Chapter 182 Ethan Confronts for Jasmine's Sake
Ethan subtly withdrew his arm from Fiona's grasp and moved to stand beside Jasmine. "I just brought your sister-in-law along for a meal."
Fiona blinked in confusion, thinking she had heard wrong. "I'm sorry, who is this?"
"I... I am Mr. Ethan's assistant," Jasmine interjected quickly, cutting Ethan off.
'Sister-in-law?'
Ethan's frown deepened, his gaze loaded with meaning as he looked at Jasmine, reminding her not to forget her role.
It dawned on Jasmine that her purpose was to shield Ethan from other women. She didn't think that it included Fiona.
"Assistant?" Fiona’s smile was charming, laced with a hint of familiarity. "Since when did my brother Ethan switch to a female assistant?"
"I... I am also Mr. Ethan's... secret… secret lover!" The words tumbled out of Jasmine in a fluster.
That should keep Fiona from clinging to Ethan.
Ethan took a deep breath, clearly annoyed by Jasmine's outburst.
'Lover? So, to Jasmine, I am just a lover?'
"Ethan..." Fiona’s face showed shock, then she covered her mouth with a giggle. "It seems my brother isn't as averse to the company of women as the rumors suggest. Aside from me, I see there’s another girl close to you."
Fiona's words were laced with innuendo as she crouched in front of Justin and whispered, "Aren’t you just the cutest? Do you know who I am?"
Justin shook his head and hid behind Jasmine.
"I know you; you're that celebrity from the billboards," Casey declared with a touch of pride.
"Wow, you recognize me? Then, do you know how I'm related to your Uncle?" Fiona asked meaningfully.
"I don't." Casey shook his head.
"How would you like it if I became your aunt?" Fiona teased, clearly also directing her question to Ethan and Jasmine.
Ethan's brow furrowed. Before he could speak, Casey stood with hands on hips and spoke for him. "No way, I already have an aunt, and she’s prettier than you. She cooks the best barbecue ribs. They're delicious."
Fiona felt a moment of embarrassment, thinking the child was speaking offhand. "Ethan, my brother just got back from Europe to visit me. Would you like to join us for a meal?"
The man who had been sitting with Fiona by the floor-to-ceiling windows stood up and came over.
He was tall, and even with his back to the light, Jasmine could feel the man's imposing presence.
"Nolan Cunningham," Ethan said, leading Jasmine by the hand in an introduction.
Nolan approached with a stern expression on his face.
His gaze fell upon Ethan's hand holding Jasmine's, and his eyes flickered with unmistaken displeasure. "Mr. Ethan, long time no see. So, you've decided to wallow with the commoners?"
Nolan's low voice carried a clear disdain for Jasmine. He was implying that Ethan had stooped so low as to keeping a mistress.
Jasmine glanced up at Nolan, then quickly withdrew her hand and lowered her gaze, afraid to make eye contact. She really did always seem to bring trouble to Ethan.
The name Nolan Cunningham was well-known.
Ethan from Silverlight City and Nolan Cunningham of the Cunningham's Family, an American dynasty of wealth.
Nationally, Ethan was on par with Henry, but the Cunningham's Family, with its century-long enterprise, had a strength and background far surpassing the Douglas and Patrick families.
And Nolan Cunningham himself was a man of formidable capability.
Thankfully, Ethan's own strength was immense. Within a few short years, he had elevated Stellar Enterprises to a level that rivaled the Cunningham's Family, a true business legend.
Jasmine knew nothing of the relationship between Ethan and Nolan, but she did know her presence could make others view Ethan with less respect.
"Word is the Cunningham family hasn't yet found their missing heiress. You seem rather free, Mr. Cunningham, to be dining here with time to spare," Ethan said, hitting a nerve. He knew Nolan's Achilles' heel and past wounds.
Years ago, Nolan's mother, a rare female mogul of the Cunningham's Family, came to Silverlight City eight months pregnant to negotiate a deal. During a meeting, her water broke, and she was rushed to a nearby hospital where she gave birth to a daughter.
Quinn had three sons; this daughter should have been the treasured jewel of the three brothers and the pampered princess venerated by the entire Cunningham's Family.
Regrettably, similar to the experience of Wilson's Family, it was during the third year after Quinn had brought her daughter home that a blood type mismatch revealed the child wasn't hers; her daughter had been switched at birth.
The girl she had been raising, Fiona, was not the true princess of the Cunningham family, but she had enjoyed all the privileges and wealth of their name.
Meanwhile, the real eldest Miss Cunningham was nowhere to be found.
Despite exhaustive searches by the Cunningham family, using all their connections, the nurse from the hospital who had delivered the babies remained elusive, and the true Miss Cunningham's whereabouts were still a mystery.
Nolan, the head of the Cunningham family, had once vowed not to marry until his sister was found. Now, well into his thirties and with no sister in sight, he still found himself preoccupied with whether Ethan was keeping a mistress or not.
A shadow fell over Nolan's face.
Not just Nolan, but Fiona, who had been brought up as a Cunningham without any blood ties, also changed her countenance uncomfortably.
"Ethan..." Fiona laughed softly, trying to ease the awkwardness. "You and my brother haven't seen each other for so long, don't start arguing the moment you meet. You're making me think you're both jealous over me."
With a mischievous giggle, Fiona displayed a strong sense of artistry in her speech.
Ethan took Jasmine’s wrist again. "Saying that, even my partner might get the wrong idea."
Jasmine kept her head down, not daring to look up.
"Partner? Ethan, you had better keep your eyes open. Don't let a lifetime of reputation be ruined by a woman," Nolan Cunningham said in a low voice. "If I'm not mistaken, isn't this the same faux-heiress who swapped the lives of Wilson's Family eldest Miss for twenty years and got sentenced to five years in prison for blackmail and extortion, Jasmine?"
Ethan's gaze turned icy, and the two powerful men exuded a heavy tension.
Nolan sneered. "She is quite attractive, I'll give you that. Going after just a pretty shell? It seems even you, Ethan, can be rather common."
"Mr. Nolan..." Jasmine bit her lip, looking up with spoke with a hoarse voice. "Those are all rumors and hearsay. You're judging someone by hearsay, and you attack someone's companion upon first meeting. You call Mr. Ethan common, but what does that make you? Vulgar, or simply uncultured?"
Ethan's lips quirked up as he tightened his grip on Jasmine's hand.
He relished the sense of protection Jasmine afforded him, and he felt a touch of pride.
Nolan Cunningham was taken aback, seemingly surprised by Jasmine's daring rebuttal. It seemed like Ethan had spoiled her.
Nolan squinted, sizing up Jasmine for a while.
For some reason... looking into Jasmine's eyes, Nolan felt a twinge of pain in his chest.
Heh... She indeed was a formidable woman. She seemed accustomed to seducing men. He almost found himself interested in her.
With a scoff, Nolan spoke, "Getting to know someone through hearsay isn't scary, but getting to know them through the law is much worse. A con artist with jail time—do you really think I need to take you seriously?"
Jasmine bit her lip, tearful and on the verge of crying.
"Nolan Cunningham, you have no right to lecture my woman," Ethan warned him with a stern gaze, speaking again. "I recall your grandfather was framed by a rival and served time for economic crimes. What's that? Your grandfather can be set up, but she must be guilty without understanding the context? Shut your mouth until you know the full story."
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