CHAPTER 131: CHAPTER 131: ETHAN’S DRINK WAS SPIKED

"I really hit it off with Mr. Aldridge, so I’ll just join you in your car." Ethan Grant said with a smile, graciously opening the front passenger door for Scott Aldridge.

"..." Scott Aldridge was dumbfounded, how did he end up being the guest while Ethan took the lead?

Yvette Aston snuck a glance at Ethan Grant. Was it just her imagination? Why did she feel Ethan’s smile was as cunning as a fox’s?

Before Scott Aldridge could react, Ethan’s move to open the door bewildered him, causing him to obediently sit in the front passenger seat.

Ethan then closed the door, opened the back seat door, and motioned with his eyes for Yvette to get in the car.

Yvette’s face was a mixture of confusion, she looked at her own boss, unaware that others might think he was the host.

When Mr. Grant smiled and gestured for her to get in the car again, Yvette felt an intense sense of threat.

Shaking with anxiety, Yvette got into the car, habitually shrinking to the edge.

Wendy Bell was somewhat anxious and wanted to speak, but Ethan Grant was already in the car and closed the door.

He left her no room to maneuver.

"The driver can start driving. Go a bit slower, my assistant gets a bit car sick." Ethan said blandly, demonstrating the epitome of taking charge as a guest.

"..." Wendy Bell stood by the roadside, watching Scott Aldridge’s car drive away, her face turning black with anger.

"Miss Bell, let’s head out too." Her secretary drove over to take Wendy Bell.

Wendy Bell’s eyes reddened, clutching the wine box in her hands tightly. "Is everything ready?"

The secretary nodded. "The bottle on the right has something added. Mr. Grant doesn’t touch white or foreign liquor, only a bit of red wine, and Mr. Aldridge isn’t used to red wine, so he has prepared other drinks, you can rest assured."

Wendy Bell took a deep breath, clenching her fingers tightly. "Let’s go."

Upon arrival, Wendy Bell reminded in a low voice, "Don’t forget to have the reporters wait at the hotel tonight."

She had waited for six years. She originally thought she had nothing to do with Ethan Grant anymore, yet suddenly Ethan came to ask about what happened six years ago.

Six years ago, she indeed bribed hotel staff, deliberately got drunk, and entered Ethan’s room early, but Ethan never returned to his room that night.

Yet six years later, Ethan took the initiative to find the family, inquiring if the person who had a relationship with him in the hotel room was her.

Of course, she admitted it, because the person who slept in his room until dawn that night was her.

But now, thinking carefully, since Ethan didn’t return to his room, who exactly was the person who really spent the night with him in the hotel?

Whose room did he enter?

Judging from Ethan’s current attitude towards her, he surely doesn’t know the truth yet. He was only bothered that someone schemed against him back then.

Even though Wendy Bell explained how she entered his room, Ethan clearly didn’t believe it.

Wendy Bell doesn’t expect any affection from Ethan now. She needs to lock him down first, love can come after marriage.

She is confident that after marriage, she will make Ethan fall in love with her.

"Help me check who checked into the Meridia Orchid Pavilion Hotel six years ago during the Meridia Chamber of Commerce banquet." Wendy Bell called her private investigator.

She’s feeling a bit uneasy now, afraid Ethan will discover the truth someday.

She needs to find that woman first, bribe her or make her disappear...

...

Club, private room.

Ethan Grant hadn’t discussed business matters from start to finish, leaving Scott Aldridge with a good impression of him.

Yvette Aston wasn’t much of a talker, only speaking when Scott Aldridge asked a question.

"Yvette, I heard you completed all your courses by your sophomore year, planning to pursue a double major. Did you later study management?" Scott Aldridge was curious about Yvette’s later development.

"I..." Yvette took a deep breath, not hiding anything. "Mr. Aldridge, you might not know, I encountered some issues and didn’t complete my studies."

Wendy Bell sitting beside Yvette affectionately grasped her hand. "Senior, stop asking, Yvette reformed very diligently during her time inside, worked hard to change after coming out, now working very hard, it’s heartbreaking to see."

Scott Aldridge was taken aback, clearly unaware of Yvette’s time in prison.

Yvette held her fingers tightly, discreetly withdrawing her hand without saying a word.

Everything Wendy Bell said was true, she couldn’t explain it away.

"Yvette, now that you’re out, work hard, whatever you want, earn it with your skills and hands, don’t expect things to fall from the sky. You’ve enjoyed twenty years of affluent life, such unearned gain must ultimately be repaid." Wendy Bell sighed, looking as if she was saying it for her own good. "There are no outsiders here, all friends, I genuinely like you."

Yvette remained silent, saying nothing.

Scott Aldridge held his wine glass, looking at Ethan Grant.

After all, Yvette was his assistant.

"She was replaced as a child, she couldn’t have had the power to prevent it. Moreover, if you get hit by a pie falling from the sky while walking on the street, it’s the pie’s and the thrower’s fault, isn’t the hit person innocent?" Ethan put down his wine glass, side-eyeing Wendy Bell. "Miss Bell still needs to learn more about the law, there’s a lack of common sense."

"..." Wendy Bell was left speechless by Ethan, her face reddening with frustration.

She was smarter than Charlotte, knowing when to advance and retreat.

"I’ve heard of the true and false heiress situation, but never asked in detail. With someone as outstanding as Yvette, I thought the Aston Family would raise her together, but it seems not..." Scott Aldridge lamented. "Yvette, why didn’t you contact me then, I would have helped where I could."

"There are many regrets in life, in this aspect, I’m like Mr. Aldridge, regretting not knowing her back then, not being able to help." Ethan took a sip of his drink, changing the subject. "This wine is good, Wendy has a keen eye for wine selection, but like wine, people need to be personally experienced, not just listened to."

Yvette looked up at Ethan, her eyes rather red.

Sniffling, she turned to smile at Scott Aldridge. "Mr. Aldridge, the past is in the past, I hope for a long-term cooperation with you in the future."

Some words, Ethan doesn’t say out of decorum, but as an assistant, they needed to be mentioned.

Scott Aldridge sighed, with both regret and pity in his eyes. "Mr. Grant’s capabilities are widely recognized in the industry. Yvette, follow Mr. Grant, call me if you encounter difficulties."

Ethan half-supported his head, smiling at Yvette.

Yvette smiled back.

Her smile was no longer the cautious, fake smile, but one from the heart.

A smile that was solely for Ethan.

Ethan felt a twinge in his heart, coughing lightly as he looked away.

Is there something wrong with the wine? Why does Yvette’s smile seem... more beautiful than with filters?

Wendy Bell took a deep breath, clenching her fingers tightly.

She originally thought she was the protagonist of this meeting, but Yvette ended up stealing the limelight.

But it’s alright, Ethan had drunk quite a bit of red wine.

...

Having initially reached a consensus for cooperation, Scott Aldridge personally saw Ethan out of the club.

Once in the car, Ethan rubbed his temples, sensing something amiss earlier.

Was there a problem with the wine?

"Yvette, Ethan is somewhat sensitive to alcohol as well. Go buy some sobering medicine, we’ll wait for you here." Wendy Bell seized the opportunity to hold Yvette back, sending her to buy medicine.

Seeing Ethan in discomfort, Yvette promptly nodded and ran to the pharmacy to buy medicine.

But upon returning with the medicine, Ethan’s car had already driven away.