Immediately after, a shadow cast over.
Two extremely handsome men appeared at the door of the private room. One man was rocking a white shirt, top button open, his features exquisitely handsome with an evil yet beautiful smile on his face. The other guy had a completely opposite vibe—handsome, sharp features, thin lips tightly pursed, revealing a cold demeanor. Yurika forgot to breathe, staring at them like they were deities.
Then, something incredible caught her eye. She widened her eyes, grabbed Samantha, and excitedly exclaimed, "Sammie, look, he looks exactly like your son! Could he be your son's daddy?"
As soon as the words fell, the temperature around them plummeted to freezing point. Ethan's face turned extremely dark, giving Samantha a cold stare.
"He... hehe..." Samantha chuckled awkwardly, apologizing, "Mr. Steele, I'm sorry. My friend has no filter in her words. Let me apologize on her behalf."
Her words made Noah's back stiffen suddenly. In his mind, a 'bang' sounded, and his small face turned pale in an instant. He muttered to himself, ‘It's my father. Oh no, oh no, he won't recognize me, right? If my father finds out, all my plan will go down the drain.’
He dared not look back, afraid that Ethan would recognize him.
But Charlotte wasn't afraid. Turning her head and seeing Ethan, she excitedly jumped off the chair and ran to him, hugging his thigh. "Daddy, I finally see you again. Charlotte misses you so much, Daddy hug me... hug..."
The man beside Ethan raised his eyebrows with a playful look. "Ethan, when did you have another daughter? Why wasn't I aware? You hid it well!"
"Shut up!" Ethan was extremely annoyed, speaking in a harsh tone. His mood was already bad today, and seeing Samantha made it worse.
Samantha, realizing Ethan's mood wasn't good, pulled Charlotte away from him, apologizing, "Mr. Steele, I'm sorry, the child is young and doesn't understand. Please don't mind her."
Ethan gave Samantha a cold look. A chill swept over Samantha, making her feel like she had entered the Antarctic.
Charlotte pouted, tearfully looking at Ethan, saying pitifully, "Daddy, you don’t like Charlotte? Daddy..."
Looking at her face exactly like Samantha's, Ethan felt inexplicably annoyed. His gaze passed over them and landed on Noah, who was sitting upright. Feeling Ethan's gaze, Noah straightened his small back, his tiny body trembling slightly.
Ethan just glanced at him and then withdrew his gaze, entering the opposite private room. The man accompanying him gave Samantha a deep look, then turned and entered the private room.
Samantha wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and quickly closed the door of the private room.
Yurika, not finishing her words, looked excitedly at the closed door, saying, "Sammie, those two men are really handsome! Didn't you notice that one of them looks like..."
To prevent Alexander from getting the wrong idea, Samantha kept signaling her with her eyes. Understanding her signal, Yurika sensibly closed her mouth. The two sat back in their seats.
Without their identities being exposed, Noah's pale little face gradually warmed up. Yurika held Samantha's hand, anxiously explaining, "Sammie, don't listen to Karen. I don't really like Justin. How could I like him? He is your boyfriend!"
Samantha shook her head, comforting her, "I believe you! You are my best friend!"
Touched, Yurika burst into tears.
Samantha touched her face, sank into the seat, and voiced the burning question in her heart, "What exactly happened between you and Karen? Why is the tension so thick?"
During the four years of her absence, did something go down?
Broaching the subject, Yurika suddenly bristled. After a moment of contemplation, she shook her head, casually concocting a reason, "I just can't stand her trying to snatch Justin. She knows he's your boyfriend, yet she's always circling around him. Aren't we supposed to be best friends? How could she betray her supposed bestie like that?"
Though distancing herself from Karen was the initial cause, it was more of Yurika's speculation than anything concrete. Without evidence, she wouldn't spill the beans to Sammie to avoid weighing her down psychologically. Everything would make sense once she found evidence.
Samantha looked at her skeptically, questioning, "Is it really because of this?"
Yurika nodded, "Of course, it's because of this! What else could it be?"
After some careful thought, Samantha couldn't come up with any other plausible reason and reluctantly accepted her explanation. Yurika gripped her hand and asked in confusion, "I want to ask you, why did you tell Justin that you were married? Do you know he never stopped looking for you in these four years? He waited for you all these years. Deceiving him like this, isn't it too cruel?"
She had witnessed Justin's deep affection for Samantha. Even though Justin’s family wasn't as prominent as the other major families, they still held a certain status, and Justin was the sole heir. His love for Samantha was profound, and marrying her would be an ideal choice.
Samantha shook her head, "No! Although I haven't married, the fact that I have a child is true. I can't involve him. He should find a better woman. Karen seems quite suitable."
"Um..." Yurika opened her mouth, intending to say something, but the words got stuck in her throat. Forget it. The matter was settled, and saying anything now seemed unnecessary.
...
On the other side.
Ethan sat silently in the private room, his face covered in frost.
Oliver Bloom played with the water in the two cups, feeling bored.
This dull atmosphere lasted for ten minutes.
Finally unable to bear it, Oliver slammed the water cup heavily on the table, making a loud noise, and said in a deep voice, "Bro, say something. If you don't speak, I'll leave."
Ethan gave him a cold glance.
Oliver awkwardly touched his nose and tentatively asked, "The woman just now, is she the one Nick mentioned?"
Ethan dangerously narrowed his eyes, "What did he say?"
Oliver teased him, "He said that you gave up your principles for this woman, forgot about Jessica, and even used personal connections."
The more he said, the darker Ethan's expression became.
Although there was no definite answer.
But judging from Ethan's reaction, Nick did not exaggerate.
So, did Ethan really almost forget Jessica for the woman just now?
The smile at the corner of Oliver's mouth deepened as he patted Ethan's shoulder, saying, "Forgetting Jessica is a good thing. You can't be shackled by her forever. She's dead, and you still have to live. Besides, you have Noah."
Ethan took out a cigarette and silently lit it.
He didn't have a smoking habit.
He only smoked when he was upset.
Oliver continued, "Nick has an almost pathological obsession with Jessica. You can't sacrifice your own happiness for him. I think Miss Miller just now is pretty good. If you really like her, you can give it a try."
Ethan took a deep drag on the cigarette.
Jessica and Samantha alternately appeared in his mind.
Although scenes with Jessica still dominated his thoughts, he couldn't expel Samantha from his mind. Seeing his dilemma, Oliver silently poured him a glass of wine, "Stop overthinking. Tonight, I'll accompany you. We won't return until we're both drunk."
Ethan extinguished his cigarette and downed the glass of wine in one gulp. That night, Ethan got drunk. It was the first time he got drunk since the birth of Noah.
***