Falling For My Accidental CEO Husband-Chapter 249: Returning Home

"Father! I’m so happy you’ve returned," Ella exclaimed, her voice bright and enthusiastic.

Nathan snorted, rolling his eyes as he mimicked her tone. "Father! I’m so happy—"

"Grow up, Nathan," Ella snapped, throwing him a sharp look over her shoulder.

Charles Hawk turned, his expression warm as his gaze settled on his younger son. His smile, practiced and polished, carried an air of authority masked as affection. "What do you think, Nathan? Are you really going to ignore your father after all this time now that I have returned?"

Nathan leaned casually against the doorframe, his arms crossed, his lips quirking into a sardonic smirk. The man before him was a master manipulator, adept at playing the roles he needed to maintain control. Charles Hawk could effortlessly pretend that the past hadn’t fractured their relationship, that he hadn’t once tried to turn him against his older brother, Aiden. And when that failed? Nathan’s jaw tightened at the memory—at how close he had come to losing everything, including his life.

Suppressing the shudder threatening to betray him, Nathan met his father’s gaze, his tone dripping with feigned civility. "Ignore my father? Of course not."

Charles’s smile widened, mistaking the words for genuine warmth as he stepped forward, his arms slightly extended, expecting a reconciliation—or at least a show of it. But Nathan wasn’t finished.

"Of course I wouldn’t ignore my father," Nathan repeated, his voice deceptively light. Then, as Charles drew closer, he added coldly, "If I had one."

The smile froze on Charles Hawk’s face, his confident stride faltering. For a fraction of a second, the mask slipped, revealing a glimmer of anger in his eyes.

"I’m running late for my morning jog," Nathan continued smoothly, pushing himself off the doorframe. "So, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be leaving now."

Without another glance at his father, Nathan turned on his heel and strode toward the front door. Ella darted forward, her heels clicking against the polished floor. "Nathan, wait—"

He didn’t stop, didn’t even acknowledge her. He pushed the door open and stepped outside, letting it slam shut behind him. He’d already made his thoughts clear to Ella and Aiden about Charles’ return. If Ella thought that he would pretend otherwise, she was fooling only herself.

Behind him, inside the house, the tension lingered. Charles Hawk’s composed facade cracked further, his gaze hardening as he stared after his son. Nathan, it seemed was lost to him. For a moment, he felt regret. If he had kept his composure last time, Nathan would still be under his control.

Ella returned alone, just as he’d expected. Charles felt a surge of frustration bubbling within him. How could she fail to manipulate her brother? The girl had so much potential, but she lacked the cunning required to bend Nathan’s will. Still, he did not let his anger show. There was no point in chastising her openly—it would only push her away.

If she’d been shrewder, Aiden would never have indulged her whims so easily. Ironically, it was precisely her genuineness that made his eldest son so pliable when it came to her. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

And for this reason, he had to keep Ella under his thumb. Offering her a pained smile, he sighed, letting his voice take on a note of feigned resignation. "Just let it be, Ella. He’ll come around in time. When my own mother couldn’t even muster the care to welcome me back, how can I blame Nathan for holding onto his anger? Some wounds run deep. Come now," he said, his tone shifting to something lighter, coaxing. "Why don’t you tell me more about this friend of yours—the one who was supposed to help you?"

Ella grimaced, her frustration evident. She shook her head, clearly reluctant to revisit the subject. "She left this morning," she admitted with a hint of bitterness. "I convinced her to stay the night, and she even talked to Aiden. I thought I was making progress. But then Serena came back, right in the middle of the night, and whisked Aiden away. Just like that."

Her voice tightened with irritation as she added, "And now Nathan won’t tell me where they went. All he said was that they’ll be back tomorrow. That means she might not get another chance—especially with Serena always hovering so close to him."

"Opportunities don’t just arise out of nowhere, Ella," he said, "They have to be created. You need to be ready to act, even when it’s inconvenient. Timing, precision, and persistence—that’s how we succeed. Don’t worry. Now that I am here, I’ll take care of everything. They’re coming tomorrow. Call her over. Organise a small get together under the ruse that you are welcoming me back."

"If she is smart, she will handle everything even with Serena’s presence. And sometimes you know it is not even necessary for the seduction to happen. Your friend can even create misunderstandings between them and whoosh, Serena would be out of Aiden’s life. Just bring her to me tomorrow. And I’ll take care of everything."

Ella hesitated, chewing on her lower lip as she processed her father’s suggestion. She already didn’t like the idea of deceiving Aiden or meddling with his personal life, but her father made it sound so simple, so inevitable. Her loyalty wavered, torn between her father’s suggestions and the quiet guilt gnawing at her conscience.

"Father," she began, her voice uncertain, "do you really think this will work? Aiden... he’s not as forgiving to me as he used to be. And Serena... she’s clever. She sees through people. What if she suspects..."

"She won’t suspect. It is because she is clever that I know she won’t suspect. She will be too confident in her relationship with Aiden to even think of suspecting anyone.

Ella swallowed hard and nodded, though the unease in her chest didn’t dissipate. "I’ll call her," she said softly," And arrange everything else..."

Charles’s smile deepened, and he reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder. "That’s my girl," he said, his tone filled with false warmth.

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