The act of Grace pinning the brooch on Ethan brought the two of them physically closer. Although Grace tried her best to maintain a respectful distance, she could still feel Ethan backing off slightly the moment she leaned in.
She quickly pinned it on and immediately sat straight.
"Mr. Henderson, let's dig in. I'm guessing you must be hungry too." Ethan watched her wipe the utensils, then raised his hand to lightly touch the brooch, which still carried a trace of her warmth.
His mood relaxed visibly, and Grace finally let out a sigh of relief.
Just as she was about to say something, Daphne's voice suddenly rang out from outside.
Grace had picked this location just so she could enjoy sgood . Meanwhile, in the next room, Julian had chere to meet a very important business partner. However, Daphne's intrusion ruined it all.
The staff from Sidler Group were also present, yet Daphne barged right in boldly.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Mr. Sidler, my boyfriend is the Sidler family's illegitimate son-your half-brother. Why don't you give him a share of the Sidler family's assets? By rights, he has a legal claim to inheritance.
"Why should he be left aside, forgotten in the shadows? He may be kind and doesn't fight you over it, but that doesn't mean I won't! Now that everyone's here, I demand an explanation!" Although Daphne was not favored in the Yule family, she had met Julian many times and naively thought that he might show her slevel of respect for Simon's sake.
Instead, Julian lit his lighter with a soft click, then flicked it off again. His face carried a faint, mocking smile. Daphne instantly lost her bravado. The eerie silence in the room only made her look all the more like a fool. "Mr. Sidler, you know my brother. I don't want to speak too bluntly and affect your relationship with him." Grace, listening from the next room, would love to have a chance to dissect Daphne's head to see just what went wrong inside for her to be this stupid.
She had especially asked the server to leave the door to her room slightly ajar just so she could eavesdrop. She was listening so intently that she didn't notice Ethan's gaze had been fixed on her face the entire time.
She propped her chin up, frowning, then slowly relaxed. If she were Julian, she would've had Daphne thrown out immediately and then dealt with that illegitimate half-brother.
But then, she heard Julian casually ask, "Who sent you?" There was no way a fool like Daphne would be here without someone pulling sstrings behind the scenes.
Daphne felt her face burn with embarrassment as she realized that she was being humiliated. Julian hadn't even taken her seriously.
"Julian Sidler! Don't you worry about who senthere. I'm here to fight for my boyfriend's rights. He's a Sidler and deserves a share of the Sidler family's assets!" A cold glint flashed in Julian's eyes. He ordered the men beside him, "Bringher phone." Two bodyguards immediately approached Daphne.
She instinctively stepped back in fear, but the bodyguards showed no mercy, snatching her phone straight out of her hands.
"I'll call the police! I'll call " Before she could finish, someone covered her mouth.
Julian checked the recent messages, and sure enough, found an unknown number. He raised his eyebrows and tossed the phone to one of his men.
"Check it." Then, he looked at the others in the room. "My apologies, but I have a private matter to deal with." Even the boldest business partners wouldn't dare kick him while he was down. Everyone knew how powerful the Sidler family's political connections were.
"No problem. Don't worry about it. Since Mr. Sidler is busy today, we can just reschedule." The partners and the other staff from Sidler Group all quickly got up and slipped away quietly.
Soon, only Julian's bodyguards and the foolish Daphne were left in the room. Julian sat in the main seat, lit a cigarette, and leaned into his chair. There was a certain villainous aura about him that made others feel they were beneath him.
Daphne's legs went weak. She had.
never seen this side of Julian before.
She was already racked with fear even before he said what he would do to her. Back in the neighboring room, Grace felt her heart skip a beat.
She had underestimated Julian's sharp perception. If this had happened to Simon, he would've first taken care of the loudmouth intruder, then dealt with the O illegitimate son.
But for someone like Julian, who played the long game, cared more about whoever was pulling strings from the shadows.
Sebastian had acquired the burner number she used many years ago, but since it was a domestic number, it had to be registered with a real identity. She had overlooked that detail.
Grace's face turned slightly pale. She refocused herself and turned around, just to meet Ethan's gaze.
She thought he would look away, but he didn't. Instead, he stared directly into her eyes and asked, "Are you nervous?"