CHAPTER 76: CHAPTER 76: ETHAN STERLING’S INTENTIONS

Ruby Sullivan was taken aback for a moment, then naively smiled and asked, "Who is Miles Mona?"

Ethan Sterling looked deeply at her, seemingly puzzled by her question, "Do you really not know Miles Mona?"

Ruby Sullivan smiled, but her tone carried a sense of helplessness, "Does Mr. Sterling think I should know everyone, or do you think I just like to lie in front of you?"

Ethan Sterling finally withdrew his inquisitive gaze, dismissively saying, "I was just asking casually, you don’t need to overthink it."

Ruby Sullivan got out of the car with him, but her mind was somewhat uneasy.

Of course, the name Miles Mona was not unfamiliar to her; he was the big brother who had fought alongside Brandon Sullivan in the early days and was the Uncle Mona she had called since childhood. It was said that after her father was hospitalized, it was Miles Mona who gave Rhonda Sullivan strong support, stabilized the board of directors, and helped The Sullivan Group through that difficult period, thanks to him.

Therefore, Ruby Sullivan didn’t know whether this person was an enemy or a friend, nor did she know why Ethan Sterling had brought her here.

But one thing was certain, Ethan Sterling was looking for every opportunity to dig traps and test her subconsciously; if she was slightly careless, she might reveal herself.

Regardless of how certain Ethan Sterling was about the question of whether she was Ruby Sullivan, she would not reveal the truth until it was absolutely necessary.

Standing at the villa door, Ethan Sterling instructed in a deep voice, "Miles Mona is the largest shareholder of The Sullivan Group besides Brandon Sullivan. In recent years, his health has been deteriorating, and he’s moved here for recuperation. If you know nothing, just listen."

Ruby Sullivan responded with an "Hmm," thinking that Ethan Sterling must have another purpose for this visit, and it was definitely not to go to great lengths just to test her.

Howard stepped forward and pressed the doorbell, and soon a butler dressed in a suit with slicked-back hair came to greet them.

Although the butler’s hair was grayed, his face wrinkled, his posture was upright, and his every move was very elegant, speaking with a strong southern accent in Mandarin.

Ruby Sullivan had some impression of this butler, as he seemed to have been a gangster saved by Miles Mona during his early years in Vespera.

"Please, both of you." The butler led the way.

Walking through a Japanese-style pebble path, they entered the reception room. The tea was already set on the coffee table. After sitting on the sofa for a short while, Miles Mona appeared.

His hair was somewhat gray, his body slightly bent, leaning on a cane, and walking over with a face full of smiles, reminiscent of his nickname in his younger days, the "Smiling Tiger."

Many people fell victim to his genuine smile; Ruby Sullivan looked at him, subconsciously wondering whether he had used that same smile to deceive his old friends in the past.

"Ethan, I heard you’re busy expanding into international markets recently. How do you have time to come and see me?" Miles Mona said as he sat down.

A rare look of respect appeared on Ethan Sterling’s face, "Uncle Mona, I don’t want to beat around the bush. I came, of course, for the shares you hold."

Miles Mona’s face showed a hint of displeasure as he picked up the tea for a sip. "Hmm, not bad. This is a new batch sent by an old friend from Kestrelpeak just a few days ago, grown in his tea garden, picked at dawn, and processed with the dewiest young leaves. You can’t even buy it."

Ethan Sterling maintained his smile, knowing that although they were talking about tea, it wasn’t really about tea.

"I know that Uncle Mona is a person who values relationships. You must understand that The Sullivan Group has no future under Rhonda Sullivan’s control. If my father-in-law wakes up only to find chaos, surely it would bring him great pain."

Miles Mona suddenly darkened his face and bluntly scolded, "You dare to call Brandon your father-in-law?"

Ethan Sterling’s face also darkened, "Uncle Mona, Ruby Sullivan is still alive. If she returns, you wouldn’t reconsider?"

Upon hearing this news, Miles Mona was greatly surprised. In the past five years, he had also been waiting for news of Ruby. But recently, when Rhonda came to see him, she confidently said that Ruby was already dead.

After all, he was old. Faced with a matter close to his heart, it was hard to remain expressionless as he had in his younger days.

After a while, the surprise on his face calmed down.

"In that case, let Ruby come and tell me herself." He said, getting up and glancing at Ruby Sullivan. "Don’t bring just anyone here in the future. I see you because of your grandmother."

Ruby Sullivan followed Ethan Sterling back to the car, her mind still somewhat confused.

Ethan Sterling came to see Miles Mona for the shares of The Sullivan Group... Would Ethan Sterling gobble up The Sullivan Group?

Seeing her stunned face that still hadn’t recovered, Ethan Sterling found it inexplicably cute and didn’t tease her.

After waiting for a while, Ruby Sullivan couldn’t hold back any longer, "Are you secretly acquiring shares of The Sullivan Group?"

Ethan Sterling nodded, ambiguously asking, "Don’t you want The Sullivan Group?"

Ruby Sullivan opened her mouth but was at a loss for words.

How could Ethan Sterling really buy The Sullivan Group and gift it to her? There’s no such thing as a free lunch, especially when it comes to benefiting from Ethan Sterling, yet she didn’t want to deny it either.

Following his words, she asked, "So, how do you plan to win over Miles Mona? I guess he won’t be swayed by your money."

Ethan Sterling exaggerated his helplessness severalfold and looked at her with his head tilted, "So, without Ruby Sullivan, there’s no way to buy The Sullivan Group and give it to you. Either you tell me where Ruby Sullivan is, or... you stop coveting The Sullivan Group."

Ruby Sullivan laughed; so this was where he was waiting for her.

She mimicked his tone and spoke mockingly, "Even if you win over Miles Mona, then what? The Sullivan Group is still under the Sullivan name, and now all of Brandon Sullivan’s shares are in Rhonda Sullivan’s hands. Can you make Rhonda Sullivan sell her shares to you? Or... will you use your charm?"

At the end, Ruby Sullivan deliberately covered her face with a mocking smile, "Miss Sullivan is deeply in love with Mr. Sterling, isn’t she?"

Ethan Sterling’s face turned dark at once, "Do you really wish for me to be with her?"

Ruby Sullivan blinked, teasingly saying, "Actually, I’d rather see her getting jealous and having no way to deal with me." Yes, indeed, Ethan Sterling is no more than a tool for her to irritate Rhonda Sullivan, Mr. Sterling, don’t overthink it!

Howard, realizing the conversation behind seemed to be going in the wrong direction, hurriedly turned on the music to ease the tense atmosphere inside the car.

Ruby Sullivan didn’t want to bicker with him any further. She turned her head to watch the scenery swiftly passing by the window, feeling weighed down by her thoughts.

She felt as if she had been stuck in place lately, and all the goals she wanted to achieve seemed so distant.

Upon arriving at The Sterling Family house, Honey immediately rushed out and hugged Ruby Sullivan, "Mom, Honey really missed you. I’ve been waiting for you to return."

"Auntie Wenny." Seth Sterling, who had followed along, stood by, smiling as he greeted her.

Ruby Sullivan smiled at Seth Sterling, picked up her daughter, and kissed her on the forehead, "Mommy missed you too. I’m sorry I couldn’t come to pick you up yesterday."

"It’s okay. Yesterday, Brother Sterling and Uncle Don played with me all day, and Uncle Don even told me a story at night." Honey hugged Ruby Sullivan’s neck and whispered in her ear, "Uncle Don is great at telling stories, and he’s so handsome. Honey really likes him."

Ruby Sullivan was amused by her silly daughter’s words, "Did you thank Uncle Don?"

Honey nodded, "Of course."

At this time, Rachel Lawson came over and told them to wash their hands for dinner, while Cindy and Don also came downstairs.

For a moment, Ruby Sullivan felt a little dazed, as if she and Honey were truly part of this family, and they were about to have an ordinary dinner together.

However, Ruby Sullivan quickly came back to reality. Her father was still lying in the hospital, in a coma, while Ethan Sterling was plotting to take over The Sullivan Group.

How could she believe that this man would sincerely give The Sullivan Group to her?