CHAPTER 49: CHAPTER 49: THE MATRIARCH ARRIVES

Ruby Sullivan held her phone in a daze for a while, as if all her fatigue disappeared in a shock.

If he really uses The Sullivan Group as a trade, should she be honest with him?

She sighed, hesitated with her phone for a long time, and eventually called Faye Truman to explain everything that had happened recently.

Upon hearing that Honey got hurt, Faye was extremely worried and angrily cursed, "That woman Rhonda Sullivan is really despicable!"

"I heard the elder Mrs. Sterling is coming back, I’m afraid she won’t accept Honey."

Faye paused for a moment and sympathetically said, "True, compared to her own grandson, it doesn’t matter how likable you are as a granddaughter-in-law."

"So... I want to send Honey away for now; can I ask your parents to look after her for a while?" Faye’s parents are both retired teachers, so Ruby felt reassured leaving Honey with them.

"Good idea." Faye laughed, "Sending that little clever fox to them will also stop them from nagging me to get married every day."

Ruby exhaled deeply, "Nathaniel, do you think... if Ethan Sterling really uses The Sullivan Group as leverage, should I confront him?"

"Confront him, you have long been capable of standing on your own. Maybe you can even revitalize the current Sullivan Group. Besides, no matter how well you make perfumes, you’re still just an employee. Using this as leverage to exchange for Ethan’s bone marrow is unlikely."

Faye spoke very reasonably, hitting on Ruby’s long-standing concerns.

"Yeah..." she reluctantly agreed, knowing he’s right, but the acknowledgment felt like a heavy burden.

"Don’t be so negative for now, take it step by step. Maybe Ethan’s heart will soften for Honey? Before he didn’t want her because she was just an embryo, now she’s a living, adorable little one who’s had so much interaction with him. As long as Ethan is still a human, there’s hope."

"I hope so." Ruby felt much relieved as she hung up the phone.

Arranging a place for Honey eased her worry, as for whether Yvette Sterling is considered humane... she knew Faye was comforting her.

They both knew, if he were humane, such an absurd event wouldn’t have happened before. But now, apart from thinking positively to encourage herself, what else could she do?

For an entire week, Ruby was the last to leave the company. Mia’s resignation increased everyone’s workload, but there was no one up to Ruby’s standards available for hire. To meet deadlines, she had to extend her working hours.

Every night, Ethan was tugged at by Honey, leaving him no choice but to humor her to sleep, bringing them closer in the process.

Finally, it was Saturday. Ruby intended to sleep in, have lunch, and then head to the company to check next week’s sample display. However, as soon as she dozed off, Mama Bennett woke her up.

She frowned in utter distress, glancing at the clock; it was only eight. Annoyed, she ruffled her hair and complained, "Mama Bennett, didn’t I tell you not to wake me up this morning?"

Mama Bennett was helpless, stressing as she looked at her, "Hurry and get ready; the elder Mrs. Sterling is here, sitting in the living room."

"Grandma?" Ruby panicked upon hearing.

Mama Bennett nodded, "Sir hasn’t gotten up yet either. Seth and Honey are in the living room chatting with the elderly lady, and the atmosphere is quite good."

The guest room on the first floor required crossing through the living room to get to the bathroom, so Ruby tidied herself up in the mirror a bit before leaving her room.

The first to see her was Honey, who immediately jumped off the couch and rushed over to hug her leg.

This week, she only exchanged a few words with Honey in the morning and had breakfast together; she did miss her mother and wanted more time with her.

"Good morning, Mom." Honey looked up at her, smiling with soft, lovely little white teeth.

Ruby ruffled her hair, "Good morning, Honey." Then she felt a sharp glance; she looked up to see the elder Mrs. Sterling on the sofa, expressionless, staring at her.

She forced a smile, "Hello, Grandma."

Without makeup, Ruby’s features were gentle. The elder Mrs. Sterling noticed she looked different from what Rhonda had described, but remembering the video contents, she couldn’t help the corners of her lips from twisting, and coldly said, "I don’t have a granddaughter like you; I’m not your grandma."

Ruby expected no kindness from her, and didn’t take it to heart, but Honey, very sensitive, instinctively hid behind her.

Seeing this, Ruby held her little hand, "Shall Mommy help you wash your face?"

Although Mama Bennett had already washed Honey’s face after she got up, she nodded heavily, just wanting to stay by her mother’s side.

Seth, unsure how to help, shamefully lowered his head; he had promised to protect Honey.

Once inside the bathroom with the door closed, Ruby knelt down and whispered to Honey, "We might have to leave the Sterling Family today."

Honey nodded, "Great-grandma seems to not like us." This was her first time encountering an elder who remained stern-faced no matter how much she smiled.

Ruby pursed her lips, "Honey, be good. Great-grandma doesn’t dislike you; there are just some misunderstandings. Once those are cleared up, great-grandma will like you." Had everything in the past never happened, and she had Honey as the Sterling Family’s eldest grandson’s wife, how could the elder Mrs. Sterling not love this great-granddaughter?

"Will Mommy explain to great-grandma?"

Ruby shook her head, "Adult matters are complicated; it’s hard to make it clear right now."

Honey nodded, "As long as I’m with Mommy, it’s okay."

Ruby hugged her, heart warmed; with such a sweet child, it felt worth it even to endure hardships.

At this moment, Ethan came down from upstairs, smiling broadly, a stark contrast to his usual cold demeanor, "Grandma!"

The elder Mrs. Sterling was angry with him, but seeing her long-not-seen grandson, her joy overrode everything. She tried to remain stern, but her rising mouth corners couldn’t be controlled, playfully rolling her eyes at him, her face full of fondness, "You rascal, haven’t listened to a word I’ve said."

Ethan sat across from her, "Grandma, didn’t you come this morning to make a surprise inspection? Now you see, I sleep upstairs, she sleeps downstairs. It’s as clear as daylight."

"I don’t care, bring Rhonda back at once..."

"No!" Seth abruptly interrupted the elder Mrs. Sterling from the couch, standing tall and firm, "Great-grandma, it’s me who wants Auntie Wenny and Honey to stay at home. I don’t like Mrs. Sullivan, and she doesn’t like me!"

Ethan looked proudly at his son, sneakily giving a thumbs-up while his grandma wasn’t paying attention.

The elder Mrs. Sterling paused, then pulled her great-grandson to her, coaxing, "Seth, you’re too young to understand who truly cares for you and who doesn’t. Perhaps your Auntie Sullivan is strict, but it’s for your own good. How can you not like her?"

Before coming back, she had already heard from Rhonda about the situation here. Nowadays, what wouldn’t these women do to attract her grandson’s attention? Though Rhonda was Ruby’s sister, which might seem improper, she grew up watching over her, and Rhonda genuinely cared for the grandson. Since Ruby had... being with Rhonda was a responsibility to the Sullivan Family.

Seth’s little face scrunched up in frustration, unsure how to convince his white-haired great-grandma. He bit his lip, waging a thought battle for a while, then suddenly stepped back, shaking off her hands from him, firmly declaring, "If you insist on driving Auntie Wenny and Honey away, then... then I’ll go with them too!"

He pursed his lips tightly after speaking, glancing at Ethan, thinking, Dad, you’ve got to show some strength too.