Chapter 3: Ethan's Rescue

Ethan POV

The argument with my father left a bitter taste in my mouth. I stormed out of his office, my hands shaking as I got into my car. I needed to clear my head, and I knew just the place.

I drove to the bridge - my secret spot. Well, not so secret. My friends and I had been coming here since we were teenagers, sneaking beers and dreaming about our futures. Now, years later, I was the only one who still came. But I couldn't help it. Something about the smell of the water, the gentle breeze - it calmed me like nothing else could.

I parked under the bridge and climbed onto the hood of my car. The metal was cool against my back as I lay there, staring up at the underside of the bridge. I turned up the music in my car, letting it wash over me. For a moment, I could forget about my father's expectations, the pressure of the family business, all of it.

Then I heard it. A loud crash, followed by the unmistakable sound of a car hitting water. I sat up so fast I almost slid off the hood. A car had fallen from the bridge into the river. As I watched, two other cars sped away from the scene.

I didn't think. I just moved.

Thank God for those swimming lessons, I thought as I dove into the water. It was colder than I expected, shocking my system. But I pushed through, swimming towards the sinking car.

I reached the car and tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. The pressure of the water was too strong. I needed something to break the window.

I swam to the riverbank, my lungs burning. My eyes scanned the ground frantically until I spotted a good-sized rock. I grabbed it and dove back in.

The car was almost fully submerged now. I swam down, my ears popping from the pressure. With all my strength, I smashed the rock against the driver's side window. Once, twice, three times - and finally, it shattered.

I reached in, feeling around in the murky water. My hand touched something soft - hair. I found the person's arm and pulled. It was a woman, and she wasn't moving.

I dragged her out of the car, kicking hard to bring us both to the surface. When we broke through, I gasped for air, pulling the woman's head above water too. She wasn't breathing.

I swam us to shore, laying her on the ground. She had a backpack on, which I quickly removed. Then I started CPR, my medical training kicking in.

"Come on," I muttered, pressing down on her chest. "Breathe!"

I tilted her head back, pinched her nose, and gave her two rescue breaths. Then back to chest compressions.

"One, two, three, four..." I counted under my breath.

After what felt like forever, she coughed, water spilling from her mouth. But she didn't wake up. Her pulse was faint - too faint. She needed a hospital.

I scooped her up and ran to my car, not caring that we were both soaking wet. I laid her across the back seat and took off, driving as fast as I dared towards the hospital where I worked.

As soon as I screeched to a stop at the emergency entrance, a team was there with a stretcher.

"What happened?" one of the nurses asked as they transferred the woman onto the stretcher.

"Car in the river," I said, out of breath. "She's not responsive, pulse is weak. I performed CPR at the scene."

They wheeled her away, rattling off vital signs to each other. I stood there for a moment, dripping on the pavement, my heart racing.

Then I remembered - I was supposed to be at a meeting. Dad was going to kill me.

I ran to my office, planning to change quickly. But when I burst through the door, I found my friends Noah and Liam waiting for me.

"What the hell happened to you?" Noah asked, eyes wide.

"Long story," I said, grabbing my white coat from the rack. "What are you guys doing here?"

Liam stood up, looking worried. "Your father's going to kill us if you're not back at the office soon."

I groaned. "I have an emergency patient. Can we stay for two hours?"

They both gave me a look that said, "You know what your father will do if we leave here without you."

Noah shook his head. "I'm your business partner, not your babysitter."

"And I'm a lawyer, not a nanny," Liam added.

"Alright, alright," I said. "Give me two minutes to change."

I ducked into the walk-in closet in my office, peeling off my wet clothes. As I changed, I called out to the guys. "Can one of you do me a favor? Find Mr. Roberts and tell him I have a personal patient in the ER. Ask him to keep an eye on her for me."

I heard Noah leave, then return a few minutes later. "Done," he said as I came out of the closet. "Though Roberts was his usual charming self about it."

We headed down to the parking lot. I went to my car, then remembered it was soaked inside. "Damn," I muttered.

"You can ride with me," Noah offered, grinning as he pointed to his motorcycle - a sleek MV Agusta Cielo.

I smacked my forehead dramatically. "Seriously, Noah? Who comes to a hospital on a motorcycle?"

He just winked. "Had to show off my new baby."

Shaking my head, I turned to Liam. "Mind if I catch a ride with you?"

Soon, we were speeding towards my father's company in Liam's Lamborghini Veneno Roadster. As we approached the imposing building, I took a deep breath.

"You've got this," Liam said, clapping me on the shoulder.

The valet opened my door, and I stepped out. "See ya!" Liam called as he drove off.

I met Noah at the elevator, and we rode up to the 10th floor in silence. As we stepped out, I started towards my office, Noah trailing behind me.

"Where are you going?" I asked, turning to him.

"To your office," he said innocently.

I playfully shoved him. "Go to your own office, you goof."

Noah retaliated by grabbing me in a headlock, rubbing his knuckles against my scalp. We were both laughing as we stumbled into my office - and then we froze.

My father was sitting in my chair, his back to us. Slowly, he turned around.

"You were at the hospital," he said. It wasn't a question.

I said nothing, my mouth suddenly dry.

"Were you at the hospital?" he repeated, his voice harder now.

I wanted to tell him the truth, to explain about the woman in the river. But something held me back. "I wasn't at the hospital," I lied, hating myself for it.

Noah nodded, backing me up. "We were... getting coffee," he added lamely.

My father stared at us for a long moment. The tension in the room was so thick I could hardly breathe.

Finally, he spoke. "Good," he said, though his tone suggested he didn't believe us. He dropped a file on my desk. "An old friend of mine died this evening. I want you and Noah to convince the family to sell one of their hotels to us if they can't manage them. Their hotels are doing well. Make sure we're at the top of the list when they're ready to sell."

He stood up and walked towards the door. As he passed me, he paused. "Don't disappoint me, Ethan," he said quietly.

Then he was gone, leaving Noah and me standing there, the weight of his words hanging in the air.

I looked up at Noah, who was watching me with concern. "I think we're in for a long night," I said.

I slumped into my chair, my mind reeling. All I could think about was the woman I'd pulled from the river.