CHAPTER 121: CHAPTER 121: KNOTS IN THE HEART

Ruby Sullivan took two steps back, hesitated to answer, blinked her eyes, and said tentatively, "Is... it Honey?"

"Ah, you guessed it!" Leon Sterling was quite surprised, "As expected of her real mom." Of course, he couldn’t tell her the truth, because even he didn’t want to face that truth himself.

Ruby Sullivan smiled brightly, her mood lightened by his exaggerated expression.

She genuinely liked Charles’ work and truly didn’t want any more emotional entanglement with Leon Sterling. Not to mention she’s now Ethan Sterling’s wife, even if she wasn’t someday, she wouldn’t have any special relationship with Leon Sterling.

If given the chance, she hoped to have a simpler love in this life, to live a simple life of three meals a day with one person.

Thinking of this, she stopped in front of a painting, one depicting the sea and seagulls, with a small... restaurant? by the shore.

It must be wonderful to dine in such a restaurant.

Leon Sterling noticed her expression and kept it in mind.

When they left the exhibition, it was already past lunchtime. After some internal struggle, Ruby Sullivan finally called Ethan Sterling, but there was no answer.

She sighed, "Maybe he’s still sleeping."

"So... are you having lunch with me, or going back to find my brother?"

Ruby Sullivan pursed her lips, "Let me treat you to lunch as a thank you for inviting me to the exhibition." It was actually because Leon Sterling’s clear eyes made it impossible for her to refuse.

"Alright, I’ve heard there’s an old tavern nearby that makes especially delicious pumpkin pie." Leon Sterling was as happy as a child, reaching out to take her hand. Seeing her instinctively dodge, he changed the gesture and walked ahead with a smile.

*

Upon waking, the first reaction Ethan Sterling had was that Ruby Sullivan was not there.

He shouted her name a few times but got no response. Fully awake, he hurriedly got out of bed, looked around the suite and, not finding her, quickly grabbed his phone, only to see she had called him an hour ago.

Ethan Sterling let out a long breath, finally realizing he had been panicking, though unsure of what exactly had triggered his anxiety. Ruby Sullivan’s English was no worse than his, so it wouldn’t be too problematic for her to go out alone.

He calmed down a bit and then returned her call, "Why did you go out by yourself?"

On the other end, Ruby Sullivan seemed to be laughing, and when she spoke, the amusement was still in her voice, "Are you awake? I’m having lunch with Don. He’s holding an exhibition in Novaniel this week."

Ethan Sterling, hearing she was with his brother, felt his newly relaxed brows tensing up again, "Why didn’t you ask me to join?"

"I did, you said you wanted to sleep." Ruby Sullivan’s voice had returned to normal.

Ethan Sterling was about to argue, then vaguely remembered muttering something while half-asleep, so he pursed his lips and swallowed back his words, "Then... send me the location, I’ll come to find you two."

"Alright." Ruby Sullivan said before hanging up and sending over the location of the restaurant.

"Is big brother coming over?" Leon Sterling inquired.

Ruby Sullivan nodded, "Mm, let’s get another cup of coffee, it’ll take him a while to get here."

"Ha, when you’re having coffee and listening to my stories, don’t laugh so hard you spit it out." Leon Sterling warned her with raised eyebrows.

Ruby Sullivan recalled the jokes from earlier, covered her mouth, and nodded, "I’ll try my best."

She didn’t know that this artist from The Sterling Family not only had an ageless face but also had quite a collection of jokes from ancient to modern times, and with his expressive performance, it almost made her die of laughter.

When Ethan Sterling finally rushed into the restaurant, he immediately spotted the two sitting by the window.

Ruby Sullivan loved sitting by the window; in any restaurant with windows, she’d always choose a seat by one. She said she liked to look at the bustling scenes while eating.

Seeing her smiling face, he hesitated to enter, fearing that his appearance might wipe away her relaxed smile.

While he was dazed, Ruby Sullivan noticed him, and seeing him just standing there, she called him. As he answered, he naturally looked over and saw her waving to him through the window.

"Come on in, we’re by the window. You saw me, right?"

"Mm." Ethan Sterling replied, surprised at the drop in his own tone.

He walked into the restaurant, turned and looked forward, and saw Ruby Sullivan sitting in a corner by the window, with Leon Sterling turning around to give him the same smile.

Ethan Sterling quickly walked over and sat down beside Ruby Sullivan, "Did you guys finish eating?"

"Yes, this restaurant’s seafood is very fresh. If you don’t mind sweet things, I’d recommend trying a pie. Any flavor is great." Leon Sterling cheerfully suggested.

Ethan Sterling glanced at the menu presented by the server, ordered a seafood pasta set, and added one of the pies recommended by Leon Sterling.

Listening to the brothers chatting casually, Ruby Sullivan caught a faint hint of sadness in Ethan Sterling’s eyes.

He was unhappy, and she wanted to pretend not to notice.

Ruby Sullivan disliked her keen observation, suspecting it was a side effect of loving him—caring too much meant she focused all her attention on him, noticing even the slightest displeasure, even a slightly off gaze.

Yet, being able to read his moods without understanding his thoughts proved useless. It would be better if she couldn’t notice anything at all.

She expected Ethan Sterling to refuse eating lunch here, but surprisingly, he stayed and occasionally asked Leon Sterling about work, eating his meal slower than usual.

As a companion, if Leon Sterling didn’t engage her, she would turn her head to watch the pedestrians outside, imagining the stories behind each of them.

Her mentor said imagination is an essential skill for every Perfumer, so she shouldn’t let her mind go idle and should let it roam freely when there’s time.

So, when Ethan Sterling called her, she was daydreaming, staring at a cloud in the sky.

Ethan Sterling paused for a moment, waved his hand in front of her eyes, "Not leaving?"

Ruby Sullivan blushed and, with a smile feigning flattery, said, "Boss, have you finished eating?"

Ethan Sterling shot her a look, "Yes, finished." Thinking to himself, "Boss your sister, if it weren’t for Leon Sterling being here, he would pinched her cheek until she repeated it."

Leon Sterling observed their odd expressions and deliberately averted his gaze, "Do you have any plans afterwards?"

"No comment." Ethan Sterling replied without courtesy, seeming to joke, "This is our first honeymoon, and riffraff like you should stay out of it."

Leon Sterling burst into laughter, "Sister-in-law, when did big brother become such a kid?"

It seemed to be the first time he called her sister-in-law, Ruby Sullivan smiled, ready to respond, but then met Ethan Sterling’s threatening gaze and reluctantly said, "I don’t think he’s childish."

Ethan Sterling was satisfied, and as she walked forward a few steps, he took the initiative to hold her hand.

Leon Sterling said he was going back to the art exhibition. As he watched them leave in a taxi, the smile on his face slowly faded, eventually transforming into a desolate look in his eyes.