Chapter 20

"Oh, what did she say?" Ethan asked, casually. Isaac was after all Ethan's assistant, so he quickly realized that the "she" referred to was not Jessica, but Stella. "Don't know what she said, but Jessica seems pretty angry," Isaac breathed a sigh of relief and replied. More than just angry, although Jessica always dressed very "gracefully," she hadn't attended school for many years, and she wasn't very cultured. Her attitude on the phone could be described as impatient and frustrated. Hearing Isaac's words, Ethan suddenly lost interest in further exploration and gave a light "okay" before hanging up the phone. In the private room, the others were all playing cards. Only Ethan naturally leaned back on the sofa, lazily swaying the clear and transparent glass in his hand, his deep, blue eyes thoughtful. Golden Brilliance was the most famous high-end private club in Seattle, frequented by the rich and famous every day, with many celebrities accompanying them. There were two female celebrities sitting in the adjacent private room, accompanying Kevin Reeves while drinking. When Kevin saw Ethan, he even greeted him. Cameron had learned his lesson this time and didn't dare to send women over to Ethan again. After all, the last time he sent one to the hotel, Ethan directly ordered Isaac to throw her out. "What's up?" Jason, who had just finished a game of cards, came over. Today was a private gathering, with Ethan, Jason, Luke, and two other former college roommates of Ethan, Mark and Nick. Ethan lazily raised his eyelids in response to Jason's words. "Jessica also went to the fashion show, and it seems they ran into each other. Jessica called Isaac, and her attitude wasn't good." Yesterday, Jason asked him when he would bring Stella to meet everyone, but Ethan's response was, "She wants to go see the fashion show, we'll talk about it when she's free." However, there won't be any free time for now. Hearing that Stella ran into Jessica at the fashion show, Jason suddenly furrowed his brow. Not long after, he suddenly thought of something and said, "Jessica has a bad attitude. Your wife must have scolded her to defend you! How dare she call like that? Is she tattling? She's dreaming!" "When you go back, try to comfort your wife," Jason continued. "Maybe she got into trouble because of Jessica today." Jason said indignantly, gesturing animatedly. Then he looked up and saw Ethan staring at him with a thoughtful expression. Feeling a chill from this strange gaze, Jason nervously asked, "Why are you suddenly looking at me like that?" "Nothing, just thinking that you're a lot better than Isaac," Ethan praised generously, chuckling lightly, and patting Jason on the shoulder. Then, he stood up, took his jacket, and said, "I'm heading back." "Why leave so early? Didn't we agree to go shooting together later?" Ethan had been leaving on time recently and not going out at night. Jason had worked hard to organize this gathering and invited him over, but now he wanted to leave. Jason wanted to persuade him a little more, but Ethan had already calmly adjusted his cuffs, raised an eyebrow, and shook his head with a light smile. "No, I have to go home and 'comfort' someone." Jason was speechless and thought, "This guy is really damn arrogant." ... After leaving the convention center, Stella first dropped off Layla at home, then drove to the Carlson family's villa to have a chat with her grandfather. She came twice a week, always when her grandfather was awake. Ethan occasionally accompanied her because they commuted together. Thomas quite liked Ethan as a 'son-in-law.' In just a month, he had become even more affectionate than Aaron, whom he had watched grow up. Stella was somewhat surprised, but upon reflection, she felt that Ethan's willingness to visit her grandfather might be because he saw his own grandfather's shadow in him. Nevertheless, she was very grateful to him and was willing to tolerate his personality. During this time, Thomas's periods of drowsiness grew longer and longer. Stella had urged him several times to go to the hospital, but he stubbornly waved his hand in refusal every time. However, after consulting with a doctor, they suggested that in his current condition, it might be better for him to relax in a familiar environment than in a hospital. So she stopped persuading him. After leaving the villa, Stella's mood was somewhat heavier. She opened the car window to let in some fresh air. Driving back home, she opened the door and walked into the living room. She saw Ethan lounging comfortably on the sofa, watching TV, which was a rare sight. On the large clear screen, a movie was playing. She glanced at it and saw that it was a classic romantic comedy. Stella suddenly recalled a memory about Ethan. When this movie was released, Stella was in her senior year of high school. Kate said he had asked his brother to buy two tickets and invited her to the movies on the weekend. When Aaron brought the tickets over, Ethan glanced at the movie tickets in her hand, chuckled lightly, and arrogantly commented, "Boring." At that time, his disdain was particularly strong. Who knew why his taste had changed so much over the years, now he could actually enjoy it. Putting aside her confusion, Stella asked him, "Why are you back so early?" She thought Ethan was going to have a good time with Jason and the others, but it wasn't even 9 o'clock yet. "It ended early," Ethan didn't turn around, lowered the TV volume a bit, and said casually. "Isaac said you met Jessica today." Stella looked at him, thought about her words, and nodded, "Yeah, I did. Your former stepmother is quite special." "You mean she's stupid?" Ethan chuckled. Stella shrugged indisputably, thinking that wasn't what she said. It was Ethan who, after speaking, raised an eyebrow again and chuckled, "You've made a lot of progress lately." A lot of progress. She still remembered the last time Ethan praised her like this, it was the day after the wedding, on the way to the Carlson family's villa. She had lavished him with praise and was "honored" to receive his compliment. Seeing the slight raise of his chin, she said, "Thanks." As they left the Carlson family's villa, the butler gave her a box of crabs. Getting ready to put the crabs in the refrigerator, she suddenly remembered what Jessica had said today. She hesitated with her fingers clenched for a long time, then sighed and turned to meet Ethan's gaze. "Ethan." "Yes." "Actually, no matter what the problem is, we shouldn't avoid addressing it, right?" Stella said slowly. Ethan looked slightly puzzled, but still nodded faintly, then asked, "If one is sick, they should see a doctor. So, what are you talking about?" "How would I know?" Stella didn't expect him to want to continue discussing such an awkward topic and awkwardly pursed her lips. Looking at the crabs in her hand, she smoothly changed the subject, "I brought back a box of crabs from my grandfather. Do you want to eat them? I can steam them." Ethan glanced at the crabs in her hand, seemed to think of something, but still nodded lightly. Stella breathed a sigh of relief and walked into the kitchen. In the living room, only Ethan remained. Soon, the phone on the coffee table suddenly vibrated. He turned off the TV, got up, and picked it up, only to find it was a series of SnapChat messages from Jason. Jason: Bro! Guess who I just ran into! Jason: Damn, Jack actually got a job at the club! Jason: I heard Jack was fired by Aaron, and he offended Stella so he can't go back to Carlson Group. He had to take a job at a club arranged by his dad. Jason: Isn't Aaron trying to steal your wife? We worked so hard, we can't let him win! Jason: Don't think that just because your wife is being nice to you now means you're safe. You know that kind of set-up? What if you're forced to become Aaron's pawn? That'd be sad! Ethan raised an eyebrow, slightly puzzled by the term, and typed back: Set-up? After a few moments of thought, the man's fingers moved slightly. The next second— Ethan: Do you think I am that stupid?