Jane Sullivan shook her head quickly. "Grandfather, Uncle Ethan hasn't mistreated me. He's been very kind to me. It's my problem. I feel there's a generation gap between Uncle Ethan and me. He's so outstanding, and I really don't deserve him."
The old man knew it wasn't as simple as Jane Sullivan said. He was well aware of his son's temperament. "Girl, if you've really made up your mind, Grandfather won't force you to stay with Ethan. But think carefully, once you divorce, you won't be a Grayson anymore. The investments in your Sullivan family will be withdrawn. I'll give you two months to consider. If you still decide to divorce by then, I will not stop you."
Knowing that she couldn't rush the divorce, Jane Sullivan nodded. She had endured for over half a year; what were two more months?
Unexpectedly, the very next day, she received a call from Assistant Fang, notifying her that she was to intern at Grayson for two months.
Jane Sullivan thought about discussing with Ethan whether she could avoid going to Grayson. While contemplating, her phone rang with a call from an unknown number. On answering, she heard a girl crying, "Sister, please save me! They insist I shoot nude scenes. If I don't, they'll tear my clothes off..."
It was Georgina.
Hearing this, Jane Sullivan was overwhelmed. Bad news seemed to come all at once. She didn't want to get involved with Georgina, but she worried that if Georgina really shot those scenes and their father found out, it could be disastrous.
An hour later, Jane Sullivan arrived at the film set where Georgina was. The set was a shabby studio filled with men. Seeing Jane Sullivan, each man leered at her.
Georgina was huddled in a corner, her clothes nearly torn off. On seeing Jane, she burst into tears, "Sister, you're finally here! Tell them that Grayson President Ethan is my brother-in-law. They'll be afraid of him and tear up the contract."
Jane Sullivan didn't respond but noticed cameras around. She asked, "Who's your boss? I want to see him."
"To see our boss, you need to prepare a 500,000 dollar penalty fee."
Upstairs, in the office, the boss, smoking, looked at Jane Sullivan with scorn. "You want to sign an IOU for 500,000 dollar? Are you joking?"
"I'll pay it. I won't go back on my word."
The man sneered, "You're Ethan's wife? Secretly married?"
"I have nothing to do with him. My sister lied to you."
"Oh—" he drew out the sound, then bent down to pick up a box. "I don't care if you're related or not. The fact is your sister broke the contract. Since you're here to handle it, you'll need to prove your ability."
He pointed to the box: "These are our new products. Sell them all by tomorrow morning."
Jane Sullivan opened the box to find it full of condoms. "Don't count. There are a thousand. Sell them all, then I'll accept your IOU."
...
Walking with a box and Georgina, Jane Sullivan felt the boss was just messing with her. What did selling these condoms have to do with the IOU?
Georgina hailed a taxi and left Jane behind. "You said you'd handle the IOU. I'll pay you back when I'm famous," she said, leaving Jane frustrated.
Realizing she'd been tricked since she promised to handle this for her step-sister, Jane Sullivan knew she had to sell these condoms or the men would make trouble at her home, endangering her father's health.
So, determined, she decided to sell them, believing she could do it.
By evening, the bar street in North City buzzed with activity. Jane Sullivan, her backpack full of condoms, was stopped by security. Surprised at the contents, they let her in.
Undeterred by the looks she received, Jane focused on selling. Entering a lit private room, she started her sales pitch. "Good evening, gentlemen. I'm promoting VD brand condoms. They're ultra-thin, comfortable, and feel like nothing's there. I invite you to try them."
The men, along with some hostesses, were amused by her pitch, except for a man with light blue eyes, probably mixed-race. Jane approached him, opening a pack, "Sir, please try it. I'm not lying, it's absolutely ultra-thin!"
Unfazed by the men's reactions, Jane was unexpectedly embarrassed when another man, Bob, pushed her towards the mixed-race man, misinterpreting her "experience" offer.
As Jane stood up to
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clear the misunderstanding, the door burst open, and a disheveled man rushed in. It was Ethan. He stopped mid-sentence upon spotting Jane sitting on the mixed-race man's lap, a look of shock crossing his face.
Jane Sullivan, realizing the compromising situation she was in, quickly tried to explain. "Ethan, it's not what it looks like..."
But Ethan's gaze was fixed on her, his expression hard to read. The atmosphere in the room shifted, the previous joviality replaced by an uneasy silence.
"Ethan, I was just trying to sell these," Jane said, holding up the box of condoms, her voice a mixture of desperation and frustration. "It's a long story, but I have to sell all of these by tomorrow morning."
Ethan's eyes narrowed, taking in the scene before him. The mixed-race man, identified as Justin, looked equally surprised, not expecting the woman on his lap to have a connection with Ethan.
Ignoring the murmurs and teasing comments from the others in the room, Ethan stepped forward, his presence commanding attention. "Get up, Jane. We're leaving," he said sternly.
Jane Sullivan didn't need to be told twice. She quickly gathered the unsold condoms, grateful to escape the uncomfortable situation. As they left the room, Ethan's grip on her arm was firm, his emotions unreadable.
Outside, the cool night air did little to ease the tension. Ethan guided Jane to his car, his silence heavy. Jane, feeling the weight of his unspoken questions, knew she had a lot of explaining to do.
As the car pulled away, the streets of North City fading into the background, Jane Sullivan braced herself for the conversation ahead. She hoped Ethan would understand her predicament and not jump to conclusions about her night at the bar.