Ethan’s Vengeance of Love

“What’s with that look, Alice?” Ethan’s brows creased slightly. Does she have to be this frightened that I’m coming along to Old
Mr. Woland’s birthday banquet? Am I embarrassing? Or am I that scary?
“D-Don’t! You don’t have to. I’ll tell Mr. Knight about it.” Alice thought his decision was a force of Lawrence’s suggestion. “You can
stay home and keep Caroline company. You’ll get along just fine.” She quickly left, depriving his chance of rebutting.
Stuffiness overwhelmed Ethan because he woke up early in the morning and spent a few hours grooming himself. Yet, she
barely looked at him. What was the use of taking the initiative to join the banquet only to be refused without hesitation?
“I don’t mind that she’s not bringing me home, but you too? We’re in the same boat. No one cares nor loves us.” While holding a
toy, Caroline sighed and cast a sympathetic look at Ethan. The little girl did not forget to rub salt in his wound. “I know Mom’s not
gonna bring me, so I didn’t ask. I would’ve ended up like you anyway.”
“Why are you here? Didn’t you go with Alice?” There came another blow from Lawrence, who headed downstairs. At that
moment, Ethan thought he could cough up a river of blood from the stifling frustration.
“Dad, cheer up. Think about it. If Mom’s not bringing me, why would she bring you along?” Caroline had a great talent for
comforting one’s feelings.
Was Ethan sad? Yes, he very much was.
“Alice’s not bringing you along, but what are you standing here for?” Lawrence could not believe how dunce his son was. Will
Alice kick his butt if he insists on tagging along?
“I’m staying home, keeping Caroline company.” That was a sulky statement at the spur of the moment. He was doing as Alice
told him to.
“I heard rumors about Alice. They’re waiting for the opportunity to make a clown out of her. Will you let her walk into the trap by
sending her off alone?” Lawrence sighed loudly. “Are you going to let your wife get humiliated?”
Ethan slightly straightened his body. He knew that Alice was not someone to yield to bullies.
“If you’re not going to stand up for her, who will?” Lawrence glanced at his son, deciding to add fuel to the fire. “I heard that the
Rowland Family has proposed marriage with the Wolands. If you don’t go, I’m afraid Keith will be the person helping Alice.”
“Why must he help my wife?” Ethan sprang up from the couch. Why is that guy everywhere?

“Go ahead. You should be the one standing by Alice’s side. Give the audience a reality check. Show them what awaits them if
they bully her.” Lawrence was finally satisfied. He had no choice but to give his slow-witted son a reason.
Those words were not said merely to make Ethan all jumpy. Lawrence asked someone about the birthday banquet, where
trouble awaited Alice. Judging from Ethan’s character, he would not stand still and do nothing without bringing her justice.
Today, a show was set to start at the birthday banquet.
Coincidentally, Ethan bumped into Irvin in the hotel lobby.
“Ethan, what brings you here?” Irvin was surprised to see him there. “Are you here for Alice? I came downstairs and noticed
something was off with the banquet. Old Mr. Woland isn’t here yet, but Elijah and Emma are acting weird. I wonder what they’re
up to. Instead of celebrating Old Mr. Woland’s birthday, I think it’s a platform for a scheme. I think Alice is their target.”
Irvin came from a dysfunctional family; he grew up falling for his elder brother’s traps and schemes. Thus, he was particularly
sensitive to such things.
“Emma was talking to a waiter, and I overheard Alice’s name. Is she going to hurt my sister-in-law?” He was not here for the
party because Elijah was not powerful enough to send an invitation to the Thornes. He was merely asking around because he
overheard Emma mentioning Alice’s name. “Ethan, don’t go to the second floor where the birthday banquet is. I’ll take you to the
third floor. Maybe, we can find something out.”
“Is Alice on the second floor?” The way Irvin addressed her alleviated Ethan’s grim expression. What are Elijah and Emma up
to? Since I’m here, I won’t let them get ahead of themselves.
“No? I didn’t see her.” Irvin looked at the entrance over Ethan’s shoulder. “Didn’t you come together?”
Irvin rubbed salt into Ethan’s wound unintentionally, prompting the latter to give him a fleeting glare.
Did I put my foot into my mouth? Ethan looks scary. Irvin was stunned momentarily.
“So, do you wanna go to the second or third floor for observation?”
“Let’s go to the third floor first.” Ethan was not in a rush to join the birthday banquet since Alice was not there yet. Taking Irvin’s
words into consideration, he decided to observe the situation from the third floor.

At that moment, most of the quests on the second floor were gushing about Alice due to Emma’s intentional arrangement and
hints.
“I heard that Alice, the ugly duckling, is coming!”
“For what? To scare the guests away? Her face gives me nightmares.”
“Bruce will be here too.”
“Did she come because of Bruce?”
“That must be it. She handed over Woland Group to him just to marry him.”
“So what? He didn’t marry her anyway.”
“No one will marry someone as stupid and hideous as her. If I were Bruce, I would make the same choice too.”
“Exactly! He’s gorgeous, and she’s not his type at all.”
“Since she’s handed over the company to him, and the marriage has gone out of the window, she has nothing to butter the man
up. No one’s gonna marry her either. Guess she’ll spend the rest of her life single.”
“She deserves it. Who will marry an ugly idiot?”
“Her future husband will be having nightmares every night, facing such a hideous wife.”
They did not soften their voice throughout the discussion, so one could hear them crystal-clear. Due to Emma’s arrangement,
such discussion became the main topic everywhere.