CEO loves me with all his soul.-Chapter 74. Reports.

Ethan picked up the phone, unable to hide the smile that immediately appeared on his face when he saw Adrian’s name on the screen. "Hey, love. To what do I owe this pleasant surprise?" he greeted warmly.

Adrian’s soft chuckle drifted over the line. "I just missed you. You’ve been busy lately, and it felt like I hadn’t heard your voice all day."

Ethan leaned back in his office chair, relaxing into the conversation. "Busy? That’s an understatement. But hearing from you makes up for it." He lowered his voice, sounding playful. "Should I be worried that you’re calling me in the middle of the day? Are you up to something?"

Adrian laughed softly, and Ethan could almost see the smile that was surely on his face. "Actually... maybe I am. Just a little surprise for you."

"A surprise, huh?" Ethan grinned, intrigued. "Are you painting something for me?"

"Maybe," Adrian replied coyly. "You’ll just have to wait and see."

Ethan shook his head, feigning a sigh. "Now I’ll be distracted all day. Just thinking about what masterpiece you’re making that I can’t see yet."

Adrian’s voice softened. "It’s nothing that grand. Just... something that reminded me of you. Thought it’d be nice to put it on canvas."

Ethan felt a warm rush of affection. "You’re amazing, you know that? All this, just because you thought of me?"

"You’ve done so much for me, Ethan. The least I can do is paint something for you in return," Adrian murmured. "It’s how I show... you know, how much I care."

"Then it’ll be the best gift I’ve ever received," Ethan replied. "But... no peeking, right?"

"No peeking," Adrian agreed, laughing lightly. "Promise me you won’t sneak in and try to find it before it’s done?"

"Scout’s honor," Ethan replied, mock-serious, as if he were making an official vow. "But I may bribe Augustin for hints."

Adrian laughed. "Oh, no. Augustin’s sworn to secrecy."

The two of them shared a few more sweet words until there was a knock on Adrian’s door. He paused, glancing toward it. "I think Augustin’s here. I’ll call you later?"

"Sure, love. And hey, remember... I’m just a call away if you need anything," Ethan said, feeling reluctant to end the call.

"I know. Love you," Adrian replied softly.

"Love you more," Ethan said, and they both hung up, still smiling.

Adrian put his phone down and walked to the door, opening it to find Augustin standing there, looking a little amused.

"Augustin? What’s up?"

"Isaac’s here, and he says he has something to show you. He’s waiting downstairs," Augustin replied with a knowing smile.

Adrian blinked in surprise. "Isaac’s here? I wasn’t expecting him."

Augustin shrugged. "Looks like he came prepared. You should see for yourself."

Curious, Adrian made his way downstairs, where he spotted Isaac standing in the foyer, holding multiple shopping bags, each one brimming with items.

Adrian raised an eyebrow, trying to suppress a smile. "What’s all this? Are you moving in or something?"

Isaac looked at the bags in his hands and then at Adrian, smirking. "Not quite. It’s a gift... from a big brother to his little brother."

Adrian crossed his arms, clearly skeptical but amused. "Is this your way of spoiling me?"

Isaac chuckled. "Maybe. But really, I just thought you could use some new things. You always seem to put others before yourself."

Adrian rolled his eyes playfully. "Oh, please. I don’t need anything fancy, Isaac. You didn’t have to do this."

"Too late, little brother," Isaac teased, nudging a bag toward him. "And anyway, who said anything about fancy? Just some things that made me think of you."

Adrian shook his head, though he was clearly touched. "I don’t even know what to say. Thank you, Isaac... but you really didn’t have to."

Isaac smiled warmly. "What are big brothers for? And besides, don’t think I forgot all the times you’ve been there for me."

Adrian smiled back, taking one of the bags from Isaac’s hand. "Well, since you’ve gone through all this trouble... I guess I can take a look."

Isaac grinned, pulling a small item out of one of the bags. "Here, start with this. Thought you’d like it."

Adrian took the item—a sketchbook bound in leather, with the initials "A.H." embossed on the front. He felt a rush of gratitude. "It’s perfect. I actually... needed a new one."

Isaac shrugged, acting nonchalant. "Of course you did. I know you better than you think."

Adrian gave him a teasing glance. "How thoughtful of you. Did you plan this?"

"Maybe," Isaac replied, laughing. "Don’t act so surprised. I’m capable of a little sentimentality now and then."

They both shared a laugh, a comfortable, familial warmth settling between them.

--

Lucas sprinted through the hospital corridors, clutching Ethan’s blood sample report and brain CT scan results. His heart pounded, knowing that what he’d found could change everything. Reaching the director’s office, he threw the door open, startling Dr. Rowan, the hospital’s director, who immediately sensed the urgency in his expression.

"Lucas?" Dr. Rowan asked, his brow furrowing. "What’s going on?"

Lucas placed the reports on the desk, pointing to specific markers in the data. "Look at this. Ethan’s memory nerve cells...they’ve been altered. There’s evidence of genetic editing here—like nothing I’ve seen before."

Dr. Rowan leaned forward, inspecting the report. His face turned grave. "You’re saying...someone tampered with his memory neurons?"

"Yes, and it’s not just random," Lucas replied, a sense of urgency in his tone. "This pattern of alterations—it’s precise, like someone used CRISPR or a similar technique to make these changes."

The director glanced up, shocked. "CRISPR? That’s...unthinkable. Who would do something so drastic?"

Lucas shook his head, the frustration evident. "I don’t know, but I do know this didn’t happen by accident. Ethan’s brain activity shows distinct signs of attempted memory suppression. His own cells are essentially being repurposed to block memories from forming properly."

Dr. Rowan ran a hand over his face, his disbelief clear. "Lucas, are you absolutely certain? If this is true, then someone out there has been using genetic engineering on him...as a test subject."

"I’m positive," Lucas replied, his voice low. "And look here—" he pointed to the CT scan. "There are regions in his hippocampus and amygdala showing increased neural density. That kind of enhancement doesn’t happen naturally."

The director swallowed hard. "What are we looking at? Mind control? Memory alteration?"

Lucas hesitated. "Maybe both. I think someone is using CRISPR to rewrite his memory and possibly manipulate his emotions. This isn’t a simple case of amnesia."

Dr. Rowan’s eyes widened. "This could explain his dissociation and his sense of disconnection from his body. His very sense of self has been tampered with."

"Exactly," Lucas agreed. "This goes beyond just genetic editing—it’s targeted memory engineering. Ethan’s memories have been selectively altered, possibly even erased. But why?"

Dr. Rowan gripped the edge of the table, the weight of the discovery sinking in. "What could someone gain from manipulating his memories?"

Lucas frowned, deep in thought. "Maybe it’s something he witnessed or a memory they don’t want him to access. Or perhaps it’s part of a larger experiment."

The director looked at him sharply. "Lucas, do you think there’s any chance of reversing this?"

Lucas took a deep breath. "In theory, yes. But it would require advanced CRISPR techniques—at least to the level of a top geneticist. We’d have to find the exact sequences used and attempt to undo them. But even then..."

"There’s no guarantee his memories would fully return," Dr. Rowan finished the thought grimly. "Or that he would even remain the same person."

Lucas nodded, his hands clenched in frustration. "Exactly. And with this level of interference, there’s no telling what might happen if we try."

Dr. Rowan picked up the report, flipping through the pages. "But we can’t just leave him like this, Lucas. This kind of manipulation—he deserves to know the truth."

Lucas’s expression hardened. "Then we’ll have to tell him everything. Ethan deserves a chance to understand what’s been done to him, even if it’s painful."

Dr. Rowan leaned back, still digesting the gravity of their findings. "But how much can we even explain? The effects could be irreversible."

Lucas set his jaw, determination flashing in his eyes. "Then we need to be certain. I’ll run more tests, dig deeper into his neural patterns."

Dr. Rowan sighed. "This goes far beyond medical ethics. We’re talking about the potential destruction of his identity, Lucas."

Lucas’s gaze was steady. "And yet, what choice do we have? We can’t ignore this. Ethan has the right to decide for himself."

Dr. Rowan shook his head slowly. "Fine. But we tread carefully. If this is as advanced as you say, then whoever did this is powerful enough to cover their tracks."

Lucas nodded. "We’ll need to be cautious. But this is Ethan’s life... and his mind. He has a right to know."

Dr. Rowan placed a hand on Lucas’s shoulder, his voice grave. "Then let’s proceed—carefully. If this CRISPR manipulation is as advanced as you think, we could be uncovering something massive, something dangerous."

Lucas met his gaze, resolute. "I understand. But no matter the risks, Ethan deserves to reclaim his mind. And I’ll make sure he does."

Dr. Rowan leaned back in his chair after Lucas left, his mind weighed down by the troubling discovery. He pulled his phone from his pocket and hesitated, then dialed a number, waiting as the call connected. After a few rings, a woman answered, her voice clear and sharp.

"Dr. Rowan?" the voice greeted, slightly surprised. "It’s been a while."

"Zara," he said with a weary sigh. "I need to talk to you about Ethan."

The line went silent for a moment. "Ethan?" she finally replied, her tone growing serious. "What happened? Is he alright?"

Dr. Rowan hesitated. "Physically, yes. But... things are more complicated than that. We’ve just found out that there’s been some kind of genetic tampering done on him, targeting his memory cells. Lucas is certain of it."

"Genetic tampering?" Zara’s voice dropped, almost to a whisper. "Are you sure? Ethan... He had no involvement in anything related to that, right?"

"We don’t know," he replied. "But you were close to the family back then. I thought you might have some insight. Lucas thinks someone’s been using CRISPR on him, affecting his memory."

Zara took a breath. "CRISPR... Who on earth would use that on him? Dr. Rowan, this is serious. Tell me everything."

"Lucas found specific alterations in Ethan’s hippocampus and amygdala—both memory-related regions. It’s like someone attempted to suppress certain memories," Dr. Rowan explained, his tone grave. "And the CT scans show strange neural density patterns. It’s beyond anything I’ve seen."

"So, someone’s gone to extraordinary lengths to bury certain parts of his life," Zara muttered, sounding troubled. "And you believe this all started when he was a child?"

"Yes. And, Zara... this hospital was built by his father. Did you ever hear anything about... unusual research connected to him? You and his family were close, weren’t you?"

Zara paused, clearly choosing her words carefully. "His father did fund some experimental projects, but nothing directly tied to human testing—at least, not that I knew. But I can’t rule it out. Look, I’ll come there as soon as I can."

Dr. Rowan felt a wave of relief. "Good. But I need your help in keeping Ethan from leaving the country until we sort this out. He has a right to know the truth, but we don’t even know how deep this goes yet."

Zara’s voice softened. "I understand. Keep him close for now. I’ll reach Country Fion within the next few days."

"Do you know anything—any detail at all—that might explain this? Ethan doesn’t remember much from the time he was taken," Dr. Rowan pressed.

Zara hesitated again. "I’ll be honest, I don’t have a lot of answers. But I know enough to be concerned. Ethan’s father... he wanted to protect him, at any cost."

Dr. Rowan’s heart sank. "Protect him? From what?"

"That, I don’t know," Zara admitted. "But his father was always secretive about certain projects, especially near the end. I wasn’t privy to all the details."

Dr. Rowan clenched the phone. "If that’s true, then Ethan may be in even more danger than we realized."

Zara’s tone hardened. "Then we need to stay vigilant. Keep me posted on any changes with Ethan. I’ll bring anything I can from our records—if they even exist anymore."

"Thank you, Zara," Dr. Rowan said, his voice full of gratitude. "Ethan’s going to need all the support he can get."

"I’ll see you soon, Rowan. And keep Ethan safe. Whatever his father was protecting him from... it’s still out there," Zara warned.

With that, Dr. Rowan ended the call, his heart heavy with foreboding.

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