CHAPTER 105: CHAPTER 105: THE DEAL

Bellaza, Veridia, in the presidential suite on the top floor of a five-star hotel, Ethan Sterling sat kneeling on the bay window, sipping the familiar wine from his regular vineyard, pretending he was in his own room.

The matters here had already been dealt with, yet he had no desire to return, eagerly hoping that Rhonda Sullivan would create some trouble to delay him. For the past few days, he had been continuously using shell companies to maliciously acquire stock in The Sullivan Group, confident that he could short the stock at any time and proceed to acquisition negotiations.

The current Sullivan Group was already within his grasp.

But he hesitated to make a move, like a hot-blooded young man calming down suddenly after a rush of impulse. After such immense effort, receiving no reciprocation, other thoughts began to take root in his heart.

Suddenly, the phone rang. At this time, it was Howard calling; if it wasn’t a matter of life or death, it must be something so important that it warranted a call.

"Mr. Sterling, Mr. Sullivan is in the hotel lobby, eager to meet with you."

"Mr. Sullivan?"

"Rhonda Sullivan."

Ethan Sterling frowned, swirling the wine in his glass, the expression on his face as unpredictable as the swaying reflections of the wine light.

"Mr. Sterling?" Howard waited for a long time without getting a response, having to gently prompt him.

"Let her come in," Ethan Sterling replied calmly.

Howard hesitated, gathering courage to confirm, "Are you sure you want Rhonda Sullivan to come up to see you?"

"Howard." Ethan Sterling’s voice, now lowered, carried a hint of anger, "When did your ears start malfunctioning? Planning for early retirement?"

Howard felt a chill down his spine, "Mr. Sterling, I’ll bring Mr. Sullivan up right away." He hung up the phone immediately, not daring to hesitate for a single moment longer.

Having been by Ethan Sterling’s side for so long, he clearly knew the boss’s reluctance to return was largely related to Wenny, but he dared not say more or ask more questions, needing to cherish his life. Yet he couldn’t help but feel that the boss’s decision tonight was unwise.

A cornered rabbit still bites; how could Rhonda Sullivan, who has nothing left, be a mere nobody?

Once inside, Rhonda Sullivan locked the door behind her.

She knew he hated the sound of high heels clicking on the floor at night, so she took off her high heels and tossed them aside, carefully stepping towards the inner room. The red nail polish on her toenails shimmered under the light, looking quite pretty.

She wore a relatively loose white chiffon dress, her makeup was extremely light and faint, aside from the nail polish on her toes, her entire figure was simple and colorless, even her fingernails were trimmed short, like a man’s, painted with transparent polish.

Today, she did everything she could to make Ethan Sterling like her.

Finally, she saw the man sitting on the bay window, subconsciously smiling.

She knew that in front of him she was useless, no matter how much mental preparation she did, the moment she saw him she crumbled instantly. And she, was left with only humility.

"Ethan." She softly called out, intending to walk over, but paused, frozen by his cold, piercing gaze as he turned his head.

Ethan Sterling’s eyes held no emotion, his voice was cold, "Let’s make a deal."

"What kind of deal?" Rhonda Sullivan felt a surge of doubt. At this moment, what kind of deal could Ethan Sterling need to make with her?

She had guessed that he was the mastermind behind it all, managing to find him wasn’t easy, hoping that he could recall their past ties and not let her appear too miserable when handing over The Sullivan Group. She initially wanted to take a bold step to prove her importance, but it ended up turning The Sullivan Group into a mere side dish to entertain others on their table.

"Make Wenny embarrassed, make it so she can’t stay in The Sterling Group." Ethan Sterling looked out the window, as if talking about an amusing game, a wicked smile on his lips.

Rhonda Sullivan couldn’t fathom his thoughts, but knew this was her opportunity. She quickly walked over, daringly settled into Ethan Sterling’s lap, wrapped her arms around his neck, and teased, "Wouldn’t making her the most embarrassed mean watching me become Mrs. Sterling?"

Ethan Sterling sneered, "You’re overthinking it. Mrs. Sterling, can only be Wenny. Oh, and she has a Chinese name you might be very familiar with." He paused, then softly uttered word by word, "Su, Jin, Ru."

Rhonda Sullivan seemed to have heard a horror story, her face stiffened in shock, "Ethan, you can’t be joking, Ruby she..."

"Regrettably, she didn’t get killed by you." He exerted a little force, pushed her off him, stood up, stretched his muscles, then suddenly smashed the wine glass on the windowsill, gripping Rhonda Sullivan’s neck, "You couldn’t kill her with abortion pills back then, now you can’t hold onto The Sullivan Group either. But if you obediently follow orders, I can make your later life a bit more comfortable."

Rhonda Sullivan saw the harshness in his eyes, filling her heart with fear. Though she could feel his hand wasn’t squeezing hard, her whole body trembled uncontrollably, "What, what do you want me to do?"

Ethan Sterling burst out laughing, "Rhonda Sullivan, with your venomous heart, do you need me to teach you what to do? Or are you going to tell me that you’re not even useful for this?"

He swung his arm, throwing her against the windowsill.

Rhonda Sullivan’s hands landed on the broken glass, immediately getting cut and bleeding all over. She bit her lip but still shed tears, not knowing if the pain was in her hands or her heart.

She took a deep breath, enduring the pain to ask, "What can I get in return?"

"I have a nice vineyard in Bellaza, with your ability, it would certainly be enough for a future livelihood."

"Alright," Rhonda Sullivan agreed without hesitation. She knew she didn’t have the power to bargain. But she couldn’t be content being anyone’s pawn.

*

In Hannah Ford’s office, she carefully observed the scab on Cindy Sterling’s face, gently pulling off dead skin with tweezers, "Watch your diet, it shouldn’t flare up again. If you see any red spots, come to me immediately."

"Alright, thank you, Professor Ford." Cindy stood up, offering her thanks, and glanced at Nathaniel Truman sitting beside her, "I’ll wait for you outside then."

"Why?" Nathaniel felt puzzled.

"It’s so rare for you to meet an old classmate, you should chat a bit more." She said as she blinked at Hannah Ford, then quickly ran out.

Hannah was momentarily taken aback, a bit awkwardly tucking hair behind her ear, feeling uneasy, "Is the tea... good?"

"Yes, when has the tea from your hometown ever been bad?" Nathaniel chuckled awkwardly, every cell in his body feeling uneasy.

"Actually, I’ve always wanted to ask you, why did you suddenly transfer your work back to Ariston?"

"Oh." Nathaniel smiled, answering honestly, "Ruby’s back, I have to take care of that silly girl."

Hannah momentarily spaced out, then laughed, "Of course, who else could make you leave your parents and be so headstrong. Well, off you go, I... need to get some rest, still have classes in the afternoon."

"Hmm, let’s catch up again sometime, I’m leaving. Oh, and thanks for your help this time."

Hannah smiled, "Next time, bring your girlfriend along."

Nathaniel smiled but didn’t respond to that remark.

Cindy Sterling was pacing back and forth at the entrance of the lab building, counting mindlessly, when she suddenly got hit on the head. Looking up, she saw Nathaniel Truman’s angry face.

"Kid, you’re quite arrogant, aren’t you!" Nathaniel squeezed her nose unceremoniously until Cindy cried out before letting go.