Jane Sullivan knew he was referring to Ned. Having overheard their conversation, there was no need to beat around the bush.
"Uncle, that was Adrian's brother, Ned."
Ethan, satisfied with Jane Sullivan's honest answer, flicked ash from his cigarette, took another drag, then stubbed it out in the ashtray, and gestured for her to come over.
As soon as Jane Sullivan walked over, Ethan pulled her onto his lap, then lifted her chin with his middle finger and asked, "Have you been crying?"
"No, just a bit tired. I washed my face."
"Do you know that every time you lie, your eyes blink non-stop, and your long eyelashes tremble?" Ethan directly exposed her lie. "Were you bullied by someone from the Grayson family?"
Jane Sullivan hesitated for a moment and replied, "Not exactly bullied, just happened to meet in the restroom. Besides, with my current personality, I wouldn't let anyone bully me."
"Do you like bullying others?" Ethan's lips curved, his rough fingertips sliding over her nose. "I like bullying others. How about... doing it together?"
Jane Sullivan didn't immediately grasp what Ethan meant by "I like bullying others" and "doing it together."
Not until Ethan's phone vibrated, and he slid down to answer, telling the person on the other end, "Yeah, let them come over."
Who was coming over?
After ending the call, Ethan glanced at Jane Sullivan in his arms, lifting her ear hair with his fingers, and slightly pursed his lips, "Don't try to escape later."
"..." Jane Sullivan furrowed her brows, puzzled by the smile on his lips.
But just two minutes later, when footsteps sounded behind her, and not just from one person, Jane Sullivan tried to get off Ethan's lap. However, the arm around her waist was like a branding iron, firmly keeping her in place.
"The CEO, you finally agreed to see us. This is our partnership proposal, you can take a look first."
That voice sounded familiar...
Jane Sullivan tried to turn her head to see if she recognized the person, but as soon as she moved, the arm around her waist tightened.
"..." She gasped in pain, biting her teeth without making a sound.
While Ethan, in full view of everyone, took the proposal with one hand, glanced at Luke, the leader, and then handed the proposal to Jane Sullivan.
"Mrs. Grayson, the decision is now yours."
What? Seeing the main page of the proposal marked "Gu Shi," and remembering the voice from before, Jane Sullivan guessed the visitor was Luke.
But why give her the decision-making power? She knew nothing about the business world, a blank slate.
Jane Sullivan looked up at Ethan, confused, only to see his eyes full of amusement, as if watching a play.
Luke, hearing Ethan call out "Mrs. Grayson," immediately looked displeased. Before, the women Ethan brought to public events were either actresses or models, but he never expected it to be "Mrs. Grayson."
Compared to his father's shock, Ned already knew it was Jane Sullivan because he recognized the outfit.
Ethan released his arms, signaling Jane Sullivan could get down.
But Jane Sullivan was reluctant to meet the Grayson family's people, yet she had no choice. She stood up, clutching the partnership proposal, not turning around, and stuttered, "I... I haven't seen it yet, give me three days to respond."
"Okay, then we'll go back to eat first, your parents are still waiting for us." After speaking, Ethan didn't pay any more attention to the Grayson family, wrapped his arm around Jane Sullivan's waist, and left.
At that moment, Jane Sullivan turned her face away, not letting the Grayson family see.
...
After they were far away, Jane Sullivan forcefully pushed Ethan away, angrily staring at him, "Uncle! What's wrong with you today? I don't understand contracts, why did you leave it to me to decide?"
After speaking, she shoved the partnership proposal into his hands, "Don't play tricks on me in front of so many people in the future!"
Ethan took the proposal and chuckled softly, "Little thing! I was venting for you, and you turn around and yell at me?"
"So bold, why didn't you fight back when others bullied you? Think I've spoiled you lately? So you vent your anger on me?"
Then he turned around, pinning Jane Sullivan to the corner, pinching her chin, and staring coldly at her: "Do you know? No one dares to talk to me like that, not even your father Sussano or Adrian's father Luke. So, Jane Sullivan, where do you get the courage?"
Jane Sullivan didn't answer, feeling the rage emanating from Ethan. In such a situation, silence was the
only option.
Then, before letting go of her, Ethan warned, "Don't take my kindness for granted, Jane Sullivan, behave yourself." After that, he walked away with large strides.
Returning to the private room, Fiona, seeing only Jane Sullivan return without Ethan, asked in confusion, "Where's the CEO?"
"He had something urgent and went back first."
"Something urgent? Did you make my brother-in-law angry?" Georgina mocked, "I don't know where you get the confidence to provoke my brother-in-law."
"Really, did you upset the CEO?" Seeing Jane Sullivan not responding, Fiona immediately complained to Sussano, "See? The CEO finally agreed to our real estate development, entrusted entirely to the Sullivan family, but your daughter messed it up, and now it might all be ruined!"
Hearing this, Jane Sullivan realized why Ethan's tone was so arrogant earlier; it turned out the Sullivan family had taken advantage of the Grayson family.
Her gaze landed on her father's face, seeing he didn't speak up for her but instead looked gloomy, she sneered, "I'd be happy if it all falls through!"
After saying that, she grabbed her coat and stormed out.
Fiona, trembling with anger, banged the table and said to Sussano, "This is the daughter you raised! She'd be happy if the Sullivan family goes bankrupt! Once the CEO gets angry, withdraws the funding, and throws Jane Sullivan out, the Sullivan family will have nothing!"
Sussano stood up angrily and yelled back, "Then so be it! I've regretted letting Jane marry Ethan! Otherwise, I wouldn't have traded the whole Sullivan family to get Jane back!"
"Sussano, have you lost your mind!"
"If I hadn't lost my mind, how could I have agreed to let Jane marry Ethan!"
After saying that, he left without paying attention to Fiona's accusations.
Fiona was left alone, furiously smashing things to vent her anger.
...
The atmosphere in another private room was equally oppressive.
After hearing about the partnership between Gu Shi and Justin Shi, and that the decision-making power was in Jane Sullivan's hands, Anita's face immediately darkened.
She couldn't believe it and muttered, "It's all my fault. If I knew Ethan was so good to that little bitch Jane Sullivan, I would never have spoken about her like that in the restroom."
"This little bitch will definitely seek revenge. What do we do? What do we do?"
Luke snorted coldly, scanning Anita with contempt, "What can we do! You couldn't keep your mouth shut! Do you know! This is a deal worth over ten billion! And you've completely ruined it with one sentence!"
"Mom, calm down. Jane isn't the kind of person who would target the Grayson family. If she wanted to, she could have acted before. So, let's wait for the news from their side."
Ned reminded, "In a while, Yi Mo and Xiao Han will be here. If you don't want to escalate things, stay calm. You know Yi Mo's temper. If he finds out..."
Ned chose to omit the rest of his sentence and continued, "Anyway, if Yi Mo finds out, the consequences are unimaginable. So, Mom and Dad, please calm down."
Anita and Luke, hearing this, could only suppress their anger.
Meanwhile, as soon as Jane Sullivan left the mansion, Ethan suddenly pulled her into the car.
Then, stepping on the accelerator, he sped along a quiet road, stopping by the side. He adjusted Jane Sullivan's seat back, leaned in, and trapped her between his arms. "What? Still angry about this morning?"
"How could I be? You're overthinking, Uncle." Jane Sullivan smiled. "If my close male friend hurt his foot, I would also rush over without hesitation."
"Close male friend? Ken or Justin?"