Jane Sullivan didn't speak, merely nodded.
At this, Ethan's suppressed anger ignited, "Even if you don't want to today, don't think I'll let you go!"
With that, he tore off her bathrobe, throwing it onto the sofa, unbuckled his belt, and moved towards her without any foreplay—
However, "In the quiet summer, stars dot the sky—"
The ringtone of the phone suddenly sounded. Jane Sullivan opened her eyes to see Ethan, poised on the brink, burning hot against her—
"Uncle…" Jane Sullivan reached out, pressing against his chest, trying to push him away.
Ethan lifted his head, his eyes blazing, his voice dangerously hoarse.
"Do you want me to stop or to die? Make your choice!"
Jane Sullivan's lips trembled, unable to meet Ethan's eyes.
颤抖着,无法直视伊森的眼睛.
"I'll turn the phone on silent."
Ethan didn't respond, but helped her put the bathrobe back on.
"In a while, don't think I'll let you go."
Saying so, he carried her back to the bedroom.
Jane Sullivan picked up the phone, seeing the screen light up with Fiona's number. Her brows furrowed, guessing it was about her father trading the Sullivan Corporation for her freedom. So, she slid to answer in front of Ethan.
"…"
Before Jane Sullivan could speak, Fiona's roaring voice came through, "Jane Sullivan! Your grandmother can't be found, we're all going crazy, and you have the leisure to stay at home? How can you be so heartless!"
...
Quickly ending the call, Jane Sullivan didn't hesitate to tear off her bathrobe, ready to change clothes, completely forgetting there was a man in the room.
Ethan had heard Fiona's words and roughly guessed it was about taking Mrs. Sullivan to the hospital for a check-up, but then she disappeared, urging Jane Sullivan to help find her.
Ethan looked up to see Jane Sullivan's naked back as she dressed, a tumult of emotions in his eyes, then he turned and went to the bathroom.
Jane Sullivan, dressed, saw Ethan emerge from the bathroom, his face pale, lips blue, and immediately understood what he had done in there—
At the hospital,
Fiona and her daughter Georgina were surprised to see Jane Sullivan arrive with Ethan. All the taunts they had prepared were swallowed back.
"Brother-in-law, you and my sister finally came. My mother and I have been frantically searching, but we can't find grandma."
Georgina deliberately made her voice sweet and girlish, trying to appear innocent.
Fiona, feigning a motherly look with teary eyes, said, "We've checked the videos and can't find the old lady anywhere. The hospital isn't that big; where could she have gone?"
However, Jane Sullivan didn't give them a pleasant response, bypassing them straight to the surveillance room.
Her father Sussano was with the security personnel, reviewing the footage. Seeing Ethan and Jane Sullivan enter, he was surprised.
"CEO, Jane..."
"Dad, Uncle brought me here," Jane Sullivan explained.
Ethan's gaze was fixed on the surveillance video. Without greeting Sussano, he questioned the security personnel, "Is all the surveillance footage here? Are we missing any?"
The security staff thought carefully, "Everything should be here..."
Mid-sentence, he suddenly remembered the under-construction Ward II,
"The footage from Ward II isn't here, but nobody can get in there; it's all fenced off."
Hearing this, Ethan immediately said, "Take me to Ward II."
"I'll go too."
Jane Sullivan instinctively grabbed his coat sleeve, "Uncle, I... I'll come with you."
She was worried about her grandmother and grateful that Ethan had set aside his pride to come to the hospital with her. She couldn't let him go to the construction site alone.
Together, they left the surveillance room under Sussano's watchful eyes and headed towards Ward II. Seeing the layers of fencing, Jane Sullivan thought it unlikely her grandmother could have climbed over, given her age. She suggested returning to the surveillance room to continue their search.
"Uncle, let's go back."
However, Ethan's attention was drawn to a small path left between Ward I and the under-construction Ward II. It was shrouded in darkness.
Jane Sullivan took out her phone, turning on the flashlight to illuminate the path. Her movement was hindered by the uneven ground and her injured knee. Noticing her struggle, Ethan suddenly bent down.
"Uncle, you?..." Jane Sullivan was puzzled, not understanding why he had stopped moving forward.
"Get on," Ethan's deep voice echoed in the dim light.
"..." Realizing he intended to carry her due to her leg injury, Jane Sullivan hesitated. Was it really okay?
As she deliberated, Ethan urged again, "Get on."
Jane Sullivan obediently climbed onto his back. Ethan stood up, carrying her, feeling her light weight and furrowing his brow in concern.
The path was rugged, covered in construction debris and water. It took them three minutes to navigate through, and they unexpectedly emerged onto a road, which seemed to be an exit.
Ethan placed Jane Sullivan on a bench and called Benjamin.
"Check the surveillance footage on Zhi Chun Road at the traffic bureau."
Despite his reluctance, Benjamin dropped everything and drove to the bureau. After about an hour of reviewing footage from the afternoon, he spotted an elderly woman and paused the video, enlarging the image. He snapped a photo and sent it to Ethan.
Ethan, upon seeing the photo, recognized it as the Sullivan family matriarch. Jane Sullivan, peering at the photo, widened her eyes in shock – her grandmother had gone to the Gu family's residence.
Immediately, she called Fiona, her pupils dilating in anger.
"Did you and Georgina say something to grandma?"
"We didn't say anything, we've been at the hospital all the time…"
Enraged, Jane Sullivan snapped, "If you didn't say anything, why would she go to the Gu house! I'm warning you, Fiona! If anything happens to grandma, I won't let you and your daughter off!"
Ethan rarely saw Jane Sullivan so furious. Although he didn't fully grasp the situation, he sensed it involved the young Gu.
As they prepared to leave for the Gu residence, a Rolls-Royce approached. The driver was Adrian, and sitting beside him was Mrs. Sullivan.
The situation took a new turn as Ethan and Jane Sullivan faced this unexpected arrival.