Samantha disappointingly returned the folder to Ethan.
Ethan, with an inscrutable look, stared at her and emotionlessly said, "Do you want to know who gave your initial draft to Suzy?"
Samantha nodded slightly, then shook her head.
"What about the investigation? Haven't you already figured out who the internal traitor is? Just can't let it go, trying to deceive yourself," he continued.
After a brief moment of sorrow, Samantha suddenly remembered Charlotte. She quickly took out her phone from her pocket and dialed Justin's number.
The call was answered instantly.
From the receiver came Justin's deep and cheerful voice, "Sammie."
Samantha didn't notice any change in his tone and anxiously asked, "How is Charlotte? Is she okay? Did she look for me? Is she behaving?"
Justin chuckled, "She's very well-behaved. I just took her to kindergarten."
Relieved, Samantha finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you!"
She thanked Justin for setting aside past grievances. Every time she was at her most vulnerable and needed him, he would be there for her without hesitation.
Justin laughed softly. "We've had a relationship for over ten years, no need to be so polite."
After saying that, he changed the subject and suddenly asked, "When are you coming home? Where are you now?"
Samantha glanced discreetly at Ethan and replied, "I have some things to take care of. I'll be home later."
"Alright!"
Justin briefly responded and didn't press for more information, ending the call.
Samantha was about to put away her phone.
Suddenly, the phone in her hand disappeared and fell into the hands of Ethan.
She felt inexplicably guilty and reached out to snatch it back.
Ethan firmly held her wrist, forcefully bent her thumb, and unlocked the phone screen.
Samantha's little face turned red with anger. She jumped up, trying to take back the phone from his hand. "This is my privacy, and you have no right to invade it."
Ethan abruptly caught her jaw, pressing her soft cheek deep.
His deep black eyes suddenly contracted, and in an instant, a storm brewed in the shadows.
"Do you remember what I said last night? Now, I dictate the rules of the game. If I want you alive, you live; if I want you dead, you die. Don't attempt to challenge me; you cannot bear the consequences."
Samantha's small face instantly turned pale.
A hint of embarrassment appeared in her eyes.
Seeing her silent, Ethan mercilessly pushed her away, flipping through the call records on her phone.
It was a series of unfamiliar numbers.
No names were saved.
Ethan dialed the number following the sequence.
The call was answered immediately.
From the other end came Justin's joyful voice, "Samantha, do you have something else to discuss?"
The air froze instantly.
A sinister expression appeared in Ethan's eyebrows and eyes. His handsome face was icy without any warmth, and his black eyes were as cold as the Arctic, sending shivers down the spine.
He hung up the phone, looked at Samantha menacingly, and said, "Justin? Hm?"
Samantha anxiously explained, "It's not what you think. Last night, you brought me back, Karen was working overtime at the company, Yurika had moved out. I was afraid Charlotte would be scared alone at home, so I asked him to temporarily take care of her. There's no other meaning."
Ethan's handsome face turned ominous.
"His phone number is already engraved in your heart, isn't it?"
Her entanglement with Justin angered him.
Her decision to let Justin take care of Charlotte angered him.
Even her childhood connection with Justin made him angry.
However, what angered him the most was that she actually remembered Justin's phone number.
If Justin didn't hold a significant place in her heart, how could she remember his phone number, not forgetting it for four years?
Thinking about this, he became insanely jealous.
He wished he could strangle the ungrateful woman in front of him.
What he said was a fact, and Samantha bit her lip, unable to refute.
Indeed.
Karen, Yurika, Justin – their three numbers were engraved in her bones.
Perhaps she would never forget them in her lifetime.
This was the only evidence that proved they once had a deep friendship.
Her acknowledgment made Ethan feel like his blood was boiling, and an uncontrollable pain twisted his heart. His eyes were filled with a frightening hostility.
His large hand suddenly clasped Samantha's neck, pressing her against the wall, and his ink-dark eyes seized her.
"Samantha, do you know whose woman you are now?"
Samantha's small face twisted in pain, and her lips gradually turned bruised.
She tightly held Ethan's wrist, struggling to speak, "I, I and Justin are already in the past. We are innocent. Please believe me."
Ethan's eyes were bloodshot, like a mad beast.
"Believe? How can I believe you?"
She painfully said, "If I wanted to be with Justin, I would have been with him when I returned to the capital. How could I be with you? Four years ago, I knew that it was impossible between us. Otherwise, why wouldn't I have contacted him for four years?"
Ethan stared at her liver-colored face without blinking.
Seeing her eyes bulging, looking like she was about to faint, he suddenly released his grip.
Samantha's body collapsed like a pile of mud, softly slumping to the ground.
Fresh air rushed into her nostrils.
The discomfort made her start coughing uncontrollably.
Ethan showed no mercy, looking down at her as if she were the lowliest ant, his thin lips tightly sealed, and he uttered coldly, "Remember what you said. Don't attempt to deceive me, or..."
He didn't finish the sentence, but the bloodthirsty expression on his face told Samantha the answer.
Samantha dared not argue or refute, only endless frustration and regret.
Regret for provoking Ethan.
If she had known how possessive Ethan was, she would never have shown any goodwill, even if it meant going down with Suzy.
Unfortunately, there was no regret medicine in the world.
Everything had already been set.
Now she could only hope that Ethan would lose interest in her and voluntarily let her go.
Meanwhile, at the Steele family's old mansion...
Alexander was worried about Samantha and Charlotte. He woke up early, clamoring to go find Samantha.
Upon hearing Samantha's name, the old master was furious, but to avoid upsetting Alexander, he tried to endure patiently and persuaded, "Don't run around. What if you encounter bad people again? Don't you care that she worries about you?"
Alexander immediately dared not make a sound.
Sitting on the sofa with a gloomy expression, he pouted with grievances.
Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded beside him, "Alexander, are you okay now?"
Hearing this voice, Alexander's eyes instantly brightened. He jumped off the sofa, ran to Noah's side, and hugged him tightly. "Noah, Noah, why are you here?"
Finally seeing a familiar face, Alexander's depressed mood eased.
Noah explained, "Grandpa was afraid I would get into trouble, so he brought me to the old mansion. And you? Are you okay?"
When he asked if he was okay, he was referring to Samantha's situation.
Alexander misunderstood, thinking he was talking about the kidnapping incident, shook his head, and said, "I'm fine. The incident is over, and I'm not hurt."
Noah breathed a sigh of relief and consoled, "I know it's hard for you with Miss Samantha not being your biological mother. But as long as she and Dad get married, you can openly stay by their side and call her mother."
After a thrilling night, Alexander had also figured things out.
Nodding, he determinedly said, "You're right. So, I'm going to find ways to bring Dad and Mom together and make them get married."
Their thoughts made the old master furrow his brow.
He had grievances in his heart but didn't immediately intervene.
Although he had learned about the kidnapping and Samantha's facial features from Anna, Samantha entering the Steele family was absolutely impossible.
Only the biological mother could raise his great-grandson.
No matter how good a stepmother might be, she was still a stepmother.
Once she had her own child, she would inevitably show partiality. What if she mistreated his great-grandson in the future?
Therefore, he could not agree to this matter.
***