CHAPTER 73: CHAPTER 73: A WOMAN’S HEART IS AS DEEP AS THE OCEAN

The unexpected kiss left Ruby Sullivan so shocked that she even forgot to breathe. After a momentary brain freeze, she suddenly frowned and, regardless of whether it was his tongue or lips, bit down hard with her eyes tightly shut.

Ethan Sterling let out a low cry and released her, looking at her with slight displeasure, while a faint taste of blood lingered between his lips and teeth.

Ruby Sullivan glanced at him casually, calmly putting on a long white shirt, and smiled slightly, "Mr. Sterling, what do you fancy for breakfast?"

Looking at her nonchalant demeanor, Ethan Sterling was irked and answered through gritted teeth, "You!" Though the words were suggestive, unfortunately, his harsh gaze wouldn’t let anyone reading him think of anything romantic.

Ruby Sullivan chuckled lightly, her face full of mockery, as if she was watching a stubborn child. She walked out of the room, the expression on her face completely disappearing as she picked up speed, fleeing into the bathroom and quickly locking the door.

Turning to lean against the door, she stood still for a long time to calm her somewhat chaotic emotions.

Standing at the sink, Ruby Sullivan looked at herself in the mirror, took a deep breath, "Ruby Sullivan, you mustn’t forget the hurt from before, last night was nothing but a trap you set to lure him in, nothing more."

After freshening up, she checked the ingredients in the fridge, made some porridge, and fried two eggs. When everything was ready, she glanced towards the bedroom, where Young Master Sterling seemed to still be lying lifeless on the bed.

Ruby Sullivan wondered what antics he was up to, checked the time, and could only go and call on him.

Lying on his back in bed and not moving, Ethan Sterling stared fixedly at the ceiling. The blanket remained as it was, exposing his well-muscled chest, looking like he had been hit by the Sunflower Acupoint Hand.

She walked to the bedroom door, somewhat surprised by his demeanor, knocked on the open door, and said sternly, "Mr. Sterling, are you not interested in breakfast?"

Ethan Sterling blinked, still staring at the ceiling, and said seriously, "I’m thinking about something, very important."

Thinking it was related to last night, she walked over and probed, "Is it about Tyler Aldrin?"

Ethan Sterling shook his head, slowly propped himself up to sit, and looked straight at her, "I’m thinking about what went wrong last night."

From the open collar of her shirt, he could see the marks near her collarbone, which were all his handiwork last night. No matter how he thought about it, he felt his performance was perfect, so why was she acting like this come morning?

Ethan Sterling was a bit puzzled and quite curious, what exactly was this woman thinking?

He gently pinched her chin, examining intently, "You returned to my side with a different identity, wasn’t it me you wanted?"

Annoyed by his pretentious manner, Ruby Sullivan pushed away his hand and snapped, "Mr. Sterling, I don’t know what you mean by a different identity, but you should know I came to the Sterling Group because you hired me with a generous offer, not because I was intent on coming. As for last night..."

She suddenly paused, stood upright, and looked down at him, hoping to give herself some momentum, "Even if I acted on impulse, Mr. Sterling, if you feel responsible... name your price, and let this minor issue not affect work." Having said that, she turned gracefully, "If you want porridge, get up right away."

Ethan Sterling doubted his ears, blankly watching her back, before bursting into laughter. As he got up and dressed, he called out, "Then let’s deduct it from your bonus this year."

Ruby Sullivan was not to be outdone, put down the porridge bowl, took a deep breath, "You’re not worth that much." With that, she stuffed a bite of egg into her mouth, unable to hide the slight smile at the corner of her lips.

Together, they went downstairs, both wearing their usual unsmiling expressions.

In the car, Ruby Sullivan called Honey, listening to her talk about playing games with Seth Sterling yesterday and promised to pick her up after work today.

She planned to go to the factory to inspect the perfume samples today, and if everything went well, she could leave early.

After Howard dropped her off at the factory, he took Ethan Sterling directly to the hospital. Although his leg no longer hurt, it was still bruised, so it seemed wise to have it checked out.

Noticing Ethan Sterling’s constant thoughtful frown, Howard turned off the car’s music. The sudden silence caught Ethan Sterling’s attention. He glanced at the back of Howard’s head and asked bluntly, "Do you have a girlfriend?"

Not the type of boss who would pry into his subordinates’ private lives, Howard was taken aback, "Huh?" He hesitated for a while, unsure if he heard correctly.

Howard had been with him for six or seven years, and considering his age, Ethan Sterling asked again, "You’ve dated, right?"

Howard swallowed, confirming he hadn’t misheard, and suddenly felt a bit tense, "Mr. Sterling, did... something happen?"

"Just answer the question." Ethan Sterling lowered his voice, sounding a bit impatient.

"I have a girlfriend, been dating... for five years."

Calculating the time, Ethan Sterling’s eyes darkened, realizing that while he was going through a divorce, Howard was in the midst of a passionate romance, strangely feeling a bit annoyed.

Glancing at Ethan Sterling’s expression in the rearview mirror, Howard decided to focus on driving and dared not say anything further. Ethan Sterling, with half a darkened face, seemed to be contemplating something inexplicable, like a great demon king seated in the grand hall, making one’s heart tremble with fear.

After a long while, Ethan Sterling managed to digest his inner turmoil, and spoke again, "When you’re dating, what gifts do you give your girlfriend?"

Even if Howard was a bit slow, he could sense the abnormality in Ethan Sterling’s words, cautiously replied, "I heard from Levi that Wenny likes sweet things."

After speaking, he suddenly felt a chill at the back of his neck, glanced at the rearview mirror, quickly looked away, and vaguely saw those eyes in the mirror glowing red, a bit frightening.

"Did I ask about Wenny?"

Howard swallowed, "I mean, girls like my girlfriend, Wenny, if they like sweets, then most girls probably like sweets."

Ethan Sterling turned to look out the window, racking his brain to recall something about Ruby Sullivan, apart from the diverse herbs in her yard and the many delicious dishes, only the forever-jiggling flesh on her remained.

Flesh... he suddenly remembered the feel of a certain part of her, and for a moment, felt that flesh didn’t seem so detestable.

Indeed, she should eat more, she’s too thin right now.

"Order a macaron afternoon tea for the laboratory every day from now on." He issued the command with a straight face.

"Yes, Mr. Sterling." Howard exhaled long, feeling wonderful as his suggestion was accepted, "By the way, what does Mr. Sterling plan to do with Gemma Joyce? Keeping her locked up doesn’t seem right."

Ethan Sterling put away his random thoughts, his expression becoming a bit grave, "Keep her there for now, I’ll discuss it with Elder Mona this afternoon."

Miles Mona, in terms of seniority, Ethan Sterling should call him Uncle, is one of The Sullivan Group’s major shareholders and the only one among the shareholders who has some connection with Brandon Sullivan.