CHAPTER 30: CHAPTER 30: BRINGING TROUBLE UPON ONESELF

At the Sterling Family, Mama Bennett hung up the phone and immediately instructed the servants to start preparing. When had Mr. Sterling ever brought a female colleague home for dinner? This alone was enough to prove how important the guest was, and there could be no room for carelessness.

Before long, Ethan Sterling’s car arrived. For the sake of convenience, he had someone carry the wheelchair into the living room and directly carried Ruby Sullivan inside from the car.

Ruby Sullivan maintained a high and cold demeanor throughout, not being polite with him.

But the servants of the Sterling Family saw it clearly; if not for the little child calling Ruby Sullivan "Mom," they would have thought Rhonda Sullivan was kicked out last night because of this woman.

Indeed, they weren’t entirely wrong.

Only Mama Bennett seemed a bit lost staring at Ruby Sullivan until Ruby smiled at her, bringing her to her senses. Apologizing for her rudeness, she quickly inquired if Ruby had any dietary restrictions.

After hearing this, Mama Bennett mumbled somewhat wistfully, "Our second young lady didn’t like eating ginger either." She said this out of habit and then immediately looked at Ethan Sterling, quickly putting on a smile. "Please relax, I will begin preparations."

Ethan Sterling carefully observed Ruby Sullivan’s expression and said with a smile, "Wenny’s tastes are indeed somewhat similar to my ex-wife’s."

She did not back down, "Mr. Sterling often mentions his ex-wife in front of me. Are you hinting that... you haven’t gotten over your old feelings?"

Ethan Sterling was taken aback and then laughed, "Perhaps."

Ruby Sullivan’s heart skipped a beat, and she looked away with a cold smile, "Then you should chat more with Miss Sullivan."

Ethan Sterling pretended not to hear, picking up an iPad to read the news, while Ruby Sullivan also started scrolling through her phone.

Elsewhere, Seth Sterling had already taken Honey for a tour around the house. The house was very large, and Seth had many new gadgets. One could frequently hear Honey’s exclamations of amazement from the second floor.

Seth Sterling was quite content with Honey’s reactions. Rhonda Sullivan moving out provided the perfect opportunity for Mrs. Wallace and Honey to move in.

At lunchtime, looking at the table full of dishes, Ruby Sullivan felt a bit uncertain about where to start, as they were all her favorite dishes from before.

Could it be that Mama Bennett had recognized her? Her eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"Wenny, please go ahead." Ethan Sterling politely reminded her when he noticed her hesitating.

Ruby Sullivan snapped back to reality and tried a sip of the bamboo shoot tofu soup, "It’s delicious."

The four of them ate quietly for a while before Ethan Sterling casually said, "If Miss Wenny hasn’t hired a caregiver, I could have a servant from my house come over for now."

Ruby Sullivan was hesitating about whether to accept the kindness when Seth Sterling cut in, "Auntie Wenny, why don’t you stay at our house until you recover? That way, Honey and I can go to and from school together, and it’ll be more convenient for you and Dad to work together."

Honey didn’t understand much else, but the thought of staying so she could see Seth more often and getting to see the Handsome Uncle every day made her smile from ear to ear, "Brother Seth, can we really stay here?"

"Honey!" Ruby Sullivan looked at her naive daughter a bit helplessly, somewhat suspicious of Seth Sterling’s enthusiasm.

Could two five-year-olds really have such a gap in emotional intelligence? Or was someone using the innocence of children to pull the strings?

With these thoughts, she looked at Ethan Sterling with a complex expression.

Was Ethan Sterling really the reason he chased Rhonda Sullivan away? This man... thinking of his infidelity during their marriage and the years of Rhonda Sullivan’s companionship, she couldn’t help but sneer in her heart.

Her judgment of men back then was truly... quite poor!

"Honey, that’s very impolite of you." She put down her chopsticks and frowned at the excited Honey, gently shaking her head.

Honey immediately understood her mother’s meaning. Although disappointed, she said nothing further and continued eating quietly.

"Thank you, but Auntie moving in would trouble you." Ruby Sullivan acknowledged Seth’s kindness, smiled at Ethan Sterling, and said, "There’s no need for Mr. Sterling to bother about the caregiver. The cast will be removed next week, and I can have Sasha Shaw help temporarily."

Ethan Sterling nodded, "It’s good you have arrangements." He gave his son a look, signaling him not to make any more suggestions.

Seth Sterling turned his gaze away, pretending not to notice, but also dared not persist in the matter. Adults always plan for the future, and he realized he might still be a bit young.

The table fell into silence once again. To ease the awkwardness, Ruby Sullivan initiated a conversation about work with Ethan Sterling, something originally scheduled for discussion at last week’s meeting. But just as she began, she heard someone open the door and enter, followed by Rhonda Sullivan’s voice.

"Where’s Ethan?"

"Sir is dining with a guest in the dining room."

Before even finishing listening, Rhonda Sullivan headed towards the dining room. A white blouse with lotus sleeves paired with a high-waisted floral skirt, she looked intellectual without losing sensuality, Ethan Sterling’s favorite style.

At the table, Ruby Sullivan paused her words, observing Ethan Sterling’s expression, and smiled slightly, taking a posture of viewing a show.

Though Ethan Sterling appeared unfazed, he noticeably frowned the moment he heard Rhonda Sullivan’s voice.

Seeing Ruby Sullivan sitting in the dining room as a guest did not surprise Rhonda Sullivan at all, "So the guest is Wenny." She sat down next to Ethan Sterling, assuming the air of the hostess, "Is Miss Wenny accustomed to Chinese food?"

Honey recognized this aunt and instinctively leaned closer to Ruby Sullivan.

Seth Sterling frowned, showing undisguised disdain, "Auntie Sullivan, are you here to get your luggage?"

Rhonda Sullivan’s smile froze. She had counted on Ethan Sterling’s pride to not expose anything, not expecting the young one to oppose her.

Ruby Sullivan put down her chopsticks and smiled at Ethan Sterling, "Thank you, Mr. Sterling, for your hospitality. Please have the driver take me home."

A smart woman knows when to stop. What isn’t yours, if gripped too tightly, will slip through your fingers. Rhonda Sullivan now looked like nothing more than a clown seeking attention, no longer requiring any further interference from her.

"Alright." Ethan Sterling said as he got up, personally pushing Ruby Sullivan out and then carrying her into the car himself.

Rhonda Sullivan stood at the door, squinting as she watched everything, gently biting her lip.

She understood Ethan Sterling’s character. He wasn’t a cold-blooded person, otherwise, he wouldn’t have been searching for Ruby Sullivan all these years. Last night, he asked her to leave purely out of anger, and if she sincerely admitted her mistakes, he would surely forgive her.

After sending Wenny off, Ethan Sterling dismissed the servants and ordered Seth to return to his room. He sat on the sofa, coldly glaring at Rhonda Sullivan, "Who tipped you off?"

Rhonda Sullivan calmly sat down beside him, taking his arm and slowly leaning on his shoulder, "I know I was wrong, so don’t be mad anymore."

Looking forward, she was naturally unaware of how dark Ethan Sterling’s face was at that moment.

Rhonda Sullivan continued on her own, "I’ve been by your side for so many years without any status, and you treat Wenny exceptionally well, so of course, I’m anxious. It’s all because I care about you."

Ethan Sterling stood up, pulling his arm away, "Go pack your things, I don’t want to make this any uglier."

Rhonda Sullivan bit her lip, full of grievance, and followed to hug him from behind, "Ethan, I know you won’t be so heartless to me. I’ve done all this because I love you and fear losing you."

Ethan Sterling raised an eyebrow, broke free of her grip, and briskly walked upstairs.

Rhonda Sullivan cried her heart out, watching his departing back with desolation, then a surge of hatred filled her, and her gaze darkened, "Is it really all for that Wenny?"

Then she would destroy her, just like she ruined Ruby Sullivan back in the day!