Chapter 586: Ethan Humiliated in Public?
In the office, Brandon watched Claire stumble away, a smirk creeping onto his face.
"Ethan, that move was pretty savage," Brandon said, turning to look at Ethan lounging in the chair.
Ethan spun his chair around to face Brandon. "Savage?"
His voice was cold, his stare even colder.
But when he said "savage?" his voice wavered just a bit.
Brandon was caught off guard, his throat bobbing as he realized he’d messed up.
Ethan’s ability to hold back his killer instincts and stick to the law was already a kind of torture.
With his skills, making Claire vanish without a trace, or suffer something worse than death, wasn’t out of the question.
But he didn’t do it. He kept waiting for justice, for the law to take Claire down, for her to get what she deserved.
Brandon still remembered the year Ethan’s mom died. He had asked him, "Want me to take her out for you? I’ll take the fall, and it won’t come back to you."
It was raining that day, the cemetery was gloomy, and Ethan was already soaked under the pine tree.
He was just a kid, standing there, staring at the tombstone like he could see through it.
"Brandon." After a long time, the kid turned around, his bloodshot eyes locked on Brandon. "I have no mom, no home."
Brandon could never forget those eyes, empty and filled with deep sorrow.
That year, Ethan said he had no home.
Over a decade had passed, and Brandon was glad Ethan had found a new one.
He had Jasmine and two kids.
"We’ve come this far, put on a show for them for so many years. It’s time to see the finale," Ethan said, raising an eyebrow at Brandon.
Brandon grinned, leaning against the floor-to-ceiling window. "So Ethan, what are you scared of? Scared they’ll get desperate or they’ll come after you?"
Ethan stayed silent.
"No matter what they do, I’ll stand in front of you," Brandon said seriously. "I won’t let you lose your home again."
Brandon was an orphan. He never felt a mother’s love. His foster parents were nuts, perverts. He almost killed his foster dad when he was young. After meeting Ethan, he helped Brandon escape that hellhole. Later, Brandon got into the Cunningham family’s charity home, using their support and Ethan’s backing to get to where he was now.
He was an orphan with no home, no family, no lover, no weaknesses. He’d do anything for Ethan.
This was his obsession, and it was what he’d been doing all these years.
"You’ve done a lot already. It’s time to live for yourself. When all this is over, shouldn’t you find someone to fall in love with? My wife worries about you," Ethan teased.
Brandon glared at him. "Jasmine worries too much. I’m not gay."
Ethan pretended not to get it.
"Claire’s probably itching to ditch Howard now. It’s time we stirred up some trouble for them," Brandon said, walking over to Ethan with a grin.
Ethan smiled too. It was time.
Jasmine, the Cunningham heiress, was a main guest at a socialite gathering in Silverlight City.
The invited socialites and rich heirs were from top-tier families both locally and internationally, making for a super fancy lineup.
Even the carpet was sponsored by a luxury brand; from the wine glasses to the tea trays and snacks to the gift bags, everything was meticulously arranged and over-the-top lavish.
"Ms. Cunningham, this way, please."
Jasmine rolled up with Ethan. As the head honcho of the LY project department, she had to rub elbows with the big shots in this circle.
Ethan got an invite as Jasmine's hubby. The Douglas family had publicly kicked him to the curb, and he wasn’t running the Douglas Group anymore.
To the outside world, Ethan was just a sad sack booted by both the Douglas Group and the Raymond Group.
Naturally, a lot of folks didn’t take him seriously.
"Ethan’s riding on Jasmine’s coattails to make a name for himself in Silverlight City. By showing up at this socialite shindig, he can lock down investments and sponsorships, setting up his future. He’s your biggest threat," Sophia said, sneaking up behind Claire.
Claire glanced at Sophia and snorted. "I won’t let him get a leg up here."
"Then I’ll be watching," Sophia said with a sly smile.
As Claire walked away, Sophia narrowed her eyes. "See, if you’re single, you live alone till you croak. If you’re married, you both hope the other kicks the bucket first."
Aleah looked puzzled. "Sophia, what’s that supposed to mean?"
"Howard wants my help to take down Claire, and Claire wants him out of the picture. It’s pretty entertaining," Sophia said with a smirk, pulling Aleah aside. "Richard will be here soon. Betty’s all about her career. She’s here for the Willer Group collab. Richard, with his amnesia, won’t get any of it and will be flying solo. Tonight’s your shot."
Aleah nodded. "Don’t worry. With Richard’s amnesia, I can make him fall for me all over again."
Sophia nodded. "Good, go get 'em."
Over there, Jasmine and Ethan were having a good time with some Singaporean business folks when a snarky voice piped up from behind. "Well, isn't this the homeless guy booted by the Douglas family."
Someone was looking for trouble, clearly sent by Claire.
The speaker was Claire’s nephew, Timothy. With the Douglas family's backing, Claire’s side of the family was raking it in from supplying the Douglas Group and felt pretty invincible.
"Ethan, you’re leaning on a woman now. How shameless you are to show your face at this event?" Timothy sneered, making sure to air Ethan’s dirty laundry in front of the businesspeople to tank their deals and make everyone look down on him.
Ethan shot Timothy a cold look and sneered. "They let any stray dog in here, don’t they?"
Jasmine smiled apologetically at the businessmen, keeping her cool. "Sorry, I don’t know whose stray got loose and started barking."
Then, Jasmine added, "But he got one thing wrong. It’s not that my husband was kicked out of the Douglas Group, but that he couldn’t be bothered to fight for it. Now, 30% of the Douglas Group’s shares are in Ethan’s hands. He doesn’t care to manage it, and those people are just working hard for him."
The businesspeople exchanged surprised glances. Ethan had actually reclaimed William Douglas’s shares.
Timothy’s face turned beet red with anger. "Jasmine, now that you’re the Cunningham family’s heiress, you think you’re hot stuff? You two really are a perfect match."
Timothy made a scene, drawing everyone’s attention.
"This event isn’t for everyone. It’s a warm-up for next week’s charity gala. Ethan, you can’t even donate. Who do you represent? The Cunningham Group? Or Jasmine’s husband? How embarrassing." Timothy mocked Ethan in front of everyone.
Not far away, Daniel watched, frowning but staying silent.
Ethan raised an eyebrow. Next week’s charity donation was gonna be quite the spectacle.
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