The CEO’s Secret Lover Watched Him Choose Another Chapter 01

The CEO’s Secret Lover Watched Him Choose Another Chapter 01

On the night of the graduation trip, the organizer Jake Williams suggested we draw lots for room assignments.

“Let fate decide! If a guy and a girl draw the same number, they’ll room together. How exciting is that?”

For four years of college, I’d been dating Ethan Miller. No one knew.

I reached into the cardboard box and pulled out a ball, waiting for my number to be matched.

When it was Ethan’s turn, he drew “7.”

Jake’s voice shot up an octave. “The other person in Room 7 is Sophia Bennett!”

The girl he’d once pursued so passionately turned crimson.

The whole crowd erupted, calling it fate.

Only I stayed silent.

What no one knew was that before the game started, I’d overheard Jake whisper to him, “Find the one with the round bump. I set that aside for you and Sophia.”

I watched as Ethan smiled softly, walked over to Sophia, and picked up her suitcase.

I forced a bitter smile.

So three years of waiting weren’t enough to make him go public.

This time, I decided I’d be the one to leave first.

***

They hadn’t even finished announcing all the room numbers, but the atmosphere had already peaked.

Jake handed them red wristbands and announced loudly, “Let me go over the rules one more time. If you draw the same number, you’re partners. For the next three days and two nights, you’re fully bonded. The wristband color determines your pairing, and you’re not allowed to go anywhere alone!”

Whistles rang out from the crowd, and a few guys slapped Ethan on the shoulder.

Sophia’s cheeks were bright red as she fastened her wristband and hid behind him.

Ethan’s lips curved into a smile as he raised an arm to shield her. “All right, all right, leave her alone. She’s easily embarrassed.”

“Ooh, look at him, already playing bodyguard! Y’all better watch out, if you make Sophia uncomfortable, Ethan’s gonna come after you!”

The teasing swelled into a roar.

I stood outside the circle, clutching my ball in one hand, dragging my heavy suitcase with the other.

Before we left, Ethan had shoved his things into my suitcase. “I’ll be carrying your stuff for you anyway. No way I’m dragging two suitcases.” Then he pointed at my new purse. “What about that one? The strap’s long enough, it won’t cut into my shoulder.”

In three years of dating, he’d never once shown any physical affection in front of classmates, let alone carried my bag.

So I’d been overjoyed, thinking he was finally ready to go public during the trip.

But on the very first day, he picked up Sophia’s suitcase instead.

And draped over the arm he’d used to shield her from the teasing was her purse, with its short shoulder strap.

My suitcase was so heavy it was pulling my whole body sideways, sending stabs of pain from my fingers all the way up to my shoulders.

I bent down to set it on the ground, cleared my throat to push down the hoarseness, and raised my hand.

“Uh…”

Everyone turned. Jason was still buzzing with excitement. “What’s up, Olivia? You’re Sophia’s roommate, you got something to say as her official spokesperson?”

Sophia froze, her lips twitching awkwardly.

Ethan’s head snapped up, his eyes flashing with a mix of tension and warning.

But he was worried for nothing.

I simply held up my ball and asked, “Who got number three?”

Jake scanned the crowd until he spotted someone on the other side raising a hand.

“Me.”

It was a guy who’d barely made an impression all through college.

Jake grinned. “Oh, it’s Liam. I know you’re single. What about you, Olivia?”

“If you’re single, you two can bunk together. If you’ve got a boyfriend, I’ll switch you with one of the girls.”

I cut him off gently. “I’m single.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ethan’s eyebrows relax, then draw together again. He seemed about to turn toward Liam, but Jake had already pulled out an orange wristband.

“Perfect! You’re both single. Maybe this’ll turn into something!”

I took the wristband and nodded politely. “Thanks.”

As I picked up my suitcase again, I felt a pair of eyes on me.

I didn’t know what expression he was wearing.

But he was probably relieved.

With the room assignments set, we lined up to check in.

Sophia went off to call her family. Ethan dawdled until I was the only one left at the counter, then stepped forward with their IDs.

“Go find Jake and tell him you don’t want to room with a guy. Ask to switch with a girl or get your own room. You can cover the difference.”

His voice was barely a whisper. He stared straight ahead, not even a sidelong glance my way.

I was texting my parents to let them know I’d arrived safely. I didn’t look up. “Why?”

“What do you mean, why? You’re not single. You can’t room with a guy.”

“What about you? Are you single?”

Ethan’s fingers paused. Annoyance crept into his voice. “That’s the game. I’m just respecting the draw.”

I kept my voice soft. “Yeah. So am I.”

His brow furrowed, but before he could say anything, I took my key card and turned away.

I’d only taken a few steps when Jake announced loudly, “Everyone meet in the media room in half an hour. My treat.”

“Let’s take a trip down memory lane and watch the freshman year sports meet documentary.”

I didn’t slow down. I just adjusted the strap of my purse.

The freshman year sports documentary.

The one that captured Ethan’s very public pursuit of Sophia.