That night, Ethan took Avril to the hospital and carefully explained his thoughts to the doctor.
He suspected that Avril had Lyme disease.
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection transmitted through tick bites.
In its early stages, those infected experience headaches, fatigue, and rashes. In later stages, the symptoms escalate to severe headaches, joint pain, palpitations, facial paralysis, and significant memory loss. It can even develop into a chronic illness…
Many Lyme disease patients also become prone to depression, and in some cases, they resort to suicide as a means of escape.
Avril's symptoms matched perfectly, but Ethan distinctly remembered that she was supposed to contract Lyme disease only after 2010. He had no idea why she had been afflicted so early.
Regardless, now that it had happened, they had to face it head-on.
After a series of medical examinations, Avril was diagnosed with Lyme disease.
When she heard the diagnosis, she was completely stunned. She never expected to have such a serious illness—she had thought it was just something minor.
"Don't worry. The doctor said antibiotics are very effective for this disease."
The scariest part of Lyme disease isn't its symptoms but its stealthy nature.
Many people mistake their symptoms for common illnesses and ignore them at first.
By the time the disease fully manifests, it's often too late for effective treatment, and they miss the best window for recovery.
In that sense, Avril catching it in the early stages wasn't entirely bad.
But at this moment, those words offered her little comfort because her symptoms were worsening.
Ethan had no choice but to arrange for a private jet to transport her to New York, where her parents could accompany and care for her.
One rainy afternoon, Avril lay in bed wearing loose clothing, gazing at the gloomy clouds outside the floor-to-ceiling window. Her eyes were filled with loneliness.
"Ethan… do you think I'm going to die?"
"You won't, baby." Ethan lay beside her, gently stroking her cheek. "Don't overthink it. You'll get better."
"But my whole body hurts so much." Avril's joints and head throbbed with pain, an agony severe enough to make someone want to bang their head against a wall.
Ethan couldn't do anything to ease her pain, so he simply held her tightly.
After lying there for a while, Avril started groaning in discomfort again.
Ethan had to call the doctor to come and check on her.
Soon, an expensive private doctor arrived with a medical team.
Ethan sat on the sofa, watching them bustle around. Time seemed to slip away rapidly in his anxious state.
By the time he came back to his senses, it was already nighttime.
Avril's condition had stabilized somewhat, but she was still far from being cured.
Because of her illness, she could no longer appear on stage.
Her record company, however, was unwilling to accept this and kept questioning the doctors.
"Is there really no way for Avril to keep singing?" Outside the villa, her agent, Lanier, was speaking with the doctor about her condition.
The doctor shook his head. "As harsh as it sounds, Lyme disease isn't guaranteed to be fully curable. The usual course of the disease lasts 3-5 years. Avril was fortunate to be diagnosed early, but whether she will recover remains uncertain."
"What about recording an album?" Lanier asked, unwilling to give up.
"That depends on the patient's willingness. She's in constant pain—I don't think she's in the best condition for recording."
After the doctor left, Lanier looked at Ethan and forced a smile. "Ethan, have you been staying with Avril this whole time?"
Since Avril fell ill, word of her and Ethan's relationship had spread among some acquaintances.
Lanier only now realized that his most outstanding female artist was dating an Oscar-winning director.
And this Oscar-winning director happened to own a record label.
That was far from good news. Given Avril's current state, Lanier figured the company would have a hard time renewing her contract.
Ethan simply nodded indifferently in response to his inquiry.
Seeing this, Lanier had nothing more to say and left.
Three months passed, and Avril's condition remained unchanged.
On the other hand, her music album sales were better than ever.
Meanwhile, Jessica finally learned about Avril's existence from a friend.
As a result, she bit Ethan hard—hard enough to nearly draw blood.
But after hearing about Avril's current situation, she couldn't bring herself to say anything harsh. Instead, she took Elena to visit her.
Inside the room, the moment Jessica set Elena down, the little one clumsily toddled toward Avril.
By now, she had grown black hair, her big eyes were bright and pure, and she wore a little floral dress, looking absolutely adorable.
When Elena reached Avril, she used her chubby hands to touch her face. After waking her up, she even lowered her head and kissed her.
Avril was both surprised and delighted.
She weakly wrapped her arms around the little girl, teasing her. "What a cute little baby. What's her name?"
"Her name is Elena."
Jessica walked over to her side, and with just one look, Avril understood her relationship with Ethan.
But she said nothing.
In truth, she had grown disheartened about the future.
She felt it wouldn't be bad if Ethan left her—he couldn't possibly waste all his time on a useless person like her.
"Ethan, step outside for a moment," Jessica suddenly said while watching Avril interact affectionately with Elena.
Although Ethan didn't know what she wanted to say, he didn't object.
He walked out of the room alone, hearing the sound of their conversation behind the door.
Twenty minutes later, Jessica emerged holding Elena.
When Ethan stepped back inside, he was surprised to find Avril looking better than before.
He couldn't help but wonder—what had Jessica said to her?
"I've decided to face my illness head-on." Avril stared into Ethan's eyes. "I won't let it defeat me."
"That's the best news."
No matter what, Ethan was happy to see her determination.
Having an illness wasn't scary—giving up on oneself was.
"Is there anything you'd like to eat?" Ethan asked with concern.
"I want an orange." Avril's lips curled into a slight smile. Though her face was still pale from the pain, her overall state of mind had improved considerably.
"Alright, I'll get you one now."
Ethan got up and walked out, pushing the door open.
"Creak…" The door made a faint but heavy sound.
One year later.
"Creak…" Ethan pushed open the door before him.
Avril was sitting on a yoga mat, doing recovery exercises.
Through a year of treatment, she had grown fond of yoga, saying that it helped her calm her mind.
Ethan silently placed a fruit platter on the table and looked at his reflection in the glass.
He hadn't changed much over the past year. The only difference was the stubble on his face.
"In just two days, it's grown this much." He stroked his chin, thinking that the beard made him look more mature. It was a style he had never tried before—perhaps growing it out wasn't a bad idea.
With that thought, he turned to look at Avril.
Her Lyme disease was completely cured.
She had caught it in time.
Although she suffered tremendously in the first six months—pain, memory fog, multiple fevers reaching 39.5°C—she ultimately pulled through.
Ethan had accompanied her through the most difficult time, even halting his scheduled filming plans for it.
He postponed Lucy by a full year.
However, Twilight was completed because the film wasn't as challenging.
Ethan handed the directorial role to Greta, while he remained on set as a producer.
Thanks to the residual attention from Fifty Shades of Grey, Twilight immediately became the most anticipated film upon its trailer release.
And as expected, it became the biggest box office dark horse of 2008. With a $40 million investment, it grossed $400 million worldwide.
This success instantly made Greta one of the highest-grossing female directors in Hollywood.
It also caused Norton Eye's stock price to soar.
However, in Greta's view, this was mostly due to luck. No matter who directed it, this film was destined to be a hit—the only question was by how much.
After all, the original novel was already a bestseller.
Aside from her, James Wan's Saw III also achieved impressive box office results, grossing $170 million worldwide—a very solid performance.
Next, James Wan would focus on The Conjuring, aiming to establish a new cinematic universe for Norton Eye.
On the Angel Declaration side, Taylor Swift's second album was released on schedule, receiving widespread acclaim. Its lead single even reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts.
Of course, the music video was directed by Ethan.
That was the only film-related work Ethan did all year. The rest of the time, he was either taking care of Avril or spending time with his little angel, Elena, at Jessica's place.
In fact, over the past year, Elena had already learned to say "Mom" and "Dad" and could even speak a few simple words.
The little girl had chubby cheeks and looked absolutely adorable.
Her grandmother, Camila, was utterly obsessed with her, to the point that she barely paid attention to Ethan's two younger brothers.
Her godmother, Anne Hathaway, would also visit whenever she had time. Every time she returned from a film set, she would bring a huge pile of clothes and toys for Elena. Even Jessica couldn't stop her.
As for Kayden and Cindy, both continued to develop their careers steadily.
Cindy starred in Doubt, securing a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the 81st Academy Awards.
She wasn't just dedicated to acting—she was incredibly hardworking. Ethan felt she was born for this profession.
Kayden, on the other hand, was equally impressive. She had firmly established herself among top-tier models and now earned over ten million dollars a year.
She was a guaranteed presence at every Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, and many viewers—especially older white men—eagerly anticipated her appearance each time.
After all, her figure was simply phenomenal.
Meanwhile, Ethan's other companies were also thriving.
Japan's AKB48 had already released 11 singles. Although they hadn't yet reached the same level of nationwide craze as in the previous life, they had already built a massive fanbase.
In just one more year, they would truly explode, becoming the hottest idol group in Japan.
At Supreme Creative, things were going exceptionally well. Their old rival, Crown Creative, had suffered a major blow due to Rachel's leaks and Jimmy's maneuvers.
A serious plagiarism scandal involving advertising concepts had completely set Crown Creative back to square one, leaving them in chaos.
Supreme Creative seized the opportunity, grabbing a significant share of the market and securing major clients like Coca-Cola.
On the other hand, Black Umbrella Consulting and Burney&Co PR remained stable. Black Umbrella's Lauren Ortiz was preparing to expand into other states.
Burney &Co PR was looking to expand internationally, particularly into South Korea. Since films were a crucial part of Korea's entertainment economy, helping a Korean film reach the Oscars could serve as an excellent promotional strategy.
Japan and China, however, didn't offer much opportunity in this regard.
Aside from these developments, the United States had also endured a severe financial crisis over the past year.
Ethan leveraged both his company's money and his own funds to capitalize on the crisis, successfully tripling his assets.
There was no way to earn more, as the financial industry wasn't foolish—any profitable opportunity was quickly flooded with investors.
Still, Ethan was quite satisfied. At the very least, U.S. real estate prices had hit rock bottom. Although it wasn't the absolute lowest point yet, they were already cheap enough.
Ethan planned to scout for a prime standalone building, purchase it, and put the Norton name on it.
"Click." Avril finished her daily practice and walked over to Ethan.
"Honey, you look pretty happy."
"Do I? Is it that obvious?" Ethan chuckled, then picked up an orange segment, peeled off the pith, and handed it to Avril.
"Too sour. Never mind, you eat it." Avril wasn't a fan of such sour oranges.
Ethan had no choice but to enjoy it himself.
"What are you doing later?" Ethan asked as Avril changed clothes without the slightest concern for modesty.
"I'm going to see Elena. It's been two days since I last saw my little baby."
Upon learning that Anne Hathaway was Elena's godmother, Avril had scolded her thoroughly, feeling that Anne always managed to snatch away what she wanted.
Unwilling to back down, Avril declared herself as Elena's "little mom."
Now, she made it a daily habit to play music for Elena, hoping to nurture her musical talents.
"I'll drive you there." Ethan happened to need to visit the office anyway. His secretary had just called, saying that MGM's CEO, Harry, wanted to meet him.
"Okay." Avril finished changing, and the two of them left together.
Tom wasn't around these days. He had gone home to handle some family matters.
His parents were getting a divorce—an unfortunate situation.
After the family came into money, Tom's father developed a gambling addiction. Now, his mother wanted to leave, which was understandable.
Not every family could remain grounded after gaining immense wealth.
But Ethan believed Tom would handle it well.
The drive was uneventful. After dropping Avril off, Ethan arrived at the company building.
....
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