CHAPTER 53: CHAPTER 53: PARTING ON BAD TERMS

Ethan Sterling furrowed his eyebrows as he carefully thought through what Wenny had said, guessing some of what happened, and exhaled long, confessing: "The night Ruby Sullivan ran away from home, Rhonda Sullivan was pushed down the stairs by her and went to the emergency room. I only got back home from the hospital the next day, and the servants said she was taken away by Faye Truman."

In his understanding, men and women cannot have pure friendships, so he always had a distaste for Faye Truman, especially after he received a divorce agreement from Ruby Sullivan through her lawyer shortly thereafter, which made him more certain that their relationship was not ordinary.

However, he did not expect that Ruby Sullivan did not appear even when Brandon Sullivan had a stroke and was hospitalized.

Left with no choice, Ethan Sterling could only go to Faye Truman to ask for Ruby, but the answer he got was that she had left.

Had it not been for knowing the deep bond between the father and daughter and sensing that things were not so simple, he would not have wanted to bother with Brandon Sullivan’s affairs.

Ruby Sullivan studied his face carefully, sensing that he was not lying, and besides, Ethan Sterling had no reason to lie at such a time. She paused, bowed her head in contemplation for a moment, then opened her mouth and said slowly: "That night, Ruby Sullivan was tied up by the servants and forced to drink a bowl of abortion medicine, then locked in the room to die. The servants said it was your order, asking her to quickly give up her place for Mrs. Sterling."

She caught her breath, constantly reminding herself to stay calm, but the hatred in her eyes was uncontrollable.

"She struggled to call Faye Truman. He came overnight with people to break into The Sterling Family and take Ruby Sullivan away. At that time, Ruby Sullivan was already unconscious. When she woke up and learned that her father was in the hospital, she intended to return, but was stopped by Faye Truman. To protect the child in her belly, she endured."

She sniffed, biting her lower lip and remaining silent for a long time until the burning sensation stuck in her throat subsided a bit, "Rhonda Sullivan was not pushed down by her. Rhonda Sullivan told her she was pregnant with your child and deliberately misstepped to frame Ruby, saying she wanted to take everything from Ruby, so..." Ruby Sullivan exhaled deeply, "Upon learning her father was hospitalized and The Sullivan Group changed hands, Ruby assumed this was a collusion between you and Rhonda Sullivan, and as she herself was pregnant and weak, she could only endure and plan her next steps."

Ethan Sterling listened to her words, his face turning darker and darker, and by the end, his face was ashen, "Why didn’t she come to me and confront me? Even if she sought help from other men, she wouldn’t come to me, her husband, to clarify things?"

Ruby Sullivan listened to his tone of questioning and his anger against fate and the world, and couldn’t help but sneer, "Confront you? Having been commanded by you to abort the child, then being forcibly fed abortion medicine by your people, and with her only support, her father, in the hospital, critically ill and his life uncertain, how is she supposed to confront you? Does she think her own life is too long?"

"So, Faye Truman is more trustworthy than me, right?" Ethan Sterling retorted.

Ruby Sullivan was baffled by his tone and gaze. "Mr. Sterling, are you implying Faye Truman and Ruby Sullivan have an affair?"

"Does Miss Wenny really believe in pure friendship between men and women?"

Ruby Sullivan was amused by his bizarre deduction, leaving her speechless for a while, "If she liked Faye Truman, what does that have to do with you? Besides, if Ruby Sullivan had the mind for an extramarital affair, she wouldn’t be blind to the affair between you and Rhonda Sullivan!"

Ethan Sterling became even more irritated, glaring at her, his lips moving without a word, and after a long standoff, he laughed angrily, "Fine, if you admit you’re Rhonda Sullivan, I’ll give you The Sullivan Group."

Ruby Sullivan verified his gaze back and forth, eventually chuckling softly, "Mr. Sterling, as the saying goes, it’s better to believe ghosts exist in this world than a man’s words. The Sullivan Group, no matter how fallen, is not just a house or a car under your name, and besides, even a house or a car requires a transfer process, right?"

Ethan Sterling curled the corner of his lips, "I have a habit of losing patience easily. This is your last chance, take it or leave it."

Ruby Sullivan raised her eyebrows, deliberately shifting to another topic, "Now that you know your relationship with Holly, her condition awaits your bone marrow. Mr. Sterling... wouldn’t you truly abandon your own flesh and blood?"

Ethan Sterling’s expression suddenly turned deadly serious, "Bone marrow... I will find it."

"Holly’s condition is very special. Even if a half-matched stranger’s bone marrow transplant is successful, there’s a high risk of complications. It’s just a bone marrow, are you really that precious about yourself?" Ruby Sullivan looked at him incredulously, chilled to the bone.

Even a stranger might agree out of pity for poor, young Holly, but he... was unwilling to even match.

Ethan Sterling, wearing a stoic face and saying nothing, suddenly stood up and said in a low voice, "Tonight I’ll have Mama Bennett come over." With that, he walked away.

Ruby Sullivan watched his back, tears welling in her eyes. Ethan Sterling, your heart is indeed ruthless!

This conversation left Ruby Sullivan physically and mentally exhausted, as if she saw the end too soon and felt hopeless regardless of her efforts.

Such a person like Ethan Sterling, even if he had known about Rhonda Sullivan’s scheme back then, would he have stood in front of Ruby to protect her?

Ruby Sullivan smiled bitterly, how could that be possible?

She didn’t want to bring her negative emotions home, so she drove a long way on the loop until she didn’t feel as stifled, then turned back home.

Mama Bennett was already preparing dinner at home. Faye Truman was sitting on the floor playing with two kids with Lego. Seeing her enter, Holly immediately climbed up and ran toward her with open arms, "Mom, you’re back. Holly missed you so much."

Ruby Sullivan smiled, patting her daughter’s head, at once comforting and bittersweet, "Have you been good today?"

"Holly has been very obedient."

Hearing this, Mama Bennett walked out of the kitchen with a smile, "Dinner will be ready soon."

Ruby Sullivan nodded and looked toward the living room, only to find Seth staring at her longingly, lowering his head when their eyes met.

The weary Ruby Sullivan had no mind to ponder the thoughts of children, so she changed into her home clothes and came out to sit on the sofa.

"Why do you look so worn out?" Faye Truman stood up and sat next to her, "Why do you look so unwell?"

"Overtime work is tiring." She smiled to cover it up, "How are you traveling tomorrow?"

"I bought a train ticket, so you don’t have to worry."

Ruby Sullivan sighed, leaning against the sofa, tilting her head to look at him, "It’d be better if you lived closer."

Faye Truman mischievously raised an eyebrow, "Oh, have you realized how important this big brother is now?"

"I’ve always known, alright."

Faye Truman, like spoiling his little sister, raised a hand to ruffle her hair.

At this moment, Mama Bennett called them to dinner, so he happily responded and led the children to wash their hands.

Seth hesitated, avoiding Faye Truman’s hand, and turned to look at Ruby Sullivan, full of guilt, "Auntie Wenny, sorry, I... didn’t protect Holly well."

Ruby Sullivan was surprised, not expecting Seth to care so much about this matter. Thinking of his background, she couldn’t help but feel more compassion for him, "Good boy, you’ve done very well, now go wash your hands."

"Then... can I stay tonight?"

Ruby Sullivan smiled and nodded, but was a little worried thinking about the elder Mrs. Sterling, "Does your great-grandmother know?"

Seth nodded, "She should know, my dad agreed."

Ruby Sullivan hesitated, thinking about Ethan Sterling, then smiled again, "Let’s have dinner first." After all, the child isn’t wrong.

At The Sterling Family, the elder Mrs. Sterling was having a hard time with her grandson, "Do you always let our Seth spend the night at other people’s places? If he likes to be with his classmates, he can invite friends over to our house. I rarely come back, and I haven’t seen my great-grandson all day. Where exactly did you send him?"

Ethan Sterling soothed her back, helping the old lady calm down, "His classmate is having a birthday party, and a few boys are staying over for a pillow fight at night. Would you really spoil the fun by making me forcibly bring him back?"

The elder Mrs. Sterling gave him a sideways glance, "Hmph, I don’t care where you sent Seth to, but make sure to bring him back tomorrow. Also, I want to host a birthday party for Rhonda this Saturday at home. She’s been by your side long enough and deserves a title."

Ethan Sterling frowned, wanting to argue a few words.

The elder Mrs. Sterling stood up, not giving him a chance to stop her, "I’m tired. If you don’t want to give me a heart attack, don’t interrupt."

Ethan Sterling sighed, watching his grandmother’s tottering figure, truly unable to speak. If the elderly lady knew all of Rhonda Sullivan’s actions, it would really give her a heart attack.