Chapter 0081
Michael’s gaze glued to the second floor as if it.were tethered there, even as he conversed with others, his eyes didn’t waver.
To think that Ethan, solo’ since birth for over two decades, could possibly break his streak-what good soul could withstand that?
“Should we call Silver Helm’s little sister over?” Michael pondered
aloud.
William collapsed back onto the sofa, still weary, and muttered lazily,” No one’s sick, why call her over?”
The medic who had attended to Madison’s arm wound that day at the Wood Lake Vistas was none other than Silver Helm’s sister, Silver
Ginger.
They held foreign nationality and their surnames differed.
As they discussed, Madison descended the stairs, sleep still clingi to her eyes, buttoning her cuffs as she went.
“You’re up, goddess!” Jessica was quick to greet her.
Madison nodded in acknowledgment.
After all, it was a new place and, combined with the previous day’s events, her sleep had been anything but restful.
Upon her arrival, Michael’s gaze swept over her from head to toe, appraising her as one might an expensive antique.
Madison, noticing his scrutiny, smiled back, “Is something wrong, Lawyer Zhou?”
“No, no, no…” Michael’s throat bobbed as he spoke, “Is… President Grant still asleep?”
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Assuming that they hadn’t seen Ethan yet, he should indeed be sleeping.
As Madison confirmed with a nod, Michael’s heart thumped wildly. About to phone someone, he spotted a woman entering through the front door.
He immediately called out to her, “Evel, hey, get Silver Ginger on the line, and ask her to bring some stuff over.”
This woman, known as ‘Evel’, had distinct mixed-race features at first glance. Her pupils were a light brown, her eye sockets more profound than those of most Asians, yet her other features didn’t significantly differ from an Asian’s-except for her notably cold demeanor and piercing gaze.
Hearing Michael’s request, Evel looked up, placed the object in her hand down, and, without a word, walked away.
Michael, feeling slighted as she left, called after her with hands on his hips, “Hey, I’m talking to you! Evel? Evel!”
His voice echoed after her.
Madison watched, bemused by the interaction.
This was…
Jessica seemed accustomed to it, continuing with her cooking and serving up meals at the table.
Speaking of cooking, it was mostly reheated takeout!
Meanwhile, William was forcing himself to wake up fully.
Upstairs.
Ethan, having drunk heavily through the night, had only gone to bed at
dawn and had barely slept for four or five hours.
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He stepped out with a cigarette hanging from his lips, donning one of Michael’s shirts, only to encounter the aloof woman head-on.
She halted, then stood erect, her hands flush against her sides,
bowing at a precise forty-five-degree angle, her respectful demeanor impeccable.
“President Grant.”
Ethan, with cigarette clamped between his teeth, his eyes still raw from sleep, methodically fastened his shirt’s cuffs.
“Evel,” he acknowledged quietly.
Evel, who dared give Michael the cold shoulder, dared not do the same to this man…
As Ethan descended to the first floor, Michael followed in hot pursuit, fuming but instantly altering his demeanor upon sight of Ethan, “Oh, Boss Jiang’s awake, eh? Looking a bit off-color, aren’t you?”
Ethan didn’t quite grasp the jest and wasn’t interested in engaging bypassing him as he continued on.
Michael proceeded with his search, “Evel!”
Thus, the entire breakfast time echoed with Michael’s calling.
Ethan sat beside Madison, appearing to have little appetite, persistently serving her food despite this.
“I can’t eat all this,” Madison said, eyeing her bowl, piled high like a small mountain.
Ethan glanced at her wrist, “Eat more, you’ll get used to it, you’re a bit thin.”
Madison took a sip of water, “Are you mistaking what ‘thin’ means?”
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Her figure was indeed well-proportioned, far from thin, very symmetrical except for her collarbone and wrists, no obvious bony protrusions.
Such a physique, in anyone’s eyes, was the epitome of perfection.
Without another word, Ethan dropped his chopsticks and casually pinched her waist, then commented, “Thin.”
“Cough, cough!” Madison was caught off guard by his sudden pinch, ending up choking.
Although it was just the side of her waist and through clothes, and his grip wasn’t heavy, it was…
Jessica saw the exchange, of course, but chose to play blind.
“Here, William, have some more. You love frog legs, don’t you?” Jessica kept adding frog legs to William’s bowl.
William’s face nearly turned green, struggling to maintain his polite facade as he forced the frog legs into his mouth.
When he finally could, he whispered a reminder, “Miss, I actually hate frog legs the most.”
“Really?” Jessica looked surprised and confused, “Then who likes them?”
“Your brother.”
“Oh.”
William had grown up eating frog legs. When asked about his childhood, his first response was always ‘my childhood was full of frog legs’, and once grown, he never wanted to eat them again.
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“Isn’t Lawyer Zhou eating?” Madison inquired.
At that moment, Michael’s voice still echoed through the villa, calling’
Evel’.
“He has obsessive-compulsive disorder; he won’t stop until he finds Evel,” William explained.
“Is she that hard to locate?” Madison marveled.
The villa was much smaller than Ethan’s Wood Lake Vistas; finding someone should be straightforward, right?
“Do you know what that woman does for a living, Captain Madison?” William queried.
Madison replied, “Of course not.”
William glanced at the man opposite them but said nothing.
Then Ethan slowly spoke, “In the context of a novel, her profession would be termed ‘assassin.””
“Cough-”
“Splutter-”
Madison’s shock was understandable, her gaze shifting to Jessica, who had practically sprayed her drink all over the food.
Madison and William, who hadn’t finished eating, were speechless.
Jessica, struggling through a coughing fit, her face flushed red, eked out an apology, “I’m sorry… I’ll treat you to a meal… to apologize… cough, cough!”
Ethan gave her a reproachful glance before continuing, “About more than a year ago…”
William interjected, “President Grant, it’s been eleven months and
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twenty-four days.”
The man’s gaze swept over him chillingly, but William nodded with a smile, “Please, continue.”
“She was here to kill me, but there were always people around me. So, she opted for Michael instead and, through a series of mishaps, failed. Michael initially wanted to send her to the international court, but after some thought, I convinced him to keep her here, up to this day.”
“Why keep her? Aren’t you afraid she’ll try again?” Jessica was also discovering the true identity of the mixed-race woman today.
“She was driven to desperation, younger than you, and backing her into a corner wouldn’t benefit me; there was no need for ruthlessness, “Ethan replied casually.
Jessica gave him a thumbs up, “My brother’s the epitome of kindness!
“Kind is kind, but why ‘epitome of kindness’?” Ethan furrowed his brow, “Speak properly.”
“Oh.”
Forget it, he laughed, “Besides, do you think I kept her here out of kindness?”
Madison didn’t understand.
William stepped in to clarify, “Michael is a lawyer; he babbles
incessantly all day long, nearly driving Evel insane. It’s akin to mental torture.”
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