CHAPTER 318: CHAPTER 318: RELYING FOR A LIFETIME

He didn’t want to see Serena Jennings being so soft-hearted.

Once, they were indeed friends with Lana Xavier.

But the one who first betrayed friendship for love was Lana Xavier.

If Serena so easily forgave Lana Xavier, then Lana might betray her again and again in the future.

Ethan White didn’t want Serena to be hurt again.

In the end, Serena didn’t turn back, and it was impossible for her to comfort Lana Xavier.

She knew that Lana Xavier didn’t feel good, but her own heart didn’t feel good either.

"Alright, stop thinking about her... I’ll accompany you back to the company."

Meeting Ethan White’s gentle and elegant gaze, Serena nodded.

"I feel like you have a kind of magic."

"Hmm? How so?"

Ethan White tilted his head and asked.

"I mean... every time you comfort me, it’s really effective, my heart feels warm, and I feel safe... but sometimes, I feel like I’m too dependent on you."

Hearing Serena’s words, Ethan White’s eyes brightened.

"Hearing you say that, I’m quite flattered!"

Serena’s face involuntarily blossomed into a smile.

"Serena, I actually hope you can always rely on me..."

Rely on me for a lifetime.

The last half of the sentence, Ethan White only thought to himself, not saying it out loud.

He was afraid of scaring Serena.

Serena was already very clear about his feelings for her.

What Serena needed now was to gradually get used to his presence and accept his love.

Ethan White gazed at Serena’s beautiful profile, his curved eyebrows and eyes tinged with tenderness.

Although Ethan White wasn’t an employee of the Lockwood Group, everyone in the company knew he and Serena were high school classmates and that he was pursuing her.

And ever since the company experienced issues, Ethan White had been constantly helping Serena, always by her side.

As a result, many people already assumed Ethan White as Serena’s boyfriend.

Seeing Ethan White accompany Serena back to work was no surprise to them.

After returning to the company, Serena found out that Mr. Sanders had taken a leave.

Caleb Lockwood was also absent from work, but he hadn’t taken leave.

Serena couldn’t help but wonder if Caleb Lockwood had truly backed out.

Currently, the Lockwood Group was being saved with Ethan White’s help.

She also spent all her time with Ethan White.

Moreover, last time in Meridia at the hotel, she had made it clear to Caleb Lockwood—

Compensation is not love.

If she were Caleb Lockwood, by now she would have given up trying to win her back.

Sitting in the general manager’s office, Serena propped her chin with one hand, looking at the rebounding stock of the Lockwood Group, feeling somewhat distracted.

The acquisition pace from Solara Tech had stopped, which let Serena breathe a sigh of relief.

She had previously thought about whether the Lockwood family’s capital, like Arthur Lockwood’s company, might take advantage.

But after monitoring them for a while, Arthur Lockwood hadn’t made any moves.

Serena thought this must have been Lance Lockwood’s doing.

There was no one else but Lance Lockwood who could protect her vested interests like this.

Same as grandpa...

A wry smile of self-mockery appeared on Serena’s face.

How nice it would be if Lance Lockwood were her biological grandfather...

Sometimes Serena thought the reason she felt especially close to Lance Lockwood was perhaps due to missing grandfather’s love that she had always lacked from childhood to adulthood.

Serena closed her laptop and opened a drawer to take out a photo frame.

This photo frame was something she went to retrieve from The Linton Family’s private residence on Jasper Linton’s seventieth birthday.

It was something she had wanted for a long time but hadn’t managed to take back.

The photo inside was a picture of her and her grandmother.

If there was anyone who protected her when she was still Chloe Linton,

it was her grandmother.

But the heavens were unfair, and her grandmother passed away early.

Serena gazed at the photo of herself and her grandmother, and as she looked, her eyes involuntarily became moist.

Suddenly, the notification sound of WeChat broke the silence of the office.

Serena picked up her phone and tapped on WeChat, her fingers froze.

Can we still be friends?

This WeChat message was from Lana Xavier.

Serena’s already unsettled heart was once again disturbed.

She placed her phone face down on the desk, not replying.

She didn’t know how to reply.

Nightfall came quietly.

"Serena, have you finished your work? I know a nice western restaurant, let’s go eat together!"

Ethan White knocked on Serena’s office door.

"No, I’m not really hungry... I just want to go home and cook some noodles..."

After saying this, Serena forced a somewhat reluctant smile at Ethan White.

Ethan White had an intuition that something was making Serena unhappy, but she didn’t want to talk about it.

Serena wanted to be alone for a while.

Ethan White’s lips moved, as if he wanted to say something but didn’t.

"Alright, I’ll take you another day then... Drive safely on your way home, send me a WeChat when you get there."

Ethan White’s reminder made Serena chuckle silently.

She was no child.

But she knew this was Ethan White’s way of caring for her.

Ethan White was truly gentle and considerate, unlike Caleb Lockwood.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, Serena left the Lockwood Group.

However, she didn’t go home but drove to a bar.

Serena rarely went to bars.

She wasn’t familiar with them either.

Bars were full of a mix of people and an ambiance she didn’t like. To avoid trouble, she called Patrick Rhodes first.

Patrick immediately recommended five or six bars to her.

Originally, Patrick thought Serena trusted him and would go to his recommended bars for drinks.

But Serena told him that she was going to avoid all those bars.

After all, the places Patrick usually hung around weren’t all that decent.

After marking the places to avoid, Serena searched online and eventually chose a bar with a good reputation and ratings.

During her rebellious period, Serena was quite rebellious.

She dyed her hair grandma gray and smoked constantly.

However, she never drank outside.

Because she didn’t like making herself unclear-headed.

The bar she had meticulously chosen had a bit of a sci-fi vibe to its decor, with just the right amount of people.

Serena sat at the bar and ordered a rum with ice.

She repeatedly checked her WeChat.

Repeatedly deleting the words she typed.

After a glass of rum, she still hadn’t responded to Lana Xavier’s message.

"Hey beautiful, alone?"

"Why don’t we buy you a drink, how about it?"

Two men sandwiched Serena in the middle, one on each side.

A single woman in a bar is likely to run into this kind of situation.

Serena glancing furtively at the two men.

Both were short, skinny, and reeked of alcohol, clearly having had too much.

Serena’s mood was already sour over Lana Xavier’s situation, and if these two dared to harass her, she was ready to use them as a punching bag and beat them fiercely.

The silence from Serena made one of the men impatient, reaching out to hug her shoulder.

Serena was just about to act, when suddenly, a figure appeared behind her.

The next second, the man’s wrist was snapped with a crack.