CHAPTER 111: CHAPTER 111: MY WOMAN, MY RESPONSIBILITY

Ruby Sullivan spent the entire morning worrying that she might have committed bigamy.

Her marriage with Dr. L wasn’t even a real one, yet their marriage was legally valid.

If Ethan Sterling hadn’t reminded her, she would have forgotten. Realizing it was likely her mentor’s waking time, she went to the company rooftop to make an international call, hoping he could delete their registration record.

"What if I don’t agree?" Dr. L’s response caught Ruby Sullivan off guard, and she awkwardly laughed.

Because of their teacher-student relationship, Ruby held Dr. L in not only high regard but was also very grateful, so she always spoke to him like a student would. For instance, now she felt he was being unreasonable, yet she could only assume he was joking.

"Master, I’ve married Ethan Sterling. If things aren’t properly handled in Bellaza, I might get into trouble." She thought it was possible that Ethan might use this to send her to prison since the penalties for bigamy in Celestia are severe.

Dr. L’s expression darkened visibly, "Wenny, even if you forgot I’m your husband, you should remember I’m your teacher. Didn’t you think to tell me before marrying him?"

Ruby Sullivan didn’t know what to say, but she could tell her mentor was angry. Just as she was at a loss, her phone was suddenly snatched away.

Startled, she saw it was Ethan Sterling who took her phone, and soon heard him speak fluently in Italian, "Honey didn’t mean to be disrespectful, she was planning to inform you, her mentor, about the wedding during the ceremony. As for your marriage with her, I’ll handle it, there’s no need to trouble you with such trivial matters."

With that, he swiftly hung up, and the polite smile on his face vanished.

Seeing Ruby Sullivan sternly reaching out to take her phone back, he deliberately raised his arm, holding it at a height where she couldn’t reach even if she jumped.

"Ethan Sterling!" Ruby was genuinely a bit angry now.

She didn’t know when he stood behind her, but regardless, he had no right to negotiate on her behalf with Dr. L.

Ethan raised his chin, indicating defiance, quickly flicking her forehead with his hand, "Why didn’t you tell me about this?"

Ruby glared at him sideways, "So you can charge me with bigamy?"

Ethan was initially just teasing her, but hearing her say that made him uncomfortable. However, he suppressed those emotions, tossed her phone back, and coldly said, "I don’t want my woman asking another man for help. I’ll resolve this issue; you don’t have to worry about it."

After saying his piece coldly, Ethan Sterling strode away.

He originally sought Ruby Sullivan for lunch, and after asking a few people, he learned she went to the rooftop, only to overhear her concerns unexpectedly.

Ethan knew she hadn’t said it casually; she had been worried about it for a long time.

Returning to his office, he called for Howard, "Let’s go eat."

Howard hurriedly informed the colleague he’d just arranged to eat with and quickly caught up with the boss to join for lunch.

Meanwhile, Ruby Sullivan, left on the rooftop, was anxious. She knew her earlier words might have hurt Ethan, but thinking of Dr. L, her concern gravitated toward the Sterling Group.

Her mentor was quite childish, sometimes like the kid surrounded in kindergarten, wanting the best toys and most candy. If someone upset him, he wouldn’t just cry loudly but also retaliate using simple, direct violence.

If her mentor wanted to retaliate against the Sterling Group...

Ruby dared not think further.

She ate nothing at noon, spending all her time pondering what had made her mentor angry. Only when she knew why he was angry could she calm him down. The Lawson Group entering the Celestian Market wasn’t a good sign, and under no circumstances could she let the Lawson Group make the Sterling Group an enemy.

Her afternoon work was also somewhat spiritless, as she often zoned out whenever alone.

Levi Joyce noticed her bad state, and with time close to off-duty, boldly suggested they leave the lab early today.

Ruby certainly found his suggestion bizarre. It wasn’t her company, and without a solid reason, she couldn’t have them leave early.

"Boss, did you forget? Today is my last day in the lab, and I’m treating everyone to hot pot tonight."

She then remembered that the guy told her a month ago about resigning because the band at the livehouse was doing well, and he wanted to devote more time to his interests.

Ruby knew he took the job to support his hobby. Now that money wasn’t an issue, she had no reason to keep him. Plus, with Rachel Lawson taking care of Honey, she indeed didn’t need an assistant like Levi Joyce anymore.

Realizing she wouldn’t see this big-eyed assistant soon, she felt somewhat reluctant. Glancing at the time, she said, "All right, everyone sort out your tasks, and once done, you can leave."

Her words sent cheers throughout the lab.

They arrived early at the hot pot restaurant, where it was still empty. A group of lovely girls sat with Levi at one table, and he chuckled foolishly for a long time, claiming this was the pinnacle of his life.

Wendy suddenly felt a twinge, "How can you just leave like this? Who’s going to protect us if the lab ever faces another uproar?"

Thinking of the time they all faced adversity together, Levi felt a bit melancholic too. He lowered his head, smiled, raised his glass, and loudly said, "The future is long; we’ll meet again in the rivers and lakes!" Then he downed his drink in one go, full of bravado.

Only then did Ruby discover these girls were beer champs, and after a few drinks, they became more chatty and bold, forgetting Levi was the main focus today and all aimed to toast Ruby continuously.

Ruby was happy but honestly couldn’t hold her liquor, surprised by these girls who usually spoke softly, yet were relentless with their toasts, leaving her with no dignity to put down the glass as their leader.

Young, the oldest and most sensible among them, noticed how much they had drunk, stepped in to mediate.

But Wendy wouldn’t listen, pouting and grumbling, "I’ve always considered Mr. Sterling as my secret crush. Who would’ve thought he’d be the boss’s man? You don’t know how sad I was hearing about their marriage. Boss, I wish you eternal happiness with this drink. You must drink it."

Ruby had lost track of how much she drank, having hardly eaten. With one cold beer after another, she felt like her stomach would explode, her mind floating with inexplicable laughter.

She thought what Wendy said had nothing to do with her, yet it made it impossible for her to refuse the drink. Just when she was giggling and reaching for the glass, it was suddenly snatched away.

She frowned in displeasure; what was with this person, snatching her phone in the morning and now even her drink?

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