Chapter 11: Moving In
1328words
"To my apartment."
I froze, his words echoing in my mind.
Something stirred within me, but I quickly suppressed it before it could take root.
"Ethan, forget it. Just go. There are so many high-society women waiting for you. I'm just a small-time employee. Any of them would be better than me..."
I wanted to say more, but he cut me off with one sentence.
"Not every woman has had the chance to sleep with me."
Oh my God!
So this thousand-year-old ice block was actually inexperienced!
No wonder he asked if I wanted to try being Mrs. West on the first day. He was that traditional.
My face instantly burned, and I hurriedly opened the water bottle and drank frantically.
"Be careful tonight. Call me if anything happens," Ethan said, standing up and walking out of the cluttered space.
"Ethan," I called after him as he passed by.
He stopped, seemingly waiting for an answer, but I only said, "Thank you."
He didn't respond, showed no expression, and simply walked out.
“I couldn’t remember how many times this woman had called him by his first name, without any formality, as if they were old friends.”
I watched Ethan's retreating figure, then looked at the door...
My incomplete family background, plus meeting the wrong person—the thought of not marrying surged in my mind. If he had slept with someone else that night, he would have asked them the same question.
So it wasn't about me; it was about what happened.
I booked a hotel for myself and contacted the landlord to have someone come fix the door.
Then, as night fell, I drove my car to Jack's usual repair shop.
It was owned by Olivia's uncle, and this would be my final gift to them.
My intentions were clear: the car's dash cam was broken, and I needed it fixed. I specifically mentioned I was Jack's friend.
The shop staff recognized the car—it was the one he had driven in the other day. So Olivia's uncle personally checked the dash cam.
I pretended to trust them, left the car, and walked away.
Soon, on Wednesday, the engagement ceremony was canceled.
Uncle Blake must have heard the conversation on the dash cam and discovered the hidden camera.
The Blake family felt that Jack's lack of feelings for Olivia was already a significant obstacle. Add to that his demand to terminate the pregnancy, showing no respect for the Blake family, and they called off the engagement.
The Hale family was devastated—their son unmarried but with a child on the way, and now unable to marry. The bird in hand had flown away!
“Getting revenge without getting my hands dirty was absolutely delicious!”
I enjoyed several days of satisfaction, but I still needed to find a new place quickly. If word got out that I had interfered, things could get complicated.
One day, I was excitedly preparing to leave work. I stood at the elevator, patiently waiting.
Ding—
The elevator doors opened, and Ethan and Noah stood inside.
“As if fate was playing a joke on me, I walked in, and at the 18th floor, we once again encountered that troublesome group from the PR department.”
I tried to move to the side, creating distance between us, but they pushed me right next to Ethan.
I took a deep breath, feeling suffocated.
"Alia, move over a bit more," a colleague looked at the space between Ethan and me, forcefully pushing me closer.
I stumbled, almost falling, and instinctively reached out to grab something, catching hold of a warm, large hand.
"Whew!" I quickly steadied myself, trying to withdraw my hand, but he held it firmly.
Oh no! If anyone saw this, I'd never live it down!
Just then, my phone vibrated with a text message. I took the opportunity to pull my hand away
It was a message from the master tailor. He wrote that he didn’t want to disturb me at work with a call, so he texted instead.
[The shirt is ready. Could you come pick it up tonight? [Location]]
[Okay.]
[Your boyfriend will surely like it.]
Uh…
I looked at the message and quickly turned off the screen.
But Ethan, standing beside me, had seen it all.
The elevator reached the basement, and I hurried out to my car.
I set the navigation and drove to the location.
The car stopped in front of an estate. The security guards wouldn't let me in, but the navigation showed this was the place.
I was about to message the tailor when I saw he had already sent one.
[Wait two minutes at the entrance.]
Without thinking much, I got out of the car and admired the estate before me.
It was a Notre-Dame-style castle. From the entrance to the castle, one had to cross a lawn with scattered cotton trees—absolutely beautiful.
Just then, a familiar car stopped beside mine, and the window rolled down.
It was Ethan!
We stared at each other in surprise.
The security guard opened the gate for Ethan, but he didn't drive in.
"Oh my! Grandson's wife! Sorry to keep you waiting!" an elderly man excitedly ran out from the estate.
"Grandson's wife?"
Both of us at the entrance were dumbfounded.
"Why did you come in separate cars?" the elderly man looked at us both.
"What? Had a fight?"
I gave Ethan a pleading look.
Ethan smirked, got out of his car.
"Grandfather, go inside first."
He pulled his grandfather and pushed him back into the estate.
His grandfather seemed reluctant but didn't want to interfere in their affairs, so he stood there secretly waiting.
Ethan walked over to me and coldly asked, "What's going on?"
I innocently stepped back.
"I don't know either. I just came to pick up the shirt."
"Then why did my grandfather call you his grandson's wife?"
His tone was cold, as if accusing me, or perhaps showing anger after being rejected.
"I don't know..." I thought for a moment. "I had a shirt made for you, to replace the one I tore..."
Ethan was stunned. "You know my size?"
I timidly replied, "I don't have your size. I took your jacket and told him... told him..."
Oh no, I was blushing.
"Told him what?"
"...That it was for my boyfriend, and to match the shirt size to the jacket."
My voice suddenly became very low, completely different from my usual quick-talking self.
How clever!
Ethan let out a soft laugh. "You're in trouble now!"
He put his hands on his hips, furrowed his brow, and looked at his grandfather's expectant expression in the distance.
"Did I mess up?!"
Ethan's dark eyes looked at me.
"My grandfather makes all my clothes, with my name on them. You said you were ordering for your boyfriend—what do you think he would think?"
He sighed.
"No wonder grandfather asked if my clothes had been torn..."
"..."
Only then did I realize what a big mess I'd created.
"Do you know what day it is?" Ethan's unfathomable eyes stared at me.
"What day?"
"My grandfather's 80th birthday. All relatives and friends are here."
My legs felt weak. Such family gatherings were like scenes from a palace drama—complex and treacherous. One wrong move could make you a target.
Ethan said nothing, waiting for me to speak.
"What should I do?" I clutched my hands tightly, finally understanding why no deposit was needed and why they didn't need to measure.
"The birthday boy personally came out to greet you. Everyone inside is probably waiting for you to appear."
I looked up at him in fear, my eyes pleading: Save me, save me...
"Either come in with me, or explain to my grandfather yourself." Ethan glanced at his grandfather.
If I turned and left now, Ethan would become tonight's gossip. But how could I explain?
