Justin woke up with a sigh.
Looking at Karen lying beside him, his expression was calm and indifferent. There was no trace of the panic and guilt from the first time. He sat up slowly, putting on his clothes methodically.
Karen was awakened by his slight movements, crawling to the edge of the bed, she embraced him from behind.
"You're awake? Why don't you sleep a bit longer?" Her voice was hoarse from the intense cries of the previous night.
The first time they had been intimate was when Justin was drunk. Last night, he was completely sober. Just this fact alone made her overjoyed.
Justin, with an emotionless face, said, "There's still work at the company. I have to go and deal with it."
His indifference made Karen's body stiffen for a moment.
After buttoning the last button, Justin brushed off her hand and stood up. "Rest well. I'm leaving!"
After saying that, without sparing a glance, he left.
Karen was completely dumbfounded.
The Justin from just now felt suddenly very unfamiliar.
This... was this still her gentle and considerate Justin?
...
Ethan personally dropped Alexander at the kindergarten.
This was the carefully selected kindergarten by Jade.
Alexander stood at the school gate, waving to Ethan.
Ethan crouched down.
Alexander crawled into his ear and asked softly, "Daddy, did you have fun with Auntie Samantha yesterday?"
Ethan glared at him. Although he didn't give a direct answer, the joyful expression on his face told Alexander the answer.
Alexander, with a child's innocence, shook his head, patting his shoulder. "Daddy, you're not good! Why did you come back last night? You should have gone to the hotel with Auntie Samantha directly."
Ethan looked at him in shock. Even though he didn't directly respond, the expression on his face clearly showed that Alexander's words had hit a nerve.
Alexander, the little adult, shook his head, massaging his sore head. "Daddy, you're not thinking clearly! If it were me, the second child would already be on the way."
It was the first time Ethan had been looked down upon by a four-year-old. He really wanted to knock open the little guy's head and see what was going on inside.
Alexander gave him a peck on the face, encouraging him, "Daddy, keep it up and try to give me another little brother or sister."
With that, he took small steps and bounced into the kindergarten.
Ethan shook his head in silence and drove away.
...
At Chelsea Creek,
After dropping the children off at the kindergarten, Samantha arrived at Chelsea Creek on time.
As soon as she entered, she sensed an unusual atmosphere, and the butler kept signaling her with his eyes.
Before she could figure out the situation, a hostile female voice rang out.
"Miss Samantha Miller?"
The voice was full of animosity and disdain.
Samantha wasn't foolish. She immediately knew that the incoming person was not friendly.
She looked at the wealthy lady walking toward her, bearing a resemblance to Ellena. She remained vigilant, "Mrs. Steele?"
Anna directly took out a blank check, "This is a blank check. Fill in any amount you want, but the condition is that you have to leave my son and grandson."
Samantha took the check with a smile, "Indeed, the wealthiest person in this country is generous."
She showed a completely indifferent appearance, as if she was only interested in money.
Thinking that Samantha had agreed, Anna's expression improved somewhat.
"I don't know how many women like you I've encountered throughout the year. The Steele family is an elite family; we will never marry someone like you. I absolutely won't allow anyone to threaten my grandson's safety and status."
Samantha could see that Anna had come today to pick a fight. With a slight smile, she calmly said, "Mrs. Steele, maybe there's something you haven't understood. I have no interest in Ethan, and I've never thought of marrying him. I just wanted to sleep with him. No need to be responsible after that!"
Anna's face changed drastically.
Samantha tore the blank check into pieces right in front of Anna, and she continued to push her buttons, "Do you know what 'each takes what they need' means? I want a man, he wants a woman, we satisfy each other's needs. After putting on our clothes, he goes his way, and I go mine. No need for emotional attachments."
These words were a mix of truth and provocation. Some of it was to enrage Anna, and some of it reflected Samantha's actual thoughts.
Anna hadn't expected Samantha to be this kind of woman. She was so angry that her entire body trembled, and for a while, she couldn't speak.
Samantha remained expressionless and said, "If you have nothing else, I'll go upstairs first."
After saying that, she walked past Anna, swaggering her way upstairs.
Anna was almost on the verge of spitting blood from anger.
After Samantha's figure disappeared around the corner on the second floor, Anna's expression gradually turned cold. She leisurely took out a hidden voice recorder from her handbag.
...
After leaving Chelsea Creek, Anna went straight to Emperor Group.
It hadn't been long since Ethan arrived at the company.
Today, he was in a very good mood.
He smiled from the corners of his eyes and mouth.
Even when faced with mistakes from high-level employees, he, uncharacteristically, did not get angry. Instead, he patiently allowed them to rectify their errors.
His unusual behavior didn't ease the low morale in the company. Instead, it made everyone more vigilant, feeling as if this calmness was the calm before a storm.
Ethan sat in his office, grinning at his phone screen like a fool.
He looked like a big idiot.
Jade was dumbfounded, stretching his neck and wanting to peek at what precious thing was making him so happy.
Unfortunately, Ethan's phone had an anti-peeping screen, and Jade couldn't see anything.
This situation continued until it was close to noon, and Anna's arrival disrupted the atmosphere.
Looking at his uninvited mother, Ethan frowned, "Why are you here?"
Anna glanced at Jade.
Jade tactfully left the office.
When there were only Ethan and Anna left in the office, Anna took out a voice recorder.
"Miss Samantha Miller?"
"Mrs. Steele?"
Although there were only five words, Ethan still heard it; it was Samantha's voice.
Her voice was very distinctive. Tender, with a hint of resilience, easily recognizable.
His subtle change in expression did not escape Anna's notice, and her heart sank suddenly. She silently realized that her son had fallen for real.
Her son was genuinely in love.
This was a very bad sign.
In an elite family like theirs, the most feared thing was genuine affection. The least valuable thing was also genuine affection.
Once emotions came into play, weaknesses began to emerge.
Fortunately, she acted quickly.
Otherwise, if the situation continued to develop, she didn't know what uncontrollable things might happen.
***