Chapter 598 About to Get Rich
After dinner, Ethan retired to his familiar old room, firmly shutting the door behind him and securing it with a lock.
"Mama!" cried Tom’s eldest daughter, stamping her foot in frustration. "He's gone into my room again!"
Mary's face flushed with anger. "What's the point of yelling at me?" She turned to Ethan's uncle, her frustration evident. "We should have sent him back to his hometown from the start, but you insisted on keeping him. Look at the mess now."
"At that time, I thought he was my sister's son... But now he's turned into a little troublemaker!" Tom clenched his jaw in frustration.
Their family had finally seized the opportunity to move to the city following Ethan's parents' demise, but now they feared their plans would be thwarted by this mischievous child.
Perched on the sofa, the eldest sister seethed with anger.
"Let's just sell the house; I would rather live somewhere more secluded than endure this!" she exclaimed.
"Don’t you think I've considered that?" Mary snapped back. "The neighbors around here are heartless, they gossip every time someone looks at the house. Who'd dare to buy it?"
"And even if we sell, we can barely afford the down payment on a new place, let alone the hefty monthly mortgage in the city nowadays," added Tom, his back throbbing with pain.
The eldest sister grew even more irate. "Then I'll just move into the dorms; I'm tired of this constant back and forth!"
"Dorms don't come free, you know," Mary admonished sharply.
The two younger children paid no heed to the conversation, more concerned with their elder sister's possession of the best room. With Ethan now occupying their sister's space, they were quite pleased.
Engrossed in their phones, they scrolled through TikTok. "Mom, look, it's Ethan!" one suddenly exclaimed, drawing the eldest sister's attention. Frowning, she remarked, "Ethan's making TikToks?"
A boy as handsome as Ethan was likely to garner plenty of views with his videos.
She leaned in to take a closer look. "Isn't this about the kidnapping at that prestigious school with wealthy families? What's Ethan doing there?"
"Right here!" the child pointed out, Ethan wielding a slingshot.
Upon closer inspection, the eldest sister confirmed that it was indeed Ethan, heroically aiming at the kidnapper with his slingshot.
"Mom!" she called urgently.
"What now?" Mary, busy tending to her husband's injuries, sounded exasperated.
That little troublemaker had really gone and done it this time.
Her husband's back was already a patchwork of bruises.
"Do you remember the kidnapping at that prestigious school with all the rich families?" the eldest sister inquired.
"Of course, I do; it's been all over the news. What about it?"
"Watch this video, it seems Ethan saved that tycoon's child!"
Mary was stunned, hastily setting aside her work to view the footage. She replayed it several times before finally confirming. "It's really him!"
"Yes, it's him!" The eldest sister's mood shifted suddenly. "This family isn't just any rich family. The father owns the company where Solomon invests, and their mall is where we shop often! The mother is a top heir of a foreign financial conglomerate. I really admire her!"
"So wealthy!" Mary was taken aback.
To build such a colossal mall, they must be incredibly affluent.
The items inside were extravagantly priced. Mary had been shocked to see a pair of shoes worth three thousand dollars; in her hometown, they wouldn't fetch more than twenty.
"Yeah, Mom, we could move to a bigger house now; we're on our way to riches!" the eldest sister exclaimed, though she lowered her voice, as if afraid of being overheard by Ethan. "Darwin dotes on his daughter so much; whenever she's out, he carries her, never letting her feet touch the ground!"
"Could we ask for a hefty reward?" Aunt Mary suggested.
"We could ask for several million, even tens of millions. It's nothing to them! But asking for money outright might not be appropriate. Let's ask for a house!" The eldest sister was bubbling with excitement. "Let's check out real estate now; I remember Solomon and Rhoads families have luxury estates in Bay City!"
"Is this really the right approach?" Uncle hesitated. They couldn't afford to offend that sort of old money.
"Why not give it a shot and see if it works?" Aunt Mary replied without hesitation. "Your departed sister must be our lucky charm!"
Aunt Mary felt a swell of pride. She couldn't shake the feeling that her past misfortune had to serve some purpose. Perhaps luck was finally on their side?
Inside his room, Ethan listened to the joyous chatter of his uncle's family outside, his eyelids lowering slightly. A mole at the corner of his eye seemed almost sinister in the dim light.
Ethan smiled faintly, his fingers tracing the pendant made from his parents' melted rings beneath his thin sweater.
He had anticipated their reaction upon discovering he had saved the child of a tycoon.
But tonight's dream would be fleeting. The nightmare awaiting them was inevitable.
He thought of Chicago's grateful smile.
‘Apologies to your parents, first-grade classmates. But since I saved your life, let's call it even.’
Early the next morning, Fiona carefully inspected Chicago's wound, relieved to find it uninfected.
"Mama, I'm not hurting anymore; don't worry," Chicago reassured, wrapping her arms around Fiona's neck and patting her gently. "I'm brave!"
Fiona smiled, allowing herself to be enveloped in the embrace. She circled her arm around Chicago's small frame, speaking softly. "It's me who wasn't brave enough, I was scared..."
"Don't be scared! Don't be scared!" Chicago continued to comfort Fiona.
"Soon, you'll need to comfort Daddy too; he's even more scared than me," Fiona remarked.
Chicago sighed. "I know, Daddy even cried yesterday..."
"Yes, Daddy's quite fragile, actually. Sweetheart, can you start calling him Daddy from now on?" Fiona asked gently. "He was so happy when you called him Daddy yesterday."
After a moment of contemplation, Chicago replied, "It's not just my decision; I need to discuss it with my big brother!"
Fiona smiled. "Okay."
"Mama, are you going to work?" Chicago asked, noticing Fiona was already dressed.
"Yesterday, a young boy saved you, and Daddy and I are going to thank him," Fiona explained.
"I want to go too!" Chicago insisted.
"And you know him?" Fiona was surprised.
"Yes." Chicago nodded.
Yesterday, Chicago had seen Ethan. Despite the chaos, Ethan had emerged from the crowd and taken aim with his slingshot.
Fiona, still puzzled, asked, "He's in fourth grade; how do you know him?" "His photo is on the honor roll board at school. He always ranks first. He's amazing!" Chicago admired.
Fiona finally understood. When Chicago said "know" she meant she was aware of who he was.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
