CHAPTER 86: CHAPTER 86: STERLING BROTHERS

Half an hour later, Ethan Sterling arrived once again at Ruby Sullivan’s apartment complex, and to avoid Honey, Ruby met him at a cafe opposite the neighborhood.

Ethan Sterling was dressed casually, his hair freshly washed and fluffy, making him look several years younger. However, his expression was so gloomy that it warned everyone within a three-meter radius not to disturb him.

Ruby Sullivan, mentally prepared, faced his sharp gaze and still managed to put on a smile. She sat down unhurriedly and first ordered a fruit tea from the waiter.

"In a month, I’ll give you The Sullivan Group." Ethan Sterling’s eyes were sharp as if he could kill, and his voice was low, each word carrying an irrefutable force.

Ruby Sullivan didn’t expect she was worth such a high price in his eyes, and she felt somewhat gratified. This value truly matched the reputation she’d fought for within The Lawson Group.

"Thank you for the honor, Mr. Sterling." She raised an eyebrow, "But The Sullivan Group... isn’t important to me anymore."

Ethan Sterling frowned, "Are you angry about what happened yesterday? Rhonda and I..."

"Enough." Ruby Sullivan interrupted him rudely, staring at him for a long time before lowering her head, suppressing her emotions again, "Ethan Sterling, I’ve told you before, I came back not just to give Ruby Sullivan some dignity but also to cure Honey’s illness. But you refused to get checked at the hospital, and I can’t force you to do it. So... I’ve given up. I’ll take Honey back to Bellaza, and I don’t want to have anything to do with you or Rhonda Sullivan anymore."

Ever since Rhonda Sullivan had threatened her, although she hadn’t backed down, she lived in constant fear. No one wants their daughter to become easy prey. Having lost already, leaving was the only way for her to prevent further loss before completely hitting rock bottom.

Ethan Sterling tightened his lips, wanting to speak but holding back.

Ruby Sullivan sighed, lifted her head, and forced a smile, "Mr. Sterling, I know the contract has a confidentiality clause. If you’d let us have a meal, let me return to The Lawson Group, I can sign another confidentiality agreement with you, ensuring I won’t leak the recipe for Lane Dream."

"I’ve already sent people to find a suitable bone marrow, which is better than you searching alone," Ethan Sterling attempted to persuade her.

"You should go to the hospital yourself, maybe it would get solved immediately. If your genes don’t match, it would at least put my heart at ease. But you..." She laughed, feeling that Ethan Sterling was a joke, "Do you think you act like a father?"

Afraid she’d lose control of her emotions, Ruby Sullivan quickly rose, "I’ve already decided to resign, Mr. Sterling, don’t waste any more time." After speaking, she turned and jogged out of the cafe.

Ethan Sterling was so angry that he punched the table. After a moment of contemplation, he still went after her.

As Ruby Sullivan was waiting at the pedestrian crossing for the red light, she suddenly received a call from Mama Bennett, saying that Honey had climbed up high to reach a toy on the bookshelf and had fallen off the chair, hitting her forehead.

Mama Bennett’s voice was already tearful over the phone, and Ruby Sullivan immediately hung up, disregarding the traffic as she waved her arms and rushed onto the street.

A car braked sharply, almost hitting her. The driver leaned out to scold her, seeing she didn’t even offer an apology and was about to continue forward, he got anxious and got out of the car, wanting to teach her a lesson.

But at that moment, Ethan Sterling grabbed his arm.

"Sorry, we have an emergency." Ethan Sterling said, slipping a few bills into the man’s hand and hurriedly rushed to Ruby Sullivan’s side and took her hand.

Ruby Sullivan turned her head in panic, tears streaming down her face, "Honey is hurt."

Ethan Sterling took a deep breath and tightened his grip on her hand, "Follow me." He carefully watched the traffic, grabbed the right moment, and led her across the street.

Twenty minutes later, Ethan Sterling drove Honey to Mercy Hospital at breakneck speed.

Not long after, Doctor Zane Lawson came out of the operating room, looking grave, "The hospital’s O-blood might not be enough, the child needs a transfusion, are you O-blood?" he asked Ruby Sullivan.

Ruby Sullivan shook her head, "I’m B-blood," then looked at Ethan Sterling, "I remember, you’re O-blood, right?"

When she was at the Sterling family, they both had annual physicals, and she remembered Ethan Sterling’s blood type clearly.

"He can’t donate blood," Zane Lawson answered decisively.

Ethan Sterling suddenly thought of Leon Sterling, "I’ll immediately call Don, he’s O-blood."

After Ethan Sterling hung up, Ruby Sullivan immediately asked, "Why can’t you donate blood?"

Ethan Sterling sighed, "I have the same illness as Honey. I had a bone marrow transplant when I was very young, and blood transfusions or significant blood loss could trigger a relapse or complications." He leaned against the wall, feeling much lighter after speaking, "Do you think I don’t want to save Honey? I’m helpless."

Ruby Sullivan was completely stunned.

She thought she knew everything about Ethan Sterling, yet she didn’t even know he had endured such a severe illness.

Ethan Sterling turned his head to look at her, his usually sharp gaze now filled with helplessness, "I wanted you to abort the child back then because I was afraid my child would have this illness too." He averted his gaze, unable to look at her anymore, "My grandmother was a carrier of a coagulation disorder gene, my father died from rejection after a bone marrow transplant. Medically, they say it doesn’t pass to male heirs in the family, but I was diagnosed at birth, nearly died when my umbilical cord was cut."

Ruby Sullivan opened her mouth dryly, feeling a bit confused, "Didn’t you say you didn’t give me abortion drugs?"

"I hoped you would go for an abortion, in a hospital, using a proper method, you were my wife, how could I harm you?" Ethan Sterling explained weakly.

"You..." Ruby Sullivan was stunned, even forgetting to clarify that she wasn’t Ruby Sullivan, "Didn’t you like Rhonda Sullivan at that time?"

Ethan Sterling gave a bitter smile, turned to look at her, and self-deprecatingly said, "If I said I didn’t even know what it means to like someone, would you believe me?"

Ruby Sullivan lowered her head, speechless.

The tangled threads in her mind all connected to one point: if Ethan Sterling’s bone marrow couldn’t be used, then who could save Honey?

While they waited for Leon Sterling to arrive, the nurse delivered blood bags to the operating room three times—each time seemingly bringing Honey closer to the brink of death.

Fortunately, Leon Sterling finally appeared at the hospital half an hour later, and after undergoing relevant checks, was immediately arranged into the operating room.

Before long, a nurse came out from the operating room, urgently addressing Ruby Sullivan, "Quickly change into sterile clothes, Leon Sterling has a severe phobia, and needs you with him." With that, she took Ruby Sullivan away—time was critical.

If Leon Sterling fainted inside, there’s no way he could donate blood.

In the operating room, under the shadowless lamp, Leon Sterling was soaked with sweat. For the first time in many years, he found himself in a hospital, unexpectedly still filled with overwhelming fear, fearing to the point where the nurses’ and doctors’ comforting words blurred into indistinct noise.

After an unknown period, someone took his hand, and Ruby Sullivan crouched by his side, choking out, "Don, I’m here, don’t be afraid."