Observing the pigeon egg on Kylie's wedding finger, Taylor subconsciously hid her hand under the table. The diamond on her own hand wasn't exactly small, but, compared to Kylie's, it was nothing.
She had always reckoned that Ethan didn't have much in the way of savings, because he had spent all that time in the army. Who would have guessed he'd be more generous than his brother, who had been running the family business for several years.
A woman could be jealous of anything, especially a rich woman of her age. Taylor glared hard at her husband and wondered if he had a mistress for whom he bought expensive gifts.
On seeing Kylie's ring, Aiden's face also went white. The one he had just given Khloe was valuable, but the size was far from that of Kylie's.
Nicole was obsessed with luxury brands. When she saw the diamond on Kylie's hand, she was so surprised that her chin almost fell off. She recognized that it was the unique, rare pink diamond that repeatedly appeared on the cover of Extreme Luxury magazine. A mysterious man had recently collected it. It was called "The Eternal Heart"!
But what she had never expected was that her uncle had been that mysterious man! Another fact that she couldn't accept was that this "Eternal Heart" was now on Kylie's hand.
Even Mrs. Parker, who was good at remaining calm under strange circumstances, could not help but clench her lips when she saw the ring.
Old Mr. Parker's face was thoroughly pale, and he scolded with an old but sharp voice: "I won't accept her!"
"My woman doesn't need your acceptance," Ethan retorted while drawing Kylie closer to him. "Kylie Finch is legally my wife, and nobody can change that fact!"
He gently lifted her delicate chin, and, as though proving what he had just said, he covered her lips with his. Kylie stared at him, surprised. It was their first kiss!
Ethan's lips were cold, but his breath was hot. Though this was only a superficial touch, to prove something to his family, it totally disturbed her heart. And she felt the loneliness at the bottom of his heart.
Kylie understood the reason she was there—her presence was simply to annoy the Parkers, which of course, included Aiden Parker.
After Ethan finished his kiss, Kylie lifted herself up on tiptoe and left a little kiss on his cheek. "Even if the whole world betrays you, I'll stand by your side, even in hell," she spoke in a shy tone.
Kylie's words were soft but firm. Within a moment, a strange shift occurred in Ethan's eyes.
He wrapped his arms tightly around her slender waist. Kylie was wearing an exaggerated crop top so that when she raised her arms to hug him back, the bruises on her arms and sides were exposed. Seeing that, Aiden was ready to explode in anger.
His first thought was that those bruises must have occurred when Kylie and Ethan slept together. It must have been a wild, passionate night!
He preferred Khloe's obedience, but when Kylie had pursued him, he'd had a sense of fulfillment—he had been attached to her fearless nature.
Man is a creature who always begs for shame. When someone pursues him, he pays no attention. But when that same woman turns to another man, he feels offended and unbalanced.
Kylie had pursued him for five years. He had never wanted to kiss her, let alone sleep with her, but now... With a sudden snap, the chopsticks in his hands broke.
Taylor noticed that Aiden's hand was bleeding, and said: "How ominous it is!"
Nicole was unconvinced, so she stood up and faced her father, Matthew Parker. "Dad, her disrepute is known across the city. A woman like that, abandoned by my brother...how could she be qualified to wear my Uncle Ethan's ring?!"
Aiden couldn't bear it anymore. His mother was reaching for him, but he brushed her aside. He spoke: "Uncle Ethan, everyone knows that Kylie Finch pursued me before...If you marry her, people will gossip that you've married a woman who wasn't even good enough for your nephew."
"Shut up!" Matthew scolded. "How can you denigrate your elders?!"
"Aiden is just speaking the truth," replied Nicole. And so, the entire family continued to quarrel.
Ethan watched their angry, disgusting faces. His eyes became colder and colder, while Kylie smiled contentedly, knowing these people were jealous to death but couldn't admit it.
With a sudden burst, Old Mr. Parker slapped the table in a rage. "Get out of here!" he spoke to Ethan and Kylie. It should have been a happy dinner but turned into a feast of embarrassment and anger.
Back in his Knight XV, Ethan was looking at his computer screen, a sly smile in his eyes.
Seeing him so smug, Kylie couldn't help but say to herself: "Child." The show was over; she took off the ring and threw it into Ethan's lap.
Ethan had messed up the dinner on purpose; the worse the atmosphere, the more satisfied he seemed to be. Kylie didn't understand why he was so against his family.
"Did you smoke?" Ethan suddenly asked.
"Nope!" Kylie covered her mouth with her hand. He must have smelled it on her breath.
He had smelled the smoke when she had leaned towards him to toss the ring. It was the odor of the lady's mentholated cigarettes.
"There's nothing wrong with my nose," he said. "I can smell it! You've just lost half your allowance for the month!"
"The smell from inside probably just clung to me!"
"You've lost one thousand dollars for lying." He raised his eyebrows. "You'd better quit smoking and drinking, or you'll lose your allowance!"
"You bastard! You've burned your bridges! You can't now interfere with my human rights!" Kylie was angry; she had just helped him out at dinner, and now he seemed to forget all he owed her.
"And five hundred dollars for every bad word," he continued.
Kylie angrily puffed out her cheeks, like a frog.
"And if I see you wearing clothes like that again, all your extra pocket money will be deducted. In addition, you'll have to make up for my mental torment—I can't handle seeing you like that. If you don't want to give back the money, you can sell your body to me."
Kylie could not have been angrier. She thinks: Shit, this must be part of his scheme...At first, he seems really easy-going, but now that we're married, he starts to show his true colors!
The atmosphere in the car was icy cold. Half an hour later, they pulled into the drive of a high-class housing estate.
The front door opened, and she saw the cold decorating style of the house, which gave her the feeling that no woman had ever lived there. It was simple and clean.
After changing into his slippers, Ethan was still expressionless. He gently spoke: "Ben, this is my wife—please tell the servants to introduce themselves to the lady."
The housekeeper, Ben, responded respectfully, but he gave Kylie a weird look.
"Humph!" Kylie was still fuming, so she turned her back and ignored them.
Ethan took Pupu into his room and prepared bowls of dog food and water. When he came out again, he didn't see Kylie.
She was standing in the doorway of the fitness room and looking around in amazement. Wow! So many types of fitness equipment; no wonder he's in such good shape, she thought.
Not only was Ethan strong, but he was also smart. His study was filled with books, all lined against the walls.
Kylie wanted to continue her tour of the house, but the next room was locked. "How can such an important man be so mysterious...what is he trying to hide," she muttered to herself.
She tried to peek through the keyhole.
"Ma'am." Ben suddenly appeared behind her. "The bedroom is this way."
"Oh," she replied startled. Kylie calmed herself down and followed Ben down the hall. She kept looking back at the mystery room with curiosity.
"What's that room for? Why is it locked?" she asked. But Ben did not answer. Instead, he led her to a door made of pear wood and gestured for her to enter.
As soon as she stepped inside the bedroom, she could barely breathe.