Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

351  Bet you’re sweating bullets now, kid!

In the hallway outside the waiting room, a middle-aged man was apologizing to Ethan.

It seemed there had been a mix-up due to some staff oversight, and they had mistakenly assigned him the wrong waiting room. According to the company president's instructions, Ethan was supposed to have a private room.

But Ethan didn't care at all. Waving it off, he said, "No worries. Honestly, thanks to you guys, I'm pretty happy with this. No need to switch rooms for me."

"But…" The middle-aged manager looked a bit troubled.

Ethan, however, wasn't interested in his concerns. He reassured him, "Relax. If you're worried about your boss blaming you, I'll explain it to him."

Just then, Ethan's gaze shifted to something behind the manager. With a smile, he said, "Actually, instead of giving the room to me, why not give it to someone who needs it more? What do you think?"

The manager turned around and saw another group of people walking down the hallway.

Wait… was that VELOCITY X?

He immediately recognized the most eye-catching member in the center—Serena.

While the manager was still processing this, Ethan had already said, "Alright, let's leave it at that," and without waiting for a response, he turned and went back into the room.

The manager stood there, stunned. By the time he snapped out of it, the members of VELOCITY X were already walking past him.

What could he say now? He wasn't sure why Ethan had done that, but Lila Harper was someone the president had specifically told him to treat with care.

If he did nothing now, he'd have no explanation if the president asked later. But if he followed Ethan's suggestion, at least he'd have an excuse.

So, the manager hurried off to make the arrangements.

Back in the waiting room, the first thing Ethan saw was Tessa's bright, energetic smile.

It was clear she was a lively and innocent girl. As soon as he walked in, she rushed over, her curious eyes sparkling with a childlike innocence. She seemed so pure and harmless that it almost startled him.

What's up with this kid? Why is she reacting so dramatically? Did she just meet her idol or something?

Ethan broke into a cold sweat.

Thankfully, Sierra stepped in and gently pulled Tessa away.

That's when Tessa realized that Sierra and this mysterious girl were already friends.

Unfortunately, they didn't have much time to chat, as they had to start getting ready for the evening's performance—changing outfits, doing makeup, and all that.

So, Tessa only got to introduce herself briefly, and their relationship ended up in that awkward "friend of a friend" zone.

Tessa felt a bit disappointed.

When the girls started changing, Ethan found an excuse to step out of the room for a bit. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

But as soon as he walked out, a small figure ran straight into him.

Ethan instinctively turned to dodge, but he quickly realized it was a little girl. She stumbled and was about to fall forward.

Reacting quickly, Ethan bent down and caught her just before she hit the ground.

"Hey, are you okay?" Ethan gently set the girl back on her feet and then, in a serious tone, said, "You shouldn't run in the hallway, okay?"

The girl stuck out her tongue, a little embarrassed. "Thank you, big sister."

Ethan chuckled and gave her a light pat on the head. She was an adorable kid, and something about her seemed familiar.

Just then, a young voice called out from behind.

"Aurora!"

It was a little boy who looked a lot like the girl, running over with a worried expression.

Seeing him, Ethan suddenly realized why the kids seemed familiar. Weren't they the Fairchild twins?

"Are you alright?" Damian asked his sister, concerned.

Aurora Fairchild shook her head and pointed to Ethan. "Thanks to this big sister."

"Geez, don't run in the hallway," Damian sighed, exasperated, before turning to Ethan to thank her for helping his sister.

Ethan watched the boy with interest, noticing the maturity that slipped through his otherwise childlike demeanor.

Of course, Ethan knew that Damian was no ordinary kid.

As expected, while he looked like a child on the outside, inside, he carried the soul of an adult.

"You two are really cute," Ethan said with a playful smile, reaching out to poke Damian's cheek. "How old are you?"

Damian instinctively tried to dodge, but it was no use—Ethan's finger landed squarely on his cheek.

In that moment, a cold shiver ran down Damian's spine. Something about this seemingly innocent girl's smile felt off, like there was a hidden meaning behind it that he couldn't quite grasp, but it made him uneasy.

Aurora, on the other hand, didn't seem to notice anything strange. Without thinking much, she answered the question.

"We're four years old!"

Four years old, huh? So that means Serena is twenty this year?

Ethan ruffled the girl's hair, asking the question just to confirm something.

Because when Serena turns twenty, she's destined to die.

"Aurora, we should go," Damian said, no longer wanting to stay near this person. He called to his sister and started to walk away.

But just as he turned, he heard the girl's voice behind him.

"Make sure to enjoy life, Damian."

The sound of his name at the end of that cryptic sentence made Damian's hair stand on end.

How did she know his name? The chill that ran through him was like falling into an icy abyss, his mind momentarily freezing.

Ethan had said it on purpose, but not with any particular goal in mind. He just found it amusing to mess with Damian, who, like Conan, had the soul of an adult trapped in a child's body but came off as a bit of a brat. Compared to the adorable Aurora, Damian wasn't nearly as cute, so Ethan decided to have a little fun.

And Damian's reaction didn't disappoint.

Still needs more practice, Ethan thought. Compared to Conan, this kid's composure was lacking. You could tell right away he was hiding something. At least Conan knew how to play dumb.

Just then, Ethan noticed someone approaching from the other end of the hallway—the kids' guardian. He stood up and walked over to greet her.

"Are you Serena? I'm a big fan."

Serena had already noticed what was happening from a distance, but she hadn't expected this kind of interaction when she got closer. For a moment, she was caught off guard.

Still, the girl was cute, and since she claimed to be a fan, Serena put on her best idol smile and responded warmly.

Meanwhile, Damian, hearing Serena's voice, stiffened and turned his head. He saw Serena chatting with the strange girl, and they seemed to be getting along well.

He had also heard what the odd girl had said earlier—claiming to be Serena's fan. Could she be one of those obsessive stalker fans?

Then Ethan asked Serena, "Are these two adorable kids your relatives?"

21:44

Of course, Serena couldn't say they were her children, so she smiled and explained, "Oh no, they're the president's kids. They wanted to come along today, so I brought them. I hope they haven't caused you any trouble?"

Damian's expression grew even more serious.

If this girl knew his name, then surely she knew who he and Aurora really were, right?

A strong urge welled up inside Damian—he had to stop Serena from spending any more time with this strange girl.

And, as it turned out, he didn't even need to do anything. His goal was achieved in the very next moment.

Serena noticed Damian's tense expression and immediately scooped him up, concerned. "Damian, are you feeling okay?"

Though he didn't want to worry her, Damian seized the opportunity and nodded.

Serena, now a bit flustered, quickly apologized to Ethan, then picked up Damian and took Aurora's hand, preparing to leave.

"Bye-bye, big sister!" Aurora waved cutely as they walked away.

Ethan waved back with a gentle smile.

As for her clueless brother, he was peeking over Serena's shoulder, sneaking glances at Ethan.

Naturally, Ethan noticed Damian's gaze. So, just as Aurora turned away, Ethan flashed him a knowing, almost sinister smile.

The moment felt like something straight out of a horror movie.

Ethan saw Damian's pupils contract in fear, and he couldn't help but stifle a laugh.

Bet you're sweating bullets now, kid!

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