He Lost His Memory In A Crash, Then A Small-Town American Woman’s Kindness Changed His Life
Chapter 3
Ethan quickly discovered that being a billionaire was useless in a town where everyone already knew how to live without one.
On his first morning at Bennett’s Diner, he tried to pay with a credit card.
Clara shook her head.
“We don’t take American Express.”
He looked surprised.
“What do you take?”
“Cash.”
He checked his pockets.
Nothing.
Clara sighed.
“Breakfast is on the house.”
“I’ll pay you later.”
“Fine.”
She handed him pancakes.
“You can wash dishes.”
He stared at her.
“You want me to wash dishes?”
“You said you’d pay.”
“I own restaurants.”
“Then you should know how dishes work.”
He laughed.
For the first time since waking up, he felt normal.
He spent the next week helping around Mercy Creek.
He repaired a broken fence at the diner.
He carried boxes for the elderly couple next door.
He helped a farmer unload feed.
He even tried fixing the town library’s broken computer.
That last attempt ended badly.
Smoke rose from the machine.
Clara stared at him.
“You broke it.”
“I was trying to fix it.”
“You made it worse.”
“I manage technology companies.”
“You manage people who understand technology.”
He smiled.
“That’s probably true.”
People slowly became comfortable around him.
They stopped calling him “Mr. Cole.”
They called him Ethan.
He liked it.
But strange things began happening.
Whenever someone mentioned Manhattan, he felt a headache.
Whenever he saw a photograph of a corporate office, something flashed inside his mind.
A boardroom.
A man’s voice.
A woman crying.
A signature.
Then darkness.
One afternoon, Ethan was sitting in the diner when a black sedan pulled up.
A man in a tailored suit entered.
“Mr. Cole.”
Ethan looked up.
“Do I know you?”
“I’m David Mercer. Your chief financial officer.”
Clara watched from behind the counter.
David placed a folder on the table.
“You need to return to New York.”
“Why?”
“The company is losing money.”
“How much?”
“Eight million this week.”
Ethan shrugged.
“That’s not much.”
David stared.
“For most people, no.”
“Then handle it.”
“I can’t.”
“Why?”
“Because three board members are trying to remove you.”
Ethan frowned.
“Why?”
“Because you disappeared.”
“Maybe I wanted to.”
David looked toward Clara.
“Who is she?”
Clara answered.
“Someone who doesn’t care about your company.”
David ignored her.
“Mr. Cole, the board is preparing an emergency vote.”
Ethan opened the folder.
Financial reports.
Contracts.
Legal documents.
He couldn’t understand why they looked familiar.
Then he saw a signature.
His signature.
A cold sensation ran through him.
“What is this?”
“Your acquisition of Redstone Logistics.”
“Why did I buy them?”
David hesitated.
“To eliminate a competitor.”
Ethan stared.
“Eliminate?”
“That’s how you operate.”
Clara watched him carefully.
Ethan closed the folder.
“Was I cruel?”
David didn’t answer.
“David.”
“You’re demanding.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
David looked away.
“Sometimes.”
Ethan felt sick.
He stood.
“Take these back.”
“Sir—”
“I need time.”
“You don’t have time.”
Ethan looked at him.
“Then make time.”
David left.
Clara approached.
“You okay?”
Ethan stared at the folder.
“I don’t recognize myself.”
She sat across from him.
“Maybe that’s a good thing.”
“What if I was terrible?”
“Then you get to choose differently now.”
He looked at her.
“Why are you so kind to me?”
Clara smiled.
“Because you were kind to me.”
“I wasn’t.”
“You don’t remember.”
She placed a cup of coffee in front of him.
“You paid for my mother’s medical bills.”
Ethan froze.
“What?”
Clara’s smile disappeared.
“Before the crash.”
