Chapter 171 Ethan Goes into Husband-Pampering Mode
Ethan was a bit out of it, holding onto Jasmine tightly without a word.
"Ethan... Are you feeling really sick?" Jasmine panicked, fearfully touching Ethan's forehead. "Should I get a thermometer for you?"
"Don't..." Ethan's voice was muffled as he clutched Jasmine tightly, refusing to let go, his actions resembling those of a spoiled child.
Jasmine was taken aback but cooed to Ethan as if soothing a child, "Be good, I'll get the thermometer and some fever patches."
Ethan just groaned softly, still not letting go.
Jasmine didn't know what else to do and had to forcefully pry his hands off. But as she tried to get up, she noticed that her clothes were grasped tightly in Ethan's hand.
Jasmine smiled helplessly. Ethan turned into such a child when he was sick. The contrast with Justin, who wasn't this clingy, was quite stark.
"Don't leave me..." Ethan pleaded, his voice very weak.
Jasmine turned her head back to look at Ethan.
In the outside world, Ethan was always seen as aloof, ruthless, and decisive. He had founded his own company and brought Stellar Enterprises to its current glory—the man's ability was undeniable.
As a teenager, Ethan lost his mother and felt unloved by his father, while also experiencing hurt from his stepmother. Despite these hardships, he had managed to come this far on his own. Deep down, Ethan yearned for love, yet he found himself resisting it from everyone.
When Jasmine picked up the thermometer and checked his forehead temperature, it read 102.5 degrees, indicating a high fever.
Jasmine then went to prepare some cold medicine and returned with a fever-reducing patch.
"Ethan? How about you take the medicine and then go back to sleep?" Jasmine coaxed in a soft voice.
Ethan frowned, unwilling to move. He had rarely been sick from childhood, so there had never been a need to stock medicine at home. It was only after Jasmine arrived that they got some, in case she'd fall ill. Ironically, it was now Ethan himself who needed it.
Ethan felt guilty; he might have been scared into this sickness...
"No medicine." Ethan had always refused medicine since he was young. It was too bitter. Besides, he had a strong constitution and never needed medicine—a good sleep was usually enough for him.
"That's not okay," Jasmine insisted. The thermometer reading showed 102 degrees which was a high fever.
Seeing that Ethan wouldn't cooperate, Jasmine attempted to pull him up by herself. But Ethan was too heavy, and Jasmine ended up falling into his arms.
Ethan took the opportunity to wrap her in his embrace, pinning her beneath him. "You were the one who provoked me first..." His voice was hoarse, yet unmistakably laced with desire.
In the adult world, pleasure wasn't something so difficult to speak about especially for someone like Ethan, who had been chaste for over twenty years and had suddenly tasted sweetness.
Clearly, Jasmine's every moment by his side felt like torture for him.
"You... take the medicine first," Jasmine said nervously.
"How about a reward for taking my medicine like a good boy?" Ethan raised an eyebrow, his breath hot.
Jasmine's face flushed crimson. To coax him into taking his medicine, she had to go along. "But you're sick..."
"Sweating it out will do the trick..." Ethan earnestly persuaded Jasmine.
"Who told you that? It's not scientific." Jasmine's heartbeat quickened.
Ethan downed the entire cup of medicine in one breath, his face contorting from the bitterness.
"I say it is..." Ethan lifted the corner of his mouth and leaned in to kiss Jasmine.
Jasmine tasted the lingering bitterness of the medicine in his mouth, which, after it faded, seemed to leave a sweet illusion. Indeed, for someone who has experienced the bitterness of medicine, even plain water tastes sweet.
As the warmth of his breath intensified, Ethan's longing for Jasmine surged to its zenith. He had never fathomed desiring a woman so intensely. Nor had he ever contemplated... being engulfed in the depths of his emotions for a woman.
In that moment, Jasmine could probably ask him to die, and he would comply willingly.
Tears welled up in Jasmine's eyes as she clung to Ethan, her breathing ragged.
Everyone must be crazy.
Ethan's body was ablaze with fever, scorching to the touch. Jasmine, too, felt a fever of her own, a blazing inferno within her soul. Being engulfed in this intense physical connection was akin to enduring torment for her.
She constantly reminded herself that she wasn't worthy, that she didn't deserve Ethan. Her body and soul felt tarnished. Whether others called her a fallen woman or criticized her private life... Jasmine was too exhausted to explain.
Even if the fault wasn't hers, she felt impure, unworthy of Ethan. If her body could provide Ethan with an outlet for his desires, maybe that was her value.
...
The next morning, Jasmine woke up feeling sore and swollen.
She noticed that Ethan was gone. In a panic, she sat up, wondering who turned off her alarm, making her oversleep.
Nervously getting out of bed to wash up, she realized she had no time to make breakfast for the kids and Ethan.
But as she stepped out of her room, a delicious aroma greeted her.
"Dad is so awesome!" cheered Justin, as supportive as ever. He noticed his mother walking out of the bedroom and exclaimed, "Mommy, Daddy made fried eggs."
Jasmine was astounded to see Ethan bustling in the kitchen, the CEO cooking breakfast for the kids. She felt like she was still dreaming.
"Ethan... I'll do it," Jasmine said, racing over, only to find he had finished preparing everything: simple sandwiches, slightly burnt eggs, and a hot cup of milk for each.
Instinctively, she reached to check his forehead. The fever was gone, and Jasmine relaxed.
He had such a good constitution and had rejuvenated overnight.
"I didn't lie, did I?" Ethan whispered in her ear.
Her ears instantly turned a prickly red, and so did her neck.
"Sweating it out breaks the fever," Ethan continued, educating her with utter seriousness.
"Eat... let's eat!" Embarrassed, Jasmine hurried out of the kitchen to sit beside Justin, joining the little ones for breakfast.
"Auntie, my uncle is so cool. He can make breakfast. My dad can't do anything. He doesn't even know when the milk has expired. I ended up in the hospital once because of it," Casey said with admiration.
Jasmine sighed and ruffled Casey's hair.
It was always the kids who hurt the most from their parents' discord.
But the kids were innocent, after all.
...
Stellar Enterprises.
"Ethan's computer has a defense system; if we attack it, he might notice," Daniel mentioned to the hacker he had brought on board. "And if he does? Can he trace us back?" Daniel inquired.
"Ethan's no hacker. He can't do it in a short time. By the time he gets a computer pro, we'll have shut down our IP. It'll be very hard to pin us down," replied the hacker.
Daniel smirked. "Good."
"Take a look at this stuff, see if anything's useful. He only boots up his computer occasionally, and this is all I could pull from it."
Daniel browsed through the files, aggravated. "It's all useless junk."
"Then we'll have to wait until he connects to the network again. We'll try once more."
Daniel nodded and glanced at the clock; Ethan should be getting to work about now.
"Ethan has a meeting with a competitor this afternoon, right? Have someone from that company secretly chat up Jasmine and snap a couple of photos. If the hack on Ethan's computer leaks, we'll pin it on Jasmine through the rival company," Daniel said in a deep tone.
Once Ethan stopped trusting Jasmine, she would have to leave the Gu’s. Without Ethan, Jasmine had no one else to rely on.
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