After Ethan left, Archie came with the doctor.
The doctor examined Jane Sullivan's ankle and then prescribed some medicine.
One box of medicine caught Jane Sullivan's attention; on it was written "afterpills".
She scoffed, wondering if he was worried she might get pregnant with his child.
Even if he wanted her to bear his child, she wasn't necessarily willing to carry it.
So, in front of Archie, Jane Sullivan opened the box and swallowed two pills.
After drinking water, she smiled at Archie and said, "Assistant Luca, you can go back and report now."
"Madam—" Archie started to say something but stopped, realizing it was futile to say anything at this point.
He changed the topic, "The minister and Beryl have been dismissed, the president has asked you to rest until the new year is over and then return to the office."
"Oh, I see," Jane Sullivan replied, trying to appear as if she didn't care.
Since she couldn't confront Ethan directly, she decided to take a passive approach.
After all, the Grayson family would not tolerate her, and Joanne would not limit herself to being just a mistress.
Soon, Ethan would surely grow tired of her.
Thus, Jane Sullivan told herself to wait—
It was afternoon when she met Doreen.
They met at a quiet café where Doreen hugged Jane Sullivan and cried, "Do you know how worried I was? You can't just disappear without a word. I'm sorry for my uncle, not me!"
"It's alright, I'm back now," Jane Sullivan said with a calm smile.
"Then next time, if you avoid my uncle again, make sure to tell me in advance. Don't make me worry."
"There won't be a next time."
As Jane Sullivan spoke, she noticed a car stopping outside the window. Sophia got out of the car, dressed extravagantly, while Adrian, the driver, looked exhausted as if he hadn't slept in a long time.
As Sophia walked towards the café with Adrian, who kept yawning, Doreen immediately blocked Jane Sullivan's view, "What are you looking at? That woman is cheap, and that man is trash; they're perfect for each other. Let's go somewhere else to talk."
Jane Sullivan stood up and left with Doreen, but coincidentally, Adrian and Sophia also arrived at the entrance.
Seeing Jane Sullivan, Adrian immediately perked up, "Jane? When did you come back?"
"I'm not close enough with Adrian to be on a first-name basis. I hope next time Adrian addresses me, he includes my last name."
As Jane Sullivan finished speaking, Sophia sneered disdainfully, "Pretending? Why are you drawing boundaries now? Where were you before? You've been flirting with men behind my uncle's back, getting caught by reporters and posted online, even sending grandpa to the hospital. If it weren't for my uncle spending money to suppress those news and photos, who knows where you would be hiding!"
"Sophia! Know your place! Jane is our aunt, a senior in our family. Is this how you talk to your elders?"
Upon hearing Doreen defending Jane Sullivan, Sophia arrogantly retorted, "So what if she's the aunt now? Can you guarantee she'll always be? And you, Doreen, always calling me by my name, when have you ever called me sister?"
"Because you don't deserve to be my sister! Let me tell you, I know about all the despicable things you've done behind the scenes. If you anger me, I'll expose everything!"
Watching Sophia's face turn pale, Doreen, not caring about Adrian's presence, said, "Women like you, Sophia, no one will fight over men with you. It's just that this man, while eating from the bowl, is still looking at what's in the pot!"
After speaking, Doreen pulled Jane Sullivan, "Let's go have fun! We can't let some flies ruin our mood!"
"Doreen! Who are you calling flies?"
Sophia yelled, but Adrian stopped her, "Can you calm down for a moment?"
"You... didn't you see that girl bullying me! You don't help me and even scold me on their behalf? Adrian! Are you regretting again? Are you going to break off our engagement?"
Facing Sophia's unreasonable behavior, Adrian, despite his displeasure, tried to comfort her,
"But please don't be so sensitive. Don't attack Jane whenever you see her. I did wrong her initially."
"I've made a mistake once and can't afford to wrong you now. Promise me, okay? Stop targeting Jane. Be more generous. She is your uncle's wife. Even if I wanted to reconcile with her, there's no chance. And I will definitely try to love only you, but you need to give me time. Trust me, okay?"
Sophia, moved by Adrian's sincere confession, knew this was not the time to upset him further. She nodded, held his hand, and spoke softly, "Andrian, I've always trusted you. Just be good to me in the future, and I'll gradually change. I'm just afraid you'll leave me, that's why I become sensitive. Don't worry, I will change."
They say a woman becomes humble when she loves a man. Sophia was no exception; she was desperate to win Adrian's heart.
Even if it meant being a bad woman and using all sorts of means, she was willing.
Accompanied by Doreen, Jane Sullivan bought a new phone and a new SIM card.
Concerned about her family worrying, she called her father first to reassure him and mentioned she would visit her grandmother in the evening.
However, her father mentioned that Ethan had arranged a dinner at Hua Fu, with a private room already booked.
It was surprising for Ethan to take such initiative with the Sullivan family.
But Jane Sullivan felt uneasy about it...
At 6 pm, arriving at Hua Fu, Jane Sullivan, because of her sore ankle, deliberately walked slowly to keep her distance from Ethan, not wanting to be photographed together.
However, Ethan intentionally stopped and waited for her. Once she caught up, he wrapped his arm around her waist, "Mrs. Grayson? Do you disdain me?"
"Not at all... Uncle, you know my ankle is sprained, it hurts a bit."
"Is that so? Then I don't mind slowing down to walk with Mrs. Grayson."
Ethan's repeated references to her as Mrs. Grayson made Jane Sullivan uneasy. She could already imagine the demands her father and Fiona might make upon seeing Ethan's behavior towards her.
Therefore, Jane Sullivan knew her fate was likely to change from a two-month respite to an indefinite extension...
So when her father, stepmother Fiona, and Georgina appeared at the private room's entrance, Jane Sullivan briefly greeted them and quickly excused herself to the restroom, not wanting to stay a minute longer.
In the restroom, Jane Sullivan, looking at her reflection, dressed in expensive clothes and suitable makeup, suddenly laughed at herself, then decided to wash it all off.
As she turned on the faucet and was about to touch the water, someone pushed the door open, and when she glanced at the newcomer, she froze.
"Jane? Am I seeing things? Is it really you, Jane?" The speaker was a woman dressed in lavish attire, named Anita, the wife of he, the head of the family in the northern city, and Adrian's mother.
Anita curiously eyed Jane Sullivan, noting her attire, and asked in a mocking tone, "Jane, I heard you married Ethan, little Han's uncle. Is it true or false? I haven't seen you for a while. Look at you, you've become even prettier."
A year ago, if Anita had spoken to her like this, Jane Sullivan would have turned and left immediately. But so much had changed since then, she had become numb to it.
Even on the day the Sullivan family went bankrupt, when Anita threw a wad of 100,000 yuan at her head, warning her to stay away from her son Adrian, Jane Sullivan realized she had truly moved on.
She looked up at Anita, bypassed the topic of marrying Ethan, and simply replied, "Thank you for the compliment, Aunt Anita."
Then, ignoring her wet hands, she walked past Anita and left.
Just as she left, she heard Anita's loud, mocking voice, "I don't know what there is to show off about. Sold by her own family to a rich and powerful man, even if she's ruined by him and gets nothing after a divorce, she still has the audacity to act high and mighty! To put it nicely, it's marriage, but bluntly, isn't it just selling oneself?"
Jane Sullivan stood outside the restroom, her lips trembling, her eyes slightly reddening.
She chose to ignore Anita's words, but the heaviness in her steps betrayed her feelings.
Indeed, she still cared about how Anita saw her.
As she walked with her head down, she didn't see the person coming around the corner and bumped into his chest.
Jane Sullivan quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't see clearly, my apologies."
The response she received was, "Jane?"
The voice sounded familiar. Jane Sullivan looked up to see Adrian's older brother, Ned, "Brother ? Is it you?"
It turned out that today was a Grayson family gathering, and Ned, as the eldest son of Anita, was Adrian's older brother.
Ned was gentle and considerate, unlike his mother Anita who never left room for retreat. When the Sullivan family went bankrupt, Ned had offered to help but was stopped by his father.
Jane Sullivan knew it was just a play of good cop, bad cop; after all, as the CEO of Gu Corporation, Ned certainly had the authority to decide on a mere 50 million.
She held no grudges against him for his actions or inaction back then. After all, the fact that the Grayson family didn't take advantage of the Sullivan family's downfall was fortunate enough.
Seeing Jane Sullivan's attire, Ned, remembering seeing Sussano and Fiona at the entrance earlier, asked, "Did you come to dine with your parents?"
"Yes," Jane Sullivan nodded, not wanting to chat for long, "I should get going, Brother Gu. We can catch up another time."
Knowing she was uncomfortable due to the awkward relationship between their families, especially since the Grayson family was initially at fault with the Sullivans...
However, as Jane Sullivan passed the smoking area, Ethan, with a cigarette between his long fingers, legs crossed, and half-closed eyes, was watching her, slowly exhaling smoke rings.
Through the smoke, Ethan's silhouette appeared somewhat devilish, especially with the smile playing on his lips.
"Mrs. Grayson's charm is truly great. It seems she can enchant any man."