CHAPTER 96: CHAPTER 96: NEWLYWED LIFE

Ruby Sullivan spent half an hour showering in the bathroom until she heard Ethan Sterling making a racket outside and finally turned off the tap.

"If you don’t come out soon, I’ll kick the door in." He knocked on the door a few times, threateningly yet playfully, which sent a chill down Ruby’s spine.

"I’ll be done soon." She replied with a frown, quickly wrapping herself tightly in a towel, afraid he might suddenly burst in.

She felt a bit bewildered.

Ethan Sterling’s behavior was so intense, as if he was a different person, making her very uneasy. However, at least it played right into her plans.

She wiped the fog off the mirror and looked at the haggard face reflected back at her. She didn’t know when the lines at the corners of her eyes had become so pronounced. She touched them incredulously and pushed them upwards, then stared at the mirror for several minutes before letting out a helpless sigh.

A woman’s youth is indeed fleeting; just a few days of poor sleep, and all the side effects are written all over her face.

Ruby smiled at the face in the mirror. When she heard Ethan’s knocking again, she quickly gathered her thoughts, hastily dressed, and applied light makeup to hide her fatigue.

When she opened the door and stepped out, Ethan, who was sitting on the sofa, immediately got up and moved close to her, scrutinizing her face for a moment. He slightly frowned and said, "Didn’t you say you don’t wear makeup before meals?"

Ruby felt a bit disgruntled. Isn’t it said that straight men can’t tell if a woman is wearing makeup? She pouted, rolled her eyes, and couldn’t be bothered to respond, "Mama Bennett’s not here, so where would breakfast come from?" Just as she finished speaking, she noticed soy milk, fried dough sticks, and buns placed on the dining table, prepared during her shower.

She turned to look at Ethan, who raised his eyebrows with unconcealed smugness, "No need to thank me."

Ruby obediently said nothing, sitting down to start eating.

Last night, Sasha Shaw sent a flurry of text messages expressing shock at her hasty marriage. Staring at the string of messages, she pondered for a while and could only reply: I am also shocked.

At this time, Sasha was probably still asleep and hadn’t replied to her messages.

When Ethan came out after freshening up, he saw Ruby sitting at the dining table, daydreaming without having eaten anything. He naturally assumed she was waiting for him to have breakfast together, and his mood lifted because of this small gesture.

He sat across from her, deliberately suppressing his emotions, "Let’s eat."

"I’m not hungry." Ruby stared at him, her expression somewhat serious, with many questions but feeling it unnecessary to ask any.

Ethan felt uneasy under her gaze, forcing him to put down the bun in his hand, "Is something wrong or are you just not fully awake?"

Ruby furrowed her brows and eventually shook her head, rising from the table, "Take your time eating."

Ethan tilted his head to look at her briefly, pondering a moment before continuing his meal.

He did not particularly like the hesitant Ruby, as it reminded him of her past self who kept everything bottled up. But the current Ruby was definitely different. The old Ruby would never show him such a face.

Ruby, having changed her clothes, waited for Ethan in the living room for almost an hour before he called her to leave.

Howard, after delivering breakfast, was waiting downstairs with a serious face on their "newlywed" first day, quickly stowing away the blessings he had mentally prepared for a long time.

This time they had an appointment at Miles Mona’s villa. On the way, Ethan reviewed some documents while Ruby gazed blankly out the car window.

Taking over The Sullivan Group wasn’t her ultimate goal, but at least it was a little victory for herself. So why was she not even a bit happy? Memories of Ethan ordering her to remarry surfaced in her mind, and she seemed to have found the root of it all. In the end, she was still being led by the nose by this man just like before!

"What are you looking at?" Ethan packed up the documents and noticed Ruby had been facing the window, leaving him a view of the back of her head. He frowned slightly, not liking this position.

His voice was not loud, but Ruby was too absorbed in her chaotic thoughts and was startled by his voice. She quickly turned around and shook her head.

Ethan took her hand, "Once we’ve finished up, I’ll go with you to visit Honey in the hospital."

"Okay." Ruby responded, not wanting to admit she wasn’t thinking about Honey at all. Nowadays, her daughter’s illness wasn’t something her efforts could cure.

She looked blankly at their clasped hands, feeling even more confused.

Ethan, why are you doing this?

The deal with Miles Mona went smoothly. After the market opened, he immediately signed the transfer agreement at market price and pressed his fingerprint.

"If there’s anything you need in the future, you can come to me," Miles Mona said to Ruby. Although not particularly warm, it wasn’t just a casual remark.

Ruby smiled and nodded, "Thank you, Uncle Mona. We’ll be off then."

After getting into the car, Ethan’s expression immediately darkened, his gaze intense and a sense of low pressure surrounding him.

Ruby didn’t want to speak up but, since they had to go see Honey next, she didn’t want this man bringing a bad mood in front of their daughter and had to ask, "What’s wrong with you?"

Ethan looked at her as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he didn’t and instead took her hand, "It’s nothing, let’s go to the hospital."

He didn’t want to tell Ruby that he still wasn’t savvy enough in front of Miles Mona.

What Miles Mona needed time for wasn’t to investigate Ruby’s true identity, but to find a trader and boost The Sullivan Group’s stock by a few percentage points after the market opened today.

He opened the stock market app, and indeed, this artificial increase was already starting to trend downward.

However, this maneuver forced him to pay an extra thirty million, a silent loss he had to endure.

Ruby didn’t know that the funds used for the deal with Miles Mona were Ethan’s private savings. Thinking about losing such a large amount from his little nest egg, of course, he felt heartache. Naturally, he couldn’t tell Ruby the truth; it would damage his image as an elite man.

"That old fox isn’t as kind as he seems. If you have anything, don’t go to him in the future, okay?" Ethan recalled Miles Mona’s earlier words, fearing she’d naively take them as genuine.

Ruby didn’t understand why he abruptly said this and, thinking about it, guessed, "Is it related to my dad being in the hospital?"

"Not really, I just suddenly felt that this old man is quite ordinary, not as noble and virtuous as people say." Ethan raised his voice, speaking dismissively.

Ruby thought to herself, they’re all businessmen, where’s the nobility in that? Businessmen can’t be unscrupulous; which noble person makes money like that? But hearing this from Ethan’s mouth, it was a case of the pot calling the kettle black.

How could she know how much investigation Ethan had done, how many difficulties he’d faced, and how much embarrassment he’d endured to acquire Miles Mona’s shares?

She didn’t know, so she didn’t take Ethan’s warning to heart.

Actually, she wasn’t in the mood to ponder deeply, so she casually responded with a "Hmm," patting his hand and lightly advised, "Then don’t let him affect your mood."