Chapter 424 Is Ashley Dead?
Rafferty's words hit Ethan like a thunderbolt, causing a splitting headache, dizziness, and a ringing in his ears.
Ethan closed his eyes in agony. So it was true—he really wasn't James's son.
Facing both the grief of Ashley's disappearance and the shock of his own identity, Ethan let out a bitter laugh.
In that moment, his identity seemed insignificant. All he wanted was for Ashley to be safe.
"You're not a Yates," Rafferty continued coldly. "The Yates family would never allow an outsider to inherit such a vast fortune. I hope you have the dignity to step down as CEO of the Yates Group."
Ethan's eyes were ice-cold. "What a joke. Even if I stepped down as CEO, you wouldn't be next in line."
Rafferty smirked. "We'll see about that." With that, he turned and left.
Ethan stared at the ceiling, his eyes devoid of any spark. The pain in his chest made it difficult to breathe. He felt like his soul had left his body. As he struggled to sit up, the door opened again.
"Get out!" Ethan growled.
George paused in the doorway. "Ethan, it's just me..."
Ethan's face remained ashen. "What do you want?"
"I heard about Ashley," George said sadly. "Don't take it too hard..."
Ethan pushed past him. "Ashley isn't dead."
George blocked his path. "Where are you going? The doctor said you shouldn't be moving around."
"Move!" Ethan snapped. "Ashley is waiting for me to bring her home!"
George grabbed him firmly. "Ethan, please. She's gone..."
Ethan broke free and punched him. "I said she's not dead!"
He had a feeling—Ashley couldn't be gone.
George said, "Please calm down."
Ignoring George's pleas, Ethan pushed past him and ran into Doris, who was returning with water.
"Ethan, you're awake. Where are you going?" she asked, surprised.
Ethan didn't answer and kept walking.
George explained, "He insists Ashley isn't dead. He wants to bring her home..."
Doris sighed heavily. "Such a perfect couple. How could this happen?"
Setting down the water, she and George hurried after Ethan.
The hospital was near the shore. Ethan went straight to where the incident had occurred. The waves were crashing violently, each one powerful enough to swallow a person whole.
When Doris and George arrived, they saw Ethan heading toward the water's edge. "Ethan, don't go there! The tide's rising—you'll drown!" Doris shouted in panic.
"Come back!" George yelled.
Ethan was deaf to their cries.
This was the exact spot where he'd watched Ashley fall into the water. Suddenly, a familiar feeling washed over him.
Ethan closed his eyes in anguish, remembering his recurring nightmare—Ashley falling into the sea right before his eyes. Now he realized the setting of that dream matched exactly where they stood.
"Damn it all," Ethan muttered. "Ashley, I'm coming for you..."
With that, he plunged into the sea.
Doris screamed and immediately called for help.
George rushed forward, but he wasn't a strong swimmer. The waves quickly pushed him back, leaving him drenched and helpless on shore.
Ethan fought against the powerful tide, feeling as though he might be swallowed at any moment. Still, he searched desperately, seeing nothing but water all around him.
He swam until he was nearly suffocating, finally being retrieved by a professional rescue diver. When he opened his eyes again, he lay on the ground, completely devoid of hope.
Doris was crying. "Ethan, how could you be so foolish? Ashley is gone. If you throw your life away too, what about us? Don't you care about your me and your grandparents?"
At the mention of family, Ethan's lifeless heart beat twice.
"Ethan, please listen to me. You need to live. Ashley would be heartbroken to see you like this."
Doris continued talking, but Ethan had stopped listening.
His head pounding, he closed his eyes in agony. "Mom," he said hoarsely, "Ashley isn't dead. Don't ever say she is again."
Doris covered her mouth, crying silently.
Ethan stood there soaking wet, rain streaming down his face, indistinguishable from tears.
Diannel ran over with an umbrella. "Mr. Yates, we have trouble. Rafferty has called a press conference revealing your true identity... He's demanding you resign as CEO and has requested the bank freeze all your assets. Worse still, Michael and James haven't opposed him. We need you to address this personally."
Ethan, his heart like dead ashes, stumbled to his feet. "Let him do what he wants," he said coldly.
Diannel froze in shock.
"From Ethan's reaction, it seems he already knows about his identity," Doris said. "What's going on with Michael and James? Why are they allowing Rafferty to take advantage of the situation? Everything was fine this morning."
Diannel shook his head. "I don't know. I can't reach Mr. Michael Yates or the chairman."
Doris's eyes narrowed. "There must be something else going on."
George straightened his shoulders. "Rafferty's getting ahead of himself. He's forgetting my mother is my grandfather's adopted daughter, and my father is his son. If he wants to take down Ethan, he'll have to get through me first." With that, George left, presumably to handle the Yates family matters.
Doris and Diannel exchanged worried glances as they watched Ethan's lonely, grief-stricken figure walking away.
In their hearts, they prayed, 'Ashley, please be alright.'
On Shell Island, a remote location drenched in heavy rain, Atticus Grayson was collecting his fishing nets when he spotted someone unconscious on the beach, waves washing over them.
"Hey, are you okay?" he called out.
Atticus approached and turned the woman over. Half her face was badly injured.
"Good God, she's pregnant!" he exclaimed. "I need to get you to the clinic."
Atticus carried the unconscious woman on his back, racing to the island's medical clinic.
After examining her, the doctor reported, "Only her head and face are injured. Everything else is intact, including the baby. She's incredibly lucky. Let's wait until she regains consciousness to learn more about what happened."
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