Chapter 132 Clarence's Change of Heart
After much persuasion, Ethan Wilson and Hannah finally managed to get Camila off Ethan's back.
Ethan watched Hannah and her daughter drive away before he, too, left the preschool and set off in his car.
Meanwhile, Sarah, who had just returned to the Harris family's estate, was summoned by Clarence into his study.
She had known she wouldn't escape a confrontation, especially after not coming home the previous night. She was prepared.
"You didn't come home last night or even bother to inform me. You're starting to push the boundaries, young lady!" Clarence scolded, clearly displeased.
"Last night was an exception. Ethan Wilson was drunk; someone had to look after him. You know all about it, don't you?" Sarah retorted, confident Clarence was aware of the previous night's events, including Chloe Miller's return to Houston.
"What am I to do with you? You're an unmarried lady, yet you spend the night alone with a man. How are you supposed to find a husband if word gets out?" Clarence was at his wit's end. He couldn't bring himself to punish his granddaughter, spoiled by his own doing.
"That's easy. I could be with Ethan Wilson," Sarah quipped with a twist of her lips.
Clarence quickly changed his tone, "Tell me the truth. After the bodyguard left last night, were you with Ethan Wilson the entire time?"
"More than that. We shared a bed!"
Sarah threw caution to the wind, her announcement as startling as she intended.
She braced herself for Clarence's inevitable storm, but after waiting with bated breath and a bowed head, the anticipated outburst never came.
Perplexed, Sarah looked up at her grandfather, only to find him staring intensely at her with an unreadable expression, his gaze oddly peculiar yet tinged with an unexpected sense of resignation.
What was going on?
Had the older man mellowed out?
"Grandpa, are you not mad?" she asked tentatively.
"Why should I be mad? You would've driven me to an early grave by now if I got mad! Since you came back from Seattle, I figured it'd come to something like this, just not so abruptly," Clarence said with a wry smile.
"Grandpa, what do you mean exactly?" Sarah was utterly baffled and hurried over to his side, tugging at his arm and pleading with a sweet innocence.
"What else could I mean? Even if I asked you to cut ties with Ethan Wilson right now, would you be able to do it?" Clarence retorted, clearly irritated.
"No way! Absolutely no way. We've already made our relationship official!" Sarah shook her head emphatically, as if her resolve was unbreakable.
"Official? What relationship? Chloe Miller barely left, and Ethan Wilson has already made things official with you?" Clarence's eyes widened in disbelief, his words heavy with the disapproval of Ethan.
"No, it's true; we made it official, but not in the way you think. It was a complete fluke; I pressured him into agreeing!" Sarah, eager to protect Ethan's reputation, quickly interjected to clarify.
"Explain yourself clearly!" Clarence huffed dismissively, turning his head away with a quick roll of his eyes, his thoughts indecipherable.
Sarah had no choice but to recount the events following Ethan's departure from Chloe's company, carefully glossing over the more intimate details, hoping to smooth things over.
"So you're saying Ethan mistook you for Chloe and then embraced you?" Clarence pressed, furrowing his brow.
"Exactly! Even though he realized his mistake later, he took advantage of me, so I expect him to take responsibility! He wouldn't get out of it even if he wanted to," Sarah explained as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Alright then, tell me, besides holding you, what else did he do?" Clarence inquired with a gossip-hungry grin.
"Grandpa, are you trying to trick me into telling you everything? What do you need these details for?"
Sarah almost blurted out that Ethan Wilson had not only kissed her but had taken her clothes off, too. However, she quickly caught herself.
When she saw that Clarence wasn't angry but seemed intrigued, she felt a rush of irritation.
"Ahem... I'm just worried about you, sweetheart. If someone mistreated my granddaughter, shouldn't I step in and set things right? That Ethan Wilson is out of line, taking advantage of my girl. I ought to teach him a lesson!"
Clarence's face turned to a picture of embarrassment, and soon after, his demeanor flipped completely as he slammed his hand on the table.
"Grandpa, what are you playing at now?" Sarah was utterly baffled.
"I thought if you had something going on with him, I'd accept it. Naturally, if not, I'd have to get justice for my granddaughter. Once Ethan Wilson is out of the picture, no one will know about this, and you can still marry into a good family," Clarence explained with a huff.
Sarah was entirely overwhelmed by Clarence's iron-clad logic. So, was he pushing her into making things official with Ethan Wilson?
"Grandpa... didn't you say earlier to keep my distance from Ethan Wilson? And now what?"
"What now? I can't stand the guy! How dare he bully my granddaughter? Call him over, and I'll sort him out!" bellowed Clarence, his eyes wide with determination.
"No, don't! If you're going to take him on, start with me. I already belong to him; surely you wouldn't want your granddaughter to end up a widow!"
In a panic, Sarah laid her cards on the table with Grandpa!
She reasoned that speaking outright was no falsehood or deception since they had already done everything but the final step.
But then she saw Clarence's eyes, bright with mischief, fixed unblinkingly on her and even showing a hint of a smile.
Suddenly, it hit her: she had been played by Grandpa again!
"Grandpa, even you're teasing me now! I'll strip that beard right off your face!"
The two started to playfully scuffle until Sarah almost had Clarence's beard plucked clean. He then shifted the conversation. "Alright, enough fooling around. Let's get down to business."
"Grandpa, you're not setting another trap for me, are you?" Sarah asked, still suspicious.
"Would I ever do anything but look out for you, my dear? I know you want to help Ethan Wilson; now's his chance to prove himself!"
Clarence sighed, tacitly acknowledging his granddaughter's connection with Ethan Wilson, and then spoke with a sense of gravity.
"What opportunity?"
As expected, Sarah's interest piqued the moment she heard him.
"Remington Walker, the patriarch from the Walker family of Houston, once had dealings with me. I've received word that he secretly came to Novaria a few days ago and headed straight for Emerald Valley!" said Clarence slowly.
"The Walker family? You mean the military family that all the major clans are vying for?" Sarah's eyes lit up instantly upon hearing this.
"Exactly. Suppose Ethan Wilson can curry favor with Remington and become an ally of the Walker family. In that case, I'll have the leverage to propose an alliance between the Wilsons and the Harrises to your great uncle. I don't think he'll have any grounds to object then!" Clarence said with a reassuring nod, seemingly confident in Ethan's capabilities.
"But Grandpa, how can you be so sure Ethan will win over old man Walker?" Sarah was now even more puzzled.
"Because Remington is here in Emerald Valley seeking medical attention!"
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