was sure Olivia was a regular fixture in this corporate world. She worried he was afraid of rumors starting and that people would think he was stepping out on his public relationship.

This was only the second time she’d ever actually stepped foot inside his personal executive office. But instead of the sharp lecture she braced herself to receive, Ethan caught her completely off guard.

He stood up slowly from his chair, his gaze dropping to her keys. "Where were you headed, Lane?"

"I was going home," she replied.

"Whose home?" he asked, his dark eyes never leaving hers for a fraction of a second.

"To... your place," she whispered.

Lane searched his face, catching a fleeting glimpse of something unusual in his expression, but it vanished in the blink of an eye, replaced by his usual calm mask.

"You got plans?"

Lane shook her head. She had absolutely nothing to do back at the mansion.

He gave a slow nod, the tension in his shoulders visibly easing. "Okay. You can stay."

"What?" Lane gasped.

Instead of explaining himself, Ethan checked his expensive watch. "It’s almost lunchtime," he said, looking back up at her with a steady, unreadable gaze. "Stay. Let’s have lunch together."

Lane could only gape at him in total shock.

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