Before long, Rhonda Sullivan called Ruby Sullivan to tell her about celebrating their father’s birthday. "Don’t worry, Dad’s condition isn’t suitable for seeing too many people, just a simple family gathering. He really misses you."
"Are you done?" Ruby Sullivan retorted impatiently. To be honest, she didn’t want to hear anything Rhonda said. Wasn’t it a bit late to play the family card?
Rhonda Sullivan was surprised by how firm Ruby’s attitude was. After taking a deep breath, she suddenly changed her tone, "Ruby Sullivan, what do you have to complain about? Even though you suffered in the past, you’ve gotten all your revenge. Ethan Sterling is yours now, you have two adorable kids, your career is flourishing—everything is going smoothly for you. What about ? What about Dad? Do you know I won’t be able to have children anymore? Do you know what Dad was like before, and what he’s like now?"
Ruby Sullivan sneered, "I survived back then because I was lucky, but don’t you realize that your current situation is your own doing? So what if you can’t have children anymore? You falsely accused Ethan Sterling of being the father, then lost my baby. If we hadn’t found Seth, Honey would be gone by now! Why are you pretending to be so pitiful?"
The more she spoke, the angrier she got, and she hung up imdiately after venting.
Zoe had never seen Ruby Sullivan lose her temper before. Seeing her with such a cold expression, she couldn’t help but feel scared, afraid that Ruby might smash the glassware on the table in her fit of anger. She quickly brought over a glass of water, "Boss, calm down."
Ruby Sullivan realized soone was beside her, gathered herself, and drank so water, forcing a smile, "Sorry, did I scare you?"
Zoe shook her head, "Everyone loses their temper sotis. Actually, sotis family is worse than strangers. My dad has always abused my mom. Even now, when he’s upset, he grabs whatever’s nearby and throws it at her. He’s not good to or my sister either. I think I understand how you feel. Why should we forgive them just because we’ve been hurt? I won’t. Once I have money, I’ll take my mom out to live with and let my dad spend the rest of his life alone. When he’s broke, he can live by begging."
Ruby Sullivan didn’t expect Zoe’s family life to be so unfortunate; hearing her childlike curses made Ruby feel a bit sympathetic, "How about... I give you a raise?"
Zoe was taken aback and nervously replied, "No, boss, I can’t take advantage of that without earning it, plus I’m very satisfied with my current salary. I read in the news yesterday about a big internet company that expanded too quickly early on, arbitrarily raising salaries, and collapsed in less than three years. Boss, it’s better for our company to have longevity."
Ruby Sullivan laughed, "What goes on in that small brain of yours?"
Zoe took a deep breath, "Boss, do you really want to know what I’m thinking?"
Ruby Sullivan:... Actually, not really, but judging by her deanor, Zoe was definitely going to tell.
"I want to create a perfu that college students can afford. I know Nirvana uses all-natural essential oils, and the costs are high. Even without aiming for profit, it’s still out of reach for average students, and it doesn’t align with our company’s brand. But before I started working, life was really tough for , so I’ve always wanted to make a cost-effective perfu that could help girls who find life too difficult get motivated."
Ruby Sullivan didn’t expect Zoe to have such an idea.
With Zoe’s current skills, she couldn’t independently formulate a perfu that ets Nirvana’s standards. Her work at the company is more like Ruby Sullivan’s assistant, typically handling miscellaneous tasks while learning on the side.
But the fact that she had such an idea still impressed Ruby Sullivan.
After a mont of silence, Ruby said, "Write your idea into a proposal, and share it at next week’s eting. If the colleagues’ responses are good, we can consider putting it on the agenda."
"Alright!" Zoe didn’t expect such an opportunity and was instantly filled with hope.
"But there’s one thing, you can’t neglect your regular duties. You’ll have to work on this proposal in your spare ti."
"No problem!" Zoe agreed, confidently walking away.
Ruby Sullivan looked at the joyful figure skipping away, feeling much better.
She received a ssage from Rhonda Sullivan on her phone. After hesitating for a long ti, she finally opened it to read.
"Believe it or not, Dad had a stroke back then from worrying about you. You’re a significant presence in his heart. He let take over the company because he knew you didn’t like it. He regrets doing what he did to Honey and Seth, but he’s your dad—you at least should give him the chance to apologize."
Ruby Sullivan read the ssage twice before deleting it.
She recalled many things from her childhood. Back then, her father was really good to her; no matter how busy he was, he always rembered to attend her parent-teacher etings, and he would definitely co ho to celebrate her birthday.
On the other hand, sotis he would forget Rhonda Sullivan’s birthday, and if he missed it, he wouldn’t make up for it. He often reminded Rhonda to be patient with her younger sister and to be good to her.
Even if it was a facade, her father at least put in a lot of effort for that facade.
Ruby Sullivan sighed and then steeled herself. She couldn’t allow herself to keep dwelling on this. She had suffered enough losses, and whatever past kindness there was, she had long repaid it. Enough!
At dinner, Honey suddenly asked, "Mom, haven’t you visited your dad in a long ti?"
Ruby Sullivan was startled, "It’s been a while. Why?"
"I think Mom should go see your dad. If I don’t see my dad for a long ti, I’d really miss him, and Dad would really miss too. Dad, isn’t that right?"
Ruby Sullivan frowned, "Mom will think about it."
Seth observed his mom’s expression carefully and said after so consideration, "Actually, Sweetie and I don’t really rember what happened back then. I think Grandpa probably didn’t an to hurt us. He was... too clear-headed, which led him to do those things."
Ruby Sullivan tilted her head to glance at Ethan Sterling, who was quietly eating, seemingly indifferent.
She could only respond with a perfunctory smile, "Mom understands."
In the evening, Ethan Sterling entered the room, seeing Ruby Sullivan with a cold look on her face, "What’s wrong?"
"Mr. Sterling, shouldn’t you volunteer so explanations?"
Ethan Sterling got into bed, trying to hug her, but was disdainfully pushed aside. He resigned himself, lying with his left hand pulling his right hand, placed in front of his body, and said helplessly, "Dr. Lawson called , saying your dad went to the hospital for a check-up a few days ago. His health is poor, with signs of Alzheir’s, though it hasn’t been confird yet."
Ruby Sullivan murmured, "So what? I already said it’s got nothing to do with ."
"I don’t have many mories of my dad, but as a child, I found it hard not to think of him. Honestly, when we first got married, I envied that you had such a good dad," Ethan Sterling said sincerely.
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