Chapter 557 Fiona Has Decided to Go Abroad
Ethan was silent for a long time before he spoke, "Yes."
When he and Jasmine agreed to get married back then, it wasn't because of love. He just wanted to get married to activate his grandfather's will.
At that time, William Douglas' will was notarized. Once Ethan got married and started a family, all his shares would belong to him.
The shares Ethan currently held were not that much, but he had secretly acquired them when the Douglas Group's stock market had issues. By using the will to reclaim his grandfather's shares, the only ones left would be those in Howard's hands.
Howard currently held all the shares that rightfully belonged to Ethan's mother. Howard exploited the sudden death of Ethan's mother and his position as her primary heir to grab hold of them.
Getting those shares back from Howard would take some effort. Fortunately, Howard was extremely cautious and hadn't transferred any shares to Daniel and his son yet. In essence, Howard still feared Claire.
He knew Claire wasn't to be underestimated—she was ruthless, and having her access to the shares too early made her harder to control.
"Claire and Howard have imprisoned Annabelle," Brandon said, his tone flat. "The Douglas family has lost its mind, trying to get their hands on that document from the Harper family."
"Annabelle isn't a fool," Ethan said with a cold smile. "As long as Annabelle is around, the Douglas family won't find peace."
Even while searching for documents at the Harper family, Annabelle managed to send Ethan covert messages, saying that the Douglas family was pressuring her for more evidence against Howard. She promised to help him by creating discord between Claire and Howard if he assisted her.
Ethan paid no mind to Annabelle.
Even if he didn't have the document, he wouldn't take it from Annabelle. Whether she could walk away from Howard and Claire alive was entirely up to her own skill.
Howard and Claire were both ruthless, and together, they were capable of anything.
"I suspect Claire's loyalty is wavering," Brandon said with a smirk, "Ethan, you need to brace yourself. With chaos brewing in both the Douglas family and the Douglas Group, it's the perfect moment for you to reclaim your place. The board members will undoubtedly back you."
Ethan nodded, understanding the gravity. "You know what I'm worried about."
His concern wasn't about reclaiming the Douglas Group—after all, it rightfully belonged to him. His real fear was that before he could find Howard's most damning evidence, Howard might be driven to commit inhumane acts.
Whether Howard harmed Jasmine or Ethan himself, it was not something Ethan wanted to see. If Ethan were alone, he could act decisively without fear. But the thought of what Jasmine would endure if something happened to him was terrifying.
"I've changed, haven't I?" Ethan said quietly, "I used to seem invulnerable."
"You've become more vulnerable," Brandon remarked, taking a deep breath. "The old you never seemed to have any weaknesses."
"I told you, she isn't my weakness," Ethan replied, his voice firm.
"Fine, let me be envious then," Brandon said, a note of jealousy in his voice.
"When you find someone you love, you'll understand."
There was a pause on the other end of the line.
Brandon thought, 'Love?
'Who hasn't loved a few bad choices when they were young?'
"Alright, I got it. I'll look after you, Mr. Douglas," Brandon said, half-jokingly, "So, for the time being, you take care of your wife, and I'll handle protecting you."
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Russell."
"Oh, and one more thing!" Brandon added with a mock-serious tone. "Once all this is over, you'd better find a way to mend my standing in your wife's eyes, or we're cutting ties."
Ethan smirked, his hand instinctively brushing his nose. "Don't worry about it."
At Ryan's place, Fiona sat on the carpet, cradling a small kitten in her arms.
"Goldie." Fiona had named the kitten Goldie—a name as straightforward as it was endearing.
When Fiona came up with the name, Ryan was taken aback. "Can you get any more obsessed with money?"
Fiona raised an eyebrow. "Who doesn't like money?"
Ryan sighed and conceded.
Now, Fiona's house was filled with the sound of her calling out for Goldie.
Ryan had even started to feel a recent upswing in his luck.
"Today, one of my colleagues took me out for coffee and handed me a lottery ticket. Guess how much it won?" Ryan asked casually.
Fiona, not particularly thrilled, had deliberately avoided telling Nolan she wasn't around.
She was avoiding Nolan because she had promised Cordelia that she'd go for a paternity test with Willian the next day. Everything would be revealed in due time.
"Ten dollars? Twenty dollars?" Fiona glanced up at Ryan.
Ryan grinned. "Two hundred fifty dollars."
Fiona laughed. "That's a nice amount."
Ryan picked up an orange and tossed it to Fiona. "These fruits were bought with the winnings."
"Wow, I'll take a bit of your good luck," Fiona said, enjoying an orange and raising an eyebrow. "These oranges are just as sweet as you said."
Ryan wasn't upset. Sitting across from Fiona, he spoke earnestly. "Your brother mentioned sending you abroad. Did you know about that?"
Fiona fell silent, playing with Goldie for a long while. "Well, I guess you'll be in charge of Goldie then."
Ryan looked at Fiona. "You have the right to refuse, you know."
"No, I want to go," Fiona sighed. "It's time for me to start a new life of my own."
"Will you come back?" Ryan asked.
"Maybe," Fiona looked at Ryan. "You know what my wish is? I don't want to be just an actor, I want to be a director too."
"Fiona, your life is just beginning. Don't worry about anyone else. You're not anyone's daughter, you're just you," Ryan said earnestly.
Fiona sniffed and smiled. "Ryan, I'm homeless. Can you take me in?"
Ryan frowned and answered directly, "No."
Ryan had a cleanliness fetish. Allowing the kitten and even Fiona into his house was already breaking all sorts of rules.
Fiona looked down, pretending to be upset. "Goldie, your daddy doesn't want me anymore."
Ryan sighed. "You can't enter my guest room without disinfecting first."
Fiona's face lit up instantly. "It's fine if you let me into your master bedroom."
Ryan's ears turned a little red. He thought, 'This woman... She really is an actor.'
Fiona loved teasing Ryan. It was amusing to see such an unromantic and blunt person being rendered speechless.
"Fiona, will you feel lonely going to Muskow by yourself?" Ryan changed the subject.
"What? Are you going to quit your job and go with me?" Fiona asked cheekily.
Ryan remained silent.
But he didn't refuse.
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