The Enticing CEO's Chosen Bride novel Chapter 2136

Noah's body jolted, his gaze froze in an instant.

“Come on, Noah, don’t let Ella’s sacrifices be in vain. She wanted you and the Trettons to be okay. Just do it for her.”

“Where did she go?” Noah spoke as if Jon’s words had never reached his ears.

Jon silently stared at him.

Noah clenched his fists, his thin lips quivered, a ring of red encircling his eyes. He persistently repeated those few words. “Where did she go?”

No response came, his hoarse voice repeating the unchanged phrase. “Where did she go?”d2

Jon’s eyes shut almost in resolution.

Noah's adam's apple bobbed, “Dad, I’m begging you.”

Jon suddenly shuddered, his eyelids fluttering before snapping open.

“Ella did nothing wrong, it’s all on me. I've let things spiral into this mess. How can I live with myself using her life as a stepping stone?

“I can’t do what you call letting go, that’s not letting go. Dad, I can’t let Ella leave. There’s no one else in this world who’ll love me like she does.

“I know I messed up, but letting her go is an even bigger mistake. I need to make it right. I need to take care of her. I can’t stand the thought of her being with anyone else. What if someone breaks her heart?”

Considering the possibility, Noah’s throat worked violently, his voice ragged beyond recognition. “She loves me. She must be heartbroken without me. Dad, she must be crying right now. I have to find her. Dad, please.”

Jon slowly opened his eyes, wincing as if stabbed by the thought. His son, once proud and strong, now knelt before him, a picture of desolation and desperate pleading.

Ella was crying. Yes, she was crying.

Despite her calm expression during their last encounter, her eyes were red, her voice trembled, and every word she spoke seemed to exhaust all the strength in her body to restrain the emotions on the verge of collapse. So, he left just to give her space to vent her emotions.

She must be crying now.

He still couldn’t forget the profound sadness seeping through her stubborn gaze. Nor could he erase the image of her bending over in pain, clutching her chest, as he looked back after walking away. Tears, unstoppable, slid from his eyes.

“It’s all your fault... all your fault...” Jon gripped his cane with all his might, his trembling voice breaking into sobs.

“If only you had shown half of this resolve from the start, Ella wouldn’t have suffered so much. It’s all your fault. You hurt my Ella, forcing her away from me time and time again. You don’t deserve Ella, Noah. You just don’t.”

Tears streamed down Jon's face, and the butler rushed to his side for support.

Only now did everyone understand that Jon had been holding up all this while.

Worried about the Trettons, concerned for Noah, but even more for Ella, Jon didn’t want anyone to be hurt, yet in the end, that was exactly what happened.

Jon was torn. Back then, he didn’t object to their relationship, yet not optimistic about it either.

Putting aside their familial connection, Jon didn't think Ella being with his son, a man cold and calculated, concerned only with profit, was a good thing. But who knew Ella would harbor such deep feelings for Noah?

Moreover, the current situation was crafted by his own son, deemed clever by everyone.

“You’re the last person who deserves forgiveness. It’s all on you.” In a sudden motion, Jon raised his cane, striking Noah again and again with unforgiving force.

Noah’s eyes shut tight, teeth clenched, silently bearing the relentless beating.

The commotion drew airport staff, who, after failing to intervene, could only watch as the cane fell repeatedly on the man kneeling on the ground.

The onlookers grew in number, but Jon showed no sign of stopping. It wasn't until the butler saw blood oozing from the corners of Noah's mouth, his dark shirt gradually soaked, that he anxiously grabbed Jon's hand. “That’s enough, sir. If you keep this up, he won’t last.”

Jon thrust away the butler's hand with a forceful swing, the finely carved boxwood cane snapping in two.

A collective gasp rose from the crowd.

Noah, unable to hold back, groaned, a cough bringing up more blood.

“It’s because of you. All the hurt is because of you. You’re the least deserving to be with her. My Ella, so kind and sweet.”

Jon tossed aside the broken cane, the butler steadying him, his arm trembling uncontrollably. “Get out. Just get out.”

Noah’s throat worked, the metallic taste suppressed, as he staggered to his feet, gripping his knee, his search relentless and nearly obsessive. “Where did she go?”

“I won’t tell you. If you can find her, do it. If not, it just proves your bond was never meant to be.” With those words, Jon had finally spoken his piece.

Noah nodded, silently moving past his father, weaving through the crowd, and entering the airport lobby. His steps went from shaky to erratic, then purposefully striding, searching desperately for something in the vast hall.

His assistant caught up from behind, and Noah grabbed his arm like a lifeline, his voice tinged with urgency. “Help me find her, quick. Help me find her.”

The assistant was inwardly shaken; today’s Noah was something he couldn’t have fathomed. “Mr. Noah, please, take it easy. I’ll check the counter for Ms. Ella’s flight. Just please calm down.”

Hearing his words, Noah paused, a moment of clarity returning. “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

Right now, the assistant had no interest in Noah’s rare moment of panic, his focus solely on finding Ms. Ella’s whereabouts. “Mr. Noah, please have a seat. I’ll go check now and come back as soon as I have any news.”

Noah was injured, and the assistant noticed a bloody imprint where his arm had been seized.

Jon had clearly thrown his punches with the wrath of a tempest. The dark fabric of Mr. Noah's shirt was stained with the blood that had blossomed from the brutality of the blows.

The assistant couldn't fathom the extent of pain Noah was enduring at that moment, but one thing was crystal clear to him. Ms. Ella's words to the press were a pile of balderdash.

If what she claimed was true, Jon would never have come close to beating his son, his pride and joy, to death for someone with the heart of a cold-blooded ungrateful adopted girl.

Why did the man, who supposedly fell victim to her calculations, would rather be beaten to death upon learning everything and still kneel on the ground begging Jon to reveal her whereabouts?

Ms. Ella had likely taken on the mantle of guilt to shield everyone else.

Approaching the check-in desk, the assistant requested information on Ella's flight. The country she was headed to was nowhere near where she had been studying. She was resolute about getting away.

And as for her, would she hop to another nation upon landing, switch to different means of travel, or perhaps even end up in some godforsaken corner of the earth? Might she even contemplate something as drastic as taking her own life?

Mr. Noah's frantic panic was not without reason.

In B Country, the plane had taken off just ten minutes ago. The assistant relayed this to Noah, who shot up and commanded, "Book the next flight for me."

Taking in the perspiration mingling with the pallor of Noah’s face, the pool of crimson below, and the blood still dripping from his arm, the assistant hesitated before saying, "Mr. Noah, your wound..."

"Just book it." His expression was resolute, his tone brooked no argument.

With a sigh, the assistant pulled out his phone to check the next available flights.

*

The scene of Noah being nearly beaten to death by Jon had everyone in a tizzy. In the era of instant digital news, it was impossible to ignore the headlines screaming across every platform.

Ella had just confessed at the press conference – admitted to a sordid affair with her uncle and announced she was leaving the Tretton family, heading straight for the airport.

What followed was Noah's pursuit to the airport, where his father confronted him outside the terminal, leading to the kneeling, begging scene that nearly ended in his death.

A bystander had captured it all on video, adding fuel to the viral firestorm online.

[It looks like the Tretton family's adopted grand-daughter wasn't telling the truth at the press conference.]

Soon another video surfaced, this one of Ella's conversation with Paul at a diner before she met with Rebecca. Linking the timing and events, the picture became clearer.

[This is a complete 180 from how she acted at the coffee shop with Rebecca. Was she pretending to be a saint in front of a man, but showing her true colors in front of a woman?]

[It's like she was deliberately provoking Rebecca at the coffee shop.]

[She just wanted to take all the blame to protect the Tretton family and her uncle, considering the family had already been under a lot of fire.]

[So the adopted grand-daughter isn't the heartless traitor she was made out to be.]

*

Leaning over the railing of the airport café's second floor, Cicely propped her chin on her hand, her slender fingers tapping idly on her cheek as she watched the two men below.

When Noah rose to his feet, Cicely's gaze swept over his bleeding arm and settled on the calm, handsome man opposite him. Her brows arched slightly. "If this keeps up, your buddy might just die en route to B Country."

The man turned his head, his dark eyes glanced down casually before returning to Cicely's delicate face. His lips parted, his voice carrying a barely perceptible cool detachment. "Finished your coffee?"

Cicely's lips twitched imperceptibly before looking down at her cup and pushing it away with distaste. "I'm done."

Seth glanced at her. "Thought you wanted to try the airport coffee? All this way for just a sip?"

"What? You feel I owe you more for the trek here? Should I drink it all then?"

Seth caught her hand as it reached for the cup, holding it gently in his, a soft punishment hidden within his rough tone.

"What exactly has Chloe been feeding you?"

Cicely's brows quirked. "Maybe I just thought you'd prefer being bothered by me than threatened by Chloe. Isn't that right?"

Seth's lips curled into a half-smile. "In truth, her antics barely affect me. It makes your sisterly bond seem all the stronger."