Chapter 37

Ethan glanced at Jason's flattering posture and casually lifted his eyelids as if nothing had happened. "You don't need to worry about it." Some things couldn't be rushed; they had to be taken slowly. With that said, he casually gestured to the bag in Jason's hand. "What's that?" "Oh, I just ran into Stella in the elevator. She knew I was being exploited by you, so she kindly gave me a dessert." "Oh? She gave it to you?" Ethan furrowed his brow imperceptibly and glanced at the bag again. "Yeah, she came over for a meeting with Simon. Everyone in his group got one." Jason didn't notice Ethan's expression and proceeded to open the dessert. "She is really a gentle woman." Since high school, Jason had always thought Stella was warm and gentle, good at academics but not very talkative, always wearing a faint smile when interacting with others. Even when tutoring him, she was patient and serious. She was like an angel! Pity that Ethan always couldn't stand her good temper and often made derogatory remarks. Now he could only secretly crush on her, serves him right! But at this thought, Jason also understood Ethan's painful price. After all, they had been brothers for over twenty years, and he couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him. He glanced up at the person behind the desk and finally met Ethan's hidden gaze. Sensing something, his hand holding the dessert suddenly stopped. He remarked, "You didn't get one? I can't believe it! Then... should I give you mine?" Glancing at the cake that he had already taken two bites of, Ethan snorted lightly and said, "Do I need yours?" His attitude had changed from just now. Jason grinned awkwardly, "Sure. The ones you're eating were all made by Stella herself. There's no need for us to compare." With that said, he gestured to the prominently displayed lemon pear syrup on the desk, "Look, this syrup is just for you. We couldn't hope for a drop of it." Returning his gaze from the dessert, Ethan simply nodded and poured himself a glass of lemon pear water, not saying much more. However, there was still a slight furrow in his brow, as if he was feeling a taste of being forgotten. After a moment, there was a knock at the door. After getting permission from Isaac, someone entered carrying the same bag. "Boss, this is the dessert takeout Mrs. Powers just ordered for you. It's been delivered here," Isaac informed. Jason visibly relaxed at the sight. Ethan raised an eyebrow, set down his water, and lightly smiled, then tapped the tabletop with his fingertips. "Alright, leave it here." As he took out several boxes of desserts from the insulated bag and provocatively took pictures of them separately, the cake in Jason's hand suddenly lost its appeal. When Jason checked his phone, he indeed saw a freshly posted Moment, "Desserts, delicious." So, now he was even adding captions to his posts. How could they be delicious when he hadn't even tasted them yet! Seeing Jason's eager gaze, Ethan casually smirked, teasingly asking, "What, still want some?" Jason was a bit surprised, "Can I?" Ethan chuckled slightly, then shrugged nonchalantly, "Sure, trade for your vacation days." Jason thought, "Damn, I shouldn't have expected anything from this guy!" ... On the other side, Stella had just returned to the office when she received a notification that her takeout had been successfully delivered. Later, she saw Ethan's Moment. Thinking about the way he looked while taking photos with his phone, she couldn't help but smile and gave him a like. After doing all this, she opened the chat box and sent Ethan a message, "You should be a bit more polite to Jason in the future, don't bring your temper to the company." Stella speculated that if even Jason was so upset and dissatisfied, it must have been because Ethan lost his temper at the company. She should advise him a few words to prevent his bad temper from being disliked by others. After sending the message, the flashing [typing] indicator appeared again on the other side. After a while, she received a new message alert, "Understood." Stella silently stared at this message, suddenly remembering Ethan's words from this morning, "Stella, if you can't figure it out, then take your time." Could it be that he was also repeatedly thinking about how to reply to her message? Lost in thought, the ringtone suddenly rang. She glanced at the caller ID on the screen, showing a completely unfamiliar international number. Thinking it was a spam call, she didn't answer. But after the ringtone sounded once, the caller dialed again. Stella frowned and answered, "Hello." In the receiver, came a gentle and elegant middle-aged woman's voice, "Hello, may I speak to Stella Powers?" Stella: "Who is this?" There was a slight pause from the other end, then the person clarified their identity, "I am Ethan's aunt." Stella was taken aback. She knew that Ethan had an aunt who had immigrated abroad early and had not returned since, but she hadn't expected her to contact her. "Sorry to bother you with a call. However, could you do me a favor?" The tone of the person on the other end was quite gentle. Stella lowered her eyes. "Please let me know first." "I heard that Jessica has been arrested. Can you help me find out how Alex is doing now?" Liv sighed. "You know Ethan's temperament. He probably doesn't care much about Alex, his younger brother, but I think... Jessica might come looking for you." Jessica was arrested shortly after the incident at the Connelly family, and Stella was aware of it. But Ethan didn't want to talk much about Jessica, and he hadn't brought up his father's case directly, only calculating behind the scenes. So, she didn't ask too many questions. Jessica's past deeds of climbing into bed for advancement were evidently not very smart. If she got caught now, it was probably because someone behind her pushed her out. Liv understood this reasoning as well. She continued, "Jessica didn't confess much, but Alex is her son after all. I don't believe she would take the blame for no reason. I'm calling just to say this. I can't bear children. If Jessica tries to reach out to you for Alex..." Stella furrowed her brow. "I understand." If Ethan was unwilling to take care of Alex, then Liv was willing to raise him. Liv breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Stella." ... Ever since receiving Liv's call, Stella had been thinking of finding an opportunity to have a 'heart-to-heart' talk with Ethan. According to the book, having a deep heart-to-heart is a good opportunity to bring each other closer. But with Jason on vacation, he got busy all of a sudden. Although he still picked her up from work every day, he would stay in the study when he got home, having video conferences with people across time zones, and even eating his meals quickly. Stella didn't want to disturb him, so she waited for a long time until she caught him in a moment of free time, seizing the opportunity during dinner. "How's your relationship with your aunt?" she asked. Ethan glanced at her and nodded. "It's okay, but when I was three or four, she moved abroad, and we haven't seen each other much since then. What's up?" "Nothing, it's just that... it seems like you've never mentioned anything about your family." Stella knew that his mother had passed away early, and when he was young, his father was busy, so he was raised by his grandfather. He had an aunt, and later, he had Jessica as his stepmother. But that was about it; all these bits of information about him came from idle gossip. Upon hearing her words, Ethan set down his fork and smiled at her. "You've been acting strangely lately." Stella pursed her lips. "Have I? How so?" Ethan chuckled lightly and then casually leaned back, raising an eyebrow. "It seems like you're especially concerned about me." Living together, she still sent him "good morning" and "good night" messages at fixed times. At noon, she would order takeout for him and remind him to "eat well." Of course, Ethan didn't deny that he was enjoying her care, and it even made him a little giddy. Every one of her tests was almost making him lose his patience. However, he always had to prepare something. At the mention of this, Stella's eyelashes trembled slightly. She looked away with a hint of guilt and asked, "Is it wrong to care about you?" "No, it's very good. Keep it up," Ethan nodded casually, a playful smirk curling his lips. "After all, on the second day of our marriage, you mentioned that the women who wanted to marry me lined up from Jefferson High School to Radiant Arts Institute. Marrying someone as "in-demand" as me, it's normal for you to feel a bit insecure." Stella couldn't help but chuckle at his nonchalant pride. "Oh, by the way, Isaac recently arranged a financial interview for me," Ethan raised an eyebrow, then added, "They need a few wedding photos." And they obviously didn't have any wedding photos. So, they needed to take a set. Stella picked up on his implication and looked up. "Do financial interviews require wedding photos?" As far as she could remember, he had never appeared in any interviews. "Not that kind of serious interview," Ethan explained casually, then asked nonchalantly, "Why, don't you want to take them?" Stella shook her head. "No, as long as you think it's okay." With her current mindset, going to take wedding photos with him felt like taking advantage of Ethan. After dinner, Ethan went to do the dishes, while Stella returned to the bedroom and opened her phone to continue reporting to her friends about her plans to take wedding photos with Ethan. Natalie: Wedding photos? Let me recommend a good photographer for you later. When it comes to taking wedding photos, there are so many poses to choose from. Seize the opportunity! Layla: A professional interview is great. It's time to show his married status. Stella, before you've got Ethan in hand, don't let anyone else take advantage of it. Natalie: Layla is right, wedding photos must be taken, and wedding rings must be worn. There are many people nowadays who want to take shortcuts. You still have to be cautious. Reading their replies, Stella frowned and pondered. It seemed that after getting married, neither of them had worn their wedding rings yet. And she seemed to have overlooked her competitors. ... With those thoughts lingering in her mind, Stella got through the day. At the breakfast table the next day, she handed the filled rice bowl to Ethan and began her indirect probing. "You mentioned your first love before. What kind of person was she?" Though she doubted whether Ethan had ever had a first love, she couldn't outright deny it upon reflection. She wasn't fixated on his first love, but if there really was one, perhaps she could gauge the type of person he liked. Ethan calmly assessed her with a glance and casually replied, "She was smart and helpful. Jason even mentioned the other day that she was gentle." "The other day?" Stella furrowed her brows slightly, subconsciously gripping her fingertips tighter. "Do you still like her now?" A hint of bitterness seemed to flash through her heart. Ethan chuckled softly and said calmly, "Stella, didn't you tell me last time not to ruin someone else's marriage?" His first love had already married and was now living a happy life, making the chance of becoming a homewrecker in their relationship close to zero. Stella wondered just how outstanding the first love's husband was to make Ethan feel so inferior. With that in mind, Stella breathed a sigh of relief, her voice becoming brighter. "So, have you let go?" The man nodded unequivocally. "Yeah, compared to the past, I'm more satisfied with my current state." Stella looked up at him, smiled, and said softly, "Yeah, me too." Compared to their high school days, she also preferred the way they interacted now. After all, back then, their relationship was too tense. "Is that so? Was I that annoying to you in high school?" Ethan raised an eyebrow slightly. "You didn't even look back when you went away back then. Did you regret not seeing me in a sorry state?" Upon hearing this, Stella met the man's calm gaze with a momentary dumbfoundedness. After a pause, she earnestly said, "Ethan, I never wanted to see you in a sorry state. It's just that you often leave me feeling helpless and frustrated." If he were bad enough, she could calmly treat him as a stranger, without showing any emotions towards him. But he only teased her with his intolerable temper, leaving her often at a loss. Looking at her serious expression, Ethan sighed helplessly. "Stella, you should understand that everyone has their temper and emotions; you don't always have to suppress them." Actually, most of the time, even if he deliberately annoyed her, she wouldn't have a particularly strong reaction. Outsiders might see it as her being gentle and accommodating, but in reality, it created a barrier between her and everyone else. Even in the Carlson family, she probably didn't have a real sense of belonging. Stella's world was clear-cut: she would care about those who treated her well. But for those who didn't, she wouldn't show even a hint of emotion. People like the Fletchers, in her eyes, were probably no different from strangers. She dealt with their ill intentions calmly, without any sadness or even much anger. She could always detach herself calmly, but it was built upon a barrier in her heart. Ethan quietly took her bowl and rubbed her head. "Nobody should be perfect. Even if there's a bit of emotion, it's okay to let it out instead of bottling it up." Upon hearing this, Stella nodded, without responding. She always portrayed an overly gentle and accommodating image, trying to please everyone. But fundamentally, she was afraid of showing any flaws that might make people withdraw. She was accustomed to regulating negative emotions and didn't want to show them to others because she felt there was never a strong enough relationship that could always tolerate someone's negativity. After a moment of silence, she shook off those complex thoughts. After taking a breath, she suddenly remembered something and asked softly, "Then why didn't you accept that money back then?" Stella was referring to the tuition fees she had arranged to be delivered to Ethan after learning about the trouble in his family. The man lowered his gaze, his voice soft. "Maybe I was... battling with myself." He didn't even know where his path was leading, so why involve her? It was better to keep their relationship clear. Later, when he found out that Aaron had gone to the same city as Stella, he realized he had missed another opportunity. Stella saw his expression and knew he didn't want to talk about it anymore. So she took a deep breath and continued, "Natalie recommended a photographer who specializes in wedding photos for me. He's available these days." "Okay." "And..." Stella hesitated, causing Ethan to turn his gaze towards her. With a slight pause, Stella extended a dark red velvet box to him. "This is for you," she said, her voice trailing off momentarily. "It's something new I bought." Ethan took it, and upon opening it, the silver wedding ring sparkled under the crystal light. "Since we're married, shouldn't we wear wedding rings?" Stella said. Even if he just wanted to pretend to be affectionate, he should still wear the wedding ring.It's just that the previous set of wedding rings wasn't suitable for them. Stella had carefully picked out a new pair during the day at the mall. She watched his expression and added, "If you don't like it, you can exchange it." After a moment of silence, Ethan's lips curved into a subtle smile, barely noticeable. He reached out his slender fingers and lightly tapped her forehead. Then he casually raised his eyebrows and said, in his usual nonchalant tone, "Well, it's alright."