CHAPTER 442: CHAPTER 442: NO LONGER CARE

Ruby Sullivan, after a brief scare, smiled and couldn’t help but walk over without changing clothes, throwing herself into his arms, "Weren’t you still in Nihona?" She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, the light lemon scent of his shower gel was just right.

"I canceled some unnecessary engagements and came back early." Ethan Sterling kissed her on the forehead, "Our daughter said she misses me."

"Oh." Ruby Sullivan pouted slightly.

Before she could continue speaking, Ethan Sterling quickly silenced her with a kiss, "I missed you."

"What a coincidence, I missed you too." Ruby Sullivan snuggled into his arms indulgently, then got up and headed to the bathroom.

Ethan Sterling could see her fatigue and wanted to tenderly say, "I’ll take care of you," but he knew that’s not the life she wanted. Instead of having her live in constant insecurity, it was better to let her go out and make her own way.

Ruby Sullivan had quite a good sleep, but as soon as she opened her eyes, she sprang up like a zombie. Her mind was still muddled as she got out of bed to get ready for work.

Beside her, Ethan Sterling grabbed her wrist, "Where are you going?"

Ruby Sullivan yawned, "To work."

"Today is Saturday." Ethan Sterling reminded her.

She hurriedly took out her phone to check the date, and indeed it was Saturday. She exhaled a long breath and fell back onto the bed,

"Then I’ll sleep for another hour before going to work overtime."

Ethan Sterling knew that this work was unavoidable for her, so he didn’t try to dissuade her. "Here’s some intel for you: Rhonda Sullivan recently acquired a very small fragrance factory. It’s said that she brought in a professional perfumer from Gallia to also make fragrance products."

"Let her be," Ruby Sullivan couldn’t be bothered with that name.

She was now quite Zen-like; the dream of building Nirvana so big that it could acquire The Sullivan Group was entirely gone. It’s not that she lost confidence, just that the naive confidence she had as a young cub had dissipated. Romelia wasn’t built in a day; swallowing The Sullivan Group wasn’t something that could be taken for granted.

Only as she got more involved did she realize how much profit she had impulsively given up.

Yes, it pained her.

But now, although it hurt, she didn’t dwell on it.

Ruby Sullivan learned to live more grounded and pragmatic days.

Rhonda Sullivan had a pretty good time since the beginning of the year. Besides planning to open The Fragrance Company, she also met a seemingly perfect mixed-race boyfriend, Jack, who has half Ankoria blood and half Celestia blood. She met the young painter during an exhibit in Gallia, and after falling in love, he followed her to Celestia, already prepared for marriage.

So, when she received a call from Gwen Yates, she was somewhat reluctant to go out.

The pawn Gwen Yates turned out to be much less useful than Rhonda had imagined; meetings would only relay information she already knew, making it a waste of time.

But Gwen Yates sounded urgent on the phone, and Rhonda Sullivan’s heart softened just for a moment. Women nourished by love easily become accommodating. She hung up the phone and smiled at Jack, who was making juice not far away, feeling that for this man she was almost becoming a saint.

She and Jack didn’t live in The Sullivan Family’s old house; they lived in a newly built community where each building had solar panels as external walls, boxy modern designs. She didn’t want to encounter her father with dementia when getting intimate with her boyfriend.

She spoke to Jack and then drove out.

Gwen Yates had already been waiting for her at the café for a long time, looking anxious.

"Darling, long time no see." Rhonda Sullivan, having stayed in Gallia for some time, came back with her boyfriend and greeted everyone with a cheek kiss. Seeing Gwen wasn’t going to reciprocate, she awkwardly gave up.

After sitting down, she ordered a coffee, then asked warmly, "Why the little frown?"

"Skylar Aldrin proposed to me." Gwen Yates said seriously, but her expression showed no joy from being proposed to, only disdain and helplessness.

"Oh my god, congratulations!" Rhonda Sullivan completely ignored her expression.

"I don’t want to marry him!" Gwen Yates felt Rhonda Sullivan’s congratulations were odd. Shouldn’t she be the one who understands best why she is with Skylar Aldrin?

Rhonda Sullivan was indifferent, "If you don’t want to, just refuse. It’s no big deal. Besides, aren’t you still in college? What a great excuse."

Gwen Yates pursed her lips and lowered her voice, "I’m pregnant."

"Hmm..." Rhonda Sullivan wanted to tell her that this had nothing to do with her. She should be discussing this with Skylar Aldrin, not her.

Of course, Gwen Yates couldn’t see through her inner thoughts or the impatience in Rhonda’s eyes. She was just too eager to find someone to confide in.

"I originally planned to have an abortion, but he accidentally discovered the test results. So he insists on marrying me, and I..." Gwen Yates lowered her head, full of unwillingness. Skylar Aldrin is great, but she just doesn’t like him. Many times, if it weren’t for the deal with Rhonda Sullivan, she would have left him long ago.

But The Yates Clan currently has several lucrative projects that need Rhonda Sullivan’s backing. She couldn’t bring herself to say she no longer wanted to be a pawn.

Rhonda Sullivan leisurely took a sip of her coffee and asked, "Do you still want to marry Ethan Sterling? Have you heard of Hannah Jennings? The eldest daughter of the snack tycoon, she’s quite a famous heiress in your circles. At the end of last year, she announced a high-profile relationship with Ethan Sterling, but after the New Year, Ethan kicked her to the curb. Recently, Mrs. Sterling remarried, and many saw Ruby Sullivan at the wedding. She even danced with Ethan Sterling, their behavior was intimate. They must be back together."

She lightly remarked, "Young girl, be realistic. Ethan Sterling is already under that woman’s spell; you can’t compete with her."

"I gave up on Ethan Sterling long ago." She lowered her head, looking a bit embarrassed.

To be precise, she realized long ago she had no chance of marrying Ethan Sterling, but she was still unwilling to stay with Skylar Aldrin.

He had been with The Sterling Group for so long and yet had no access to any major projects. By the time he slowly advanced his career, her youthful days would be gone. She didn’t want to spend her youthful days in hardship, only to face an unfaithful husband later.

She wanted to live gloriously right now.

Rhonda Sullivan glanced at the time, eager to end this unproductive conversation and return to Jack’s arms immediately. "I think Skylar Aldrin is really great. As someone who’s been through it, take my advice."

"I heard that The Sterling Group is going to compete with The Aldrin Clan for a piece of land in the coming days. Skylar Aldrin will be involved in the tender preparation. I can get the base bid price, and after that, I want to break up with Skylar Aldrin. From then on, I won’t be able to provide you with any information."

Suppressing her joy, Rhonda Sullivan pretended to frown with difficulty, then generously said, "Let’s do it your way. You’ll still be my sister, and our cooperation with The Yates Clan will continue." They’re profitable projects; she had no reason not to continue.