Chapter 41 What Kind of Man Are You
In the office, Ethan's tiny hands moved like lightning, his little face cool as a cucumber. Before long, the tablet started blaring cheerful sound effects, and James's eyes lit up as he sprinted over.
"Dude, you nailed it! Mr. Valencia, we finally beat it!" he hollered, snapping a screenshot to send to the head honcho at BrianTech Solutions Inc. "Harper's a freakin' genius! You're a little prodigy!"
Even though he saw it with his own eyes, he still couldn't wrap his head around it. The grown-ups couldn't crack it, but Harper breezed through like it was nothing!
'Whoever Harper's parents are, they must be over the moon with a kid like this!' James thought, shooting a meaningful glance at Antonio.
Ethan stayed chill, finishing off the rest of his milk, his face still blank, but his eyes had a glint of pride and satisfaction.
Right then, Antonio's eyes were glued to 'Harper.' He hadn't expected much, but she pulled it off again!
A flicker of admiration crossed his deep-set eyes as he walked over to the unusually frosty 'Harper' and gave 'her' furry head a pat.
Ethan shook his head in annoyance, his little face scrunched up, glaring at Antonio like he wanted to bite him.
He hated being patted on the head and treated like a kid!
He wasn't some pet dog!
Seeing her intense reaction, Antonio was taken aback, thinking 'Harper' might be throwing a fit.
Antonio instinctively bent down and scooped up 'Harper.'
Ethan was stunned, his body going stiff as a board, unable to move.
He'd never been picked up by Antonio before, and despite his strong physical resistance, there was a tiny part of him that didn't mind.
But then he remembered yesterday at the hospital, where Antonio was holding Ryan, thinking,'I don't need your fatherly love. Damn it, Antonio, let go!'
Antonio didn't expect Ethan to fight back so much, feeling a bit lost. Hadn't Harper been all about being close to him these past couple of days?
In a moment of confusion, Harper suddenly wriggled free from his grasp and fell, hitting the hard floor with a thud!
Just then, Sarah walked into the CEO's office, catching the whole scene. The lunchbox in her hand hit the ground!
Damn it, he actually dropped 'Harper'!
Rage boiled up inside her, and she didn't give a damn about anything else. She rushed over, scooped up the fallen 'Harper,' and slapped Antonio.
James was floored, covering his mouth to stifle a gasp, while Antonio, who had meant to pick up Ethan, felt a sharp sting on his cheek. Everything happened so fast, he was totally blindsided.
Then he snapped back, glaring at Sarah in front of him, and barked, "What the hell, do you even know what you're doing?"
Seeing Antonio pissed off, Sarah didn't back down, glaring right back and shouting, "Even if you don't dig Harper, don't be a jerk! What sort of guy drops her on purpose?
Ethan, already dazed, was even more stunned by Sarah's words. He stared blankly at her, thinking, 'Is this okay?'
He quickly pulled himself together.
A quick glint flashed in his eyes, and then his little face crumpled as he started to bawl.
Seeing 'Harper' looking so pitiful, Sarah's heart nearly shattered. She held Ethan but didn't dare squeeze too hard, afraid of hurting him.
Sarah asked, "Harper, where does it hurt? Is it bad? Should I take you to the hospital?"
Sarah's eyes were getting misty too. If 'Harper,' her precious little one, was really hurt, she'd make sure Antonio paid big time!
But Ethan, nestled in Sarah's arms, hid his face with a sly smile.
In reality, he wasn't hurt at all. It was a close call, but he managed to land on his feet first.
James, knowing Sarah had it all wrong, quickly explained, "Luna, you're off base. It was just a mistake. Mr. Valencia didn't mean for it to happen.
"Enough!" Antonio cut in coldly, his face like ice. Since when did he need to explain himself to anyone?
He shot a cold look at Sarah, then at the 'Harper' behind her, staying silent.
Seeing Antonio's silence as an admission, Sarah thought he was a total jerk for hurting her kid!
She ignored Antonio, picked up the child, and gently comforted, "Harper, don't cry. I'll take you away from here."
With that, she left with Ethan without looking back.
Ethan lay on Sarah's shoulder, wiped away his fake tears, and nodded obediently. 'Bad Antonio, now you know who's boss!'
As they reached the door, Ethan looked back at Antonio and made a face.
Antonio's eyes narrowed suddenly; 'Harper' was acting really weird today.
Sarah didn't notice anything off and left the Valencia Group with Ethan. When they reached a quiet spot, Ethan suddenly called out, "Mommy." Sarah was stunned, looking at 'Harper' in her arms in shock.
Sarah said, "Ethan? Why is it you? Where's Harper?"
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