Rhonda Sullivan obediently turned off her phone, and her only entertainnt each day was watching TV. Ethan Sterling left early in the morning, ca back at noon to bring her a al, and returned again for dinner, all bought from outside.
Mama Bennett no longer ca. She and the children were taken out from The Sullivan Family ho to a new residence, with bodyguards assigned to ensure Mama Bennett and the children’s safety.
Though Brandon Sullivan’s temper was now more immature and odd than before, Ethan Sterling wasn’t sure if he was pretending. Even if he wasn’t, they had to avoid him losing his temper and taking it out on the children.
Because of this, Brandon Sullivan threw another tantrum, even smashing Ethan Sterling’s office, but it didn’t change anything.
Every night, Rhonda Sullivan used Ethan Sterling’s phone to video chat with the two children, which sowhat alleviated her longing for them.
This routine continued for half a month. Tomorrow was the day of Rhonda Sullivan’s murder trial, and after that, Ruby Sullivan would also be formally discharged from the hospital.
She had already planned for what would co next.
When Ethan Sterling ca in, Ruby Sullivan was watching a cody show, hugging a pillow and laughing foolishly.
Seeing her in good spirits, the stern look on his face softened, "Co over, see what we’re having today."
Ruby Sullivan turned her head, blinked at him, and pretended to be surprised, saying, "Could it be the sweet and sour atballs I was craving?"
"Smart guess." Ethan Sterling ruffled her hair, praising her just as he would Honey, and set a few dishes he brought on the small dining table, handed her a bowl of rice, and then prepared his own, "Try it, is it the flavor you like?"
He didn’t know which restaurant sold this dish, so he went to a Shanxi restaurant and asked the chef to prepare it specially.
"Authentic!" Ruby Sullivan took a bite, gave a thumbs up, and happily raised her eyebrows.
Though it wasn’t a particularly technical dish, she could tell it was well made. The atballs were crispy, and the sweet and sour sauce was just right, with cabbage added to cut the grease, making it incredibly delicious.
During her ti in the hospital, she tried not to think about anything, living like a teenager. Her only concern was what good food to have, even to the point where her belly was starting to show so fat. However, she couldn’t engage in strenuous exercise now, so after eating, she would pace around the ward several tis, but even that wasn’t stopping her from gaining weight.
Anyway, she was about to be discharged soon and planned to manage it well after leaving.
After finishing their al, Ethan Sterling skillfully tidied up, taking out the trash before coming back to accompany her in walking around the room.
Ruby Sullivan asked about tomorrow, "I want to go to court too."
They had agreed she wouldn’t attend the trial due to her health. Ethan Sterling feared sothing could happen if she went, but Ruby Sullivan thought about it all day and still wanted to go. She wanted to hear the verdict with her own ears, see Rhonda Sullivan’s fate with her own eyes—as if she wouldn’t believe it unless she went herself.
Rhonda Sullivan was her nightmare; she wanted to personally see it end.
Ethan Sterling was about to persuade her when his phone rang. He took it out to see it was Mama Bennett calling.
"Sir, the old man took the two children from school early," Mama Bennett said urgently.
Each day, Mama Bennett would first pick up Honey from kindergarten and then Seth from elentary school. Today, she waited until all the little ones had left but never saw Honey co out. After asking the teacher, she learned Honey had already been picked up by his grandfather.
Frightened, she hurried to the elentary, discovering Seth’s situation was the sa.
Unable to reach the old man by phone, she urgently reported to Ethan Sterling.
"Got it." Ethan Sterling said before hanging up, a layer of frost appearing on his face. He quickly opened his computer to track Seth and Honey’s location.
Ruby Sullivan only knew the call was from Mama Bennett but not what was said. Seeing Ethan Sterling’s expression, she didn’t dare disturb him, sitting quietly and anxiously on the side, a look of alard concern on her face. Even without being told, she knew sothing had happened—and it was sothing big.
Just to be safe, every day before Seth and Honey went out, they wore three trackers: one was a watch phone, one was attached to their collars, and one was inside their undergarnts. Even if Brandon Sullivan knew how to remove their watches, he wouldn’t know about the ones in their clothes.
He quickly found their location, imdiately sending it to the head of the security team and called them, "Hurry and find Seth and Honey, they’re with Brandon Sullivan."
Ruby Sullivan’s heart thumped at his words.
"Don’t worry, I’ll bring Honey and Seth back safe and sound," Ethan Sterling said, standing up.
Ruby Sullivan stood too, "I’ll go with you."
Ethan Sterling, seeing her determined face, knew persuasion was useless. The two children were her life, and asking her to stay put here was pointless, so he decided she’d be better keeping close.
This afternoon, Brandon Sullivan had called Ethan Sterling, but he knew it was to plead for Rhonda Sullivan, so he didn’t answer, eventually blocking his number. Judging by their location, they appeared to be at an abandoned factory on the outskirts, part of the Sullivan Group’s property left derelict since its closure due to policy without any opportunity for redevelopnt.
Once in the car, Ethan Sterling dialed Brandon Sullivan’s number, "What do you want?"
Brandon Sullivan’s voice remained arrogant, "Where have you hidden my daughter? I want to speak with Ruby."
Ethan Sterling put the phone on speaker, and Ruby Sullivan imdiately spoke up, "I’m here, say what you have to say." She tried to control her emotions because she had no idea what Brandon Sullivan might do in his current state of mind, fearing he might overreact.
"As long as you agree to my demands, I won’t hurt the children. First, you must drop the charges against your sister. Secondly, you must return all The Sullivan Group shares to . You know nothing about running the company; your sister handled everything before. I can’t entrust the company to you; it’s the sa as handing it over to that man. The Sullivan Group is my life’s work; nothing you say will make agree!"
"Fine, I agree." Ruby Sullivan responded without a second thought.
"I can’t trust just your word. I’ll send you my location—co over right away. I want you to clarify everything with the lawyer in front of , otherwise... Ruby, don’t bla your father for being ruthless—this is all your doing."
"Dad, I know, you’re right. Don’t act rashly. I’ll satisfy all your conditions; just don’t harm the kids!" Ruby Sullivan almost shouted into the phone.
Reviews
All reviews (0)