Chapter 146 Ethan Publicly Asks Justin to Call Him Dad
"Justin, call him Grandpa." Ethan ruffled Justin's hair, his voice deep and mellow.
The treatment room fell into a shocked silence.
This was more than just Ethan claiming his rights; it was a message to the Browns about Justin's place in his heart.
Especially to Howard, who understood the real deal behind Jasmine and Ethan's "marriage."
Howard's face darkened even more, and he spoke with an icy tone. "Out!"
"Grandpa..." Justin tentatively uttered, only to be met with Howard's chilling glare of warning.
Feeling aggrieved, Justin turned and buried his face in Ethan's shoulder, whispering. "Mr. Ethan… Grandpa doesn't seem to like me."
"Call me Dad," Ethan stated again.
Justin looked at Ethan, astonished. Ethan actually allowed him to call Ethan "Dad."
After staring intensely at Ethan for a moment, Justin hugged him tightly, nervously uttering, "Dad..."
He was so happy.
He liked being called Dad.
Ethan felt a bitter twist in his heart as he hugged Justin, his grip tightening unconsciously.
He actually liked this child so much.
Harper's eyes brimmed with tears as she confronted Ethan. "Do you really need to humiliate me like this?"
He took a bastard as his son and told the kid to call him "Dad" in front of the Browns.
For Harper, this was an unbearable disgrace.
"Humiliation? Where did you get that idea?" Ethan asked calmly.
"Ethan, the Douglas family has already agreed to an alliance through marriage with the Browns, and now you're having some kid whose background we don't know call you 'Dad' in front of Harper—what are you trying to say?" Lance asked with an icy face, clearly unable to maintain his pride. "Howard, what's Ethan up to?"
Howard also struggled to maintain his composure, giving Ethan a warning look; he better understood the gravity of the moment.
"Dad..." Zelda was still sitting on the ground, crying and holding her tightly.
"Mr. Howard, look at our daughter, look how she's being bullied; it's too much! This time, no matter what, our Brown family won't let Jasmine get away with this!"
Zelda cried out. "Jasmine, you've gone too far."
Jasmine hung her head, her fingers clenched tightly.
"What does this have to do with Jasmine? Your daughter was my doing," Erin greeted Howard. "Uncle Howard, long time no see."
Only then did Howard notice that the Ryans were also present.
"Maggie? It really has been a long time," Howard nodded in acknowledgment.
He had to show some respect to the Ryans.
After all, Erin now held all the real power in the Ryan family's import and export trade.
"Ma'am, to raise a child without discipline is a parent's failure. Your daughter lacks manners. If you don't teach her at home, someone else has to step in. Don't thank me too much; I did my best, but she's hopeless—like trying to sculpt rotten wood," Erin said with a face that practically begged them not to thank her too much.
Lance and Zelda's faces had darkened to the extreme. "This is..."
"Erin Ryan," Howard whispered by way of introduction.
"The Ryans?" The Brown's expression grew even grimmer. "Isn't this a bit too much for you to do to my daughter?"
"Why don't you ask what your daughter did first?" Erin responded in mock astonishment. "I was thinking before I came here that maybe the Browns had only one person without manners, but it seems like it's a whole nest. Your daughter brought over a dozen bodyguards to trash my boyfriend's place and even hurt my child. I haven't even started to settle that score with you."
Richard suddenly looked up, his expression one of astonishment. Erin was really something else. Her lies came without a second thought, and she never blushed or faltered. When had he become her boyfriend?
Jasmine looked at Erin, shock written all over her face, then at her own brother. It was as if the impossible had happened.
Her eyes brimmed with emotion, turning a deep red.
Over the years, Richard had weathered a storm of controversy because of her and Serena, enduring slander and defamation no less than she had.
Jasmine’s heart ached for her brother; she longed for him to find a woman who could truly love him and stand by his side for the rest of their lives.
"Mom... Dad, it hurts, it hurts so bad." Zelda wailed with tears streaming down her face. "Dad, I don't care who she is, but today, you have to teach her a lesson for me."
Lance's face was stern as he snorted, "Seems like you've all ganged up against my daughter."
Erin rolled her eyes, thinking it was classic pot calling the kettle black.
"Exactly my point—arguing with someone unreasonable is like playing the lute to a cow," Erin said nonchalantly as she went up to Zelda and kicked her right in front of everyone. "Come on, I'm waiting for your lesson. I really want to see today what the Brown family can do to me."
Having said that, Erin dragged a chair over and sat down beside Zelda. "Hurry up, I'm on a schedule."
Zelda, terrified, cried out and tried to hide behind her mother.
"My goodness, what kind of upbringing does the Ryan family have to raise such a bandit daughter like you? Who would dare to marry such a delinquent?" Zelda hugged her daughter tightly, shaking with anger.
"Haha, delinquent? Thanks for the compliment. I've got a tough spirit; I'm a force to be reckoned with," Erin declared boldly.
Despite the fact that these were all the insults thrown at her online, along with backbiting and slander from circles in Silverlight City, she used them as weapons to strike back with ease.
Jasmine watched Erin with an envious gaze. This was probably a lifestyle she admired but could never live herself.
"Absolutely unreasonable!" Zelda exclaimed angrily, clutching her daughter to her side. "Doctor! Treat my daughter's injuries right away and call the police!"
"I'll call the police too. Your daughter held someone captive with her bodyguard, causing a public disturbance, obstructing a doctor's treatment, harming a child, and vandalizing public property. Plus, isn't she still on probation?" Ryan said coolly as he carried his medical kit to Zelda's side.
Despite his threats, his duty as a doctor was clear.
"Mom! I don't want him, don't let him treat me, he's one of them," Zelda screamed in horror.
Ryan simply shrugged his shoulders. "If she won't cooperate, there's nothing I can do."
Zelda's face went pale with fear; her daughter really couldn't afford any more trouble.
"You're supposed to be staying out of trouble at home, not running around causing a scene," Zelda murmured in a scolding tone, aware that Ryan's family was not to be messed with.
Zelda, however, was spoiled and began to wail, demanding someone to take her side.
"Ethan..." On the other side, Harper's eyes were red and her voice choked with emotion. "Zelda is my sister, and if she has done anything wrong, I apologize on her behalf... I really like Justin too, and it hurts me to see him injured, but please... don't punish me for this, it's not fair to me... We're about to get engaged, you promised to take good care of me, you know I can't handle this..."
It was well known that Harper struggled with severe depression, and Ethan's provocative manner was certain to be something she couldn't tolerate.
Clearly, Harper was much brighter than Zelda.
Her words might have seemed weak, but they delivered a powerful message to everyone present.
"I can't handle stress, and if you push me too far, I may commit suicide, and you'll all have blood on your hands."
This was especially targeted at Ethan.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
