In the hospital room, Scarlett was holding a lesson plan, explaining earnestly before she sighed in frustration, âNo, weâve already gone over this grammar point.â
âErm⦠uh-huh.â Ethan was awkward, his gaze drifting over to his auntâs shapely figure, occasionally landing on her long, crossed legs.
âItâs been a long time since Iâve studied. I need time to get a grip on this stuff.â
âYeah.â Blair, sitting nearby, chimed in, âIsnât it because you were too busy staring at momâs feet just now?â
âHey!â Ethan, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, protested, âHow can you just make stuff up about me?â
âAlright.â Scarlett, still holding the lesson plan, looked resigned, âLetâs call it a day for now. Ethan, if you want to catch up, you really need to put in more effort on your own time.â
âMom, youâre being too hard on him. Heâs currently very close with that gorgeous actress,â Blair said with a shrug, âTheyâre practically inseparable.â
âEnough, Blair!â Ethan snapped, clearly irritated. Blair had been undermining him all day.
âHmm~â Blair, seeing Ethanâs annoyance, stood up leisurely and waved his hand, âIâm going out for a bit.â
Now, only Ethan and Scarlett were left in the room.
âAuntie, you have to believe me, Abby and I are just friends,â Ethan swore.
These days, he could sense that Blair was acting differently than before.
But he couldnât quite put his finger on it.
âItâs okay, no need to explain,â Scarlett said, covering her forehead with her hand, her emotions complex. This young boyfriend of hers could charm women even while lying in a hospital bed.
She didnât even want to think about what might happen once he recovered.
âAre you really planning to go back to school?â
âYeah.â Ethan nodded, his eyes inadvertently scanning Scarlettâs figure. Maybe it was because she had become a full-fledged teacher.
Her uniform seemed to add an extra touch of allure.
He raised his hand, âIâm feeling pretty good now. I canât just lie in bed forever. I want to get back to normal life.â
Ethan looked into Scarlettâs eyes, âI also want to finish my studies. My dream is to become a doctor and then marry you, Auntie.â
He was lucky, a single bottle of treatment had resolved his progressive muscle weakness.
Now, he needed to think about his future.
Becoming a doctor was a good choice, whether it was to cover up his unusual physical condition or to better accomplish his missions in the future.
Of course, he had another motive he hadnât mentioned.
Ethanâs gaze flicked to his auntâs high heels.
Now that his aunt was his girlfriend, dating a beautiful teacher at school and then making love in every corner of the school in various positions.
Such scenarios were a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
âKeep at it,â Scarlett noticed his gaze falling on her high heels again, her expression resigned.
This young boyfriend really had a thing for her feet.
But knowing he wanted to become a doctor, although skeptical, Scarlett still encouraged him, âCome on, letâs continue studying.â
When Blair came back in the evening with a shopping bag, only Ethan was left in the room. âWhereâs mom?â
âAuntie went home.â Ethan had already packed up the textbooks and was tapping away on his laptop, searching for information.
This mission was extremely important to him,completing it would earn him a second bottle of the treatment.
That would truly be a new beginning for him.
âYeah.â Blair sat down on another bed, hands in his pockets, âI saw mom masturbating alone last night.â
Ethan looked up, his mouth agape, âAre you sure?â
âYes.â Blairâs expression was calm, âShe was calling your name.â
âYouâve made it impossible for me to continue this conversation.â Ethan was embarrassed but secretly thrilled. His aunt liked him.
She saw him as her boyfriend.
âCough, why bring that up?â
Blair stared at him, hands resting on her thighs, and after a pause, shook her head, âI donât know, maybe you and mom would be happier without me around.â
âAre you an idiot?â Ethan shook his head, looking straight into Blairâs eyes, âWeâre family. You and Auntie are both really important to me.â
âMm.â Blair cracked a smile, âGoing to sleep now.â
She kicked off her shoes and flopped onto the bed, as usual, starting to play with her phone.
Ethan watched her for a while, and seeing nothing unusual, he lowered his head and continued typing on his keyboard.
Blair might look mature, but she was just a six-foot-tall kid who wasnât even of age yet.
The next day arrived.
Abigaile came to the hospital to pick him up, her face showing signs of sleep deprivation, her makeup not as polished as usual, giving her a somewhat disheveled look.
âAbby, you look like you didnât sleep well?â Ethan picked up his backpack, asking curiously.
âHey! I couldnât sleep at all, okay!â Abigaile covered her face, her expression betraying her panic, âI went home last night and looked up some reports.â
âTurns out, three years ago, this guy Salvatore was hired by a construction company. They used gangster tactics to forcibly acquire land, causing a fire and even a death.â
âSome government officials were involved too, and they managed to hush it up. Now, Prosecutor Katherine has taken an interest and reopened the case, apparently because someone involved back then has come forward to her.â
âThis is way out of our league!â
Abigaile had been talking for a while, but seeing Ethanâs calm demeanor, she burst out, âHey, give me some reaction here!â
âHmm?â Ethanâs eyes twinkled with amusement as he looked at Abigaileâs anxious face, âYou seem really scared. Why havenât you run away? After all, thereâs no contract or obligation between us.â
Abigaile paused, as if realizing she really could walk away from this.
âOkay, then Iâm leaving.â
She turned and walked towards the door of the hospital room. At the doorway, she turned back, âHey, are you going to continue investigating?â
âOf course.â Ethan gave a firm reply, âI always complete my assignments.â
âGood luck then.â Abigaile walked out of the room.
Ethan picked up his backpack and followed, only to see her pausing at the doorway.
âAs an adult, I canât just abandon a kid,â Abigaile put on her sunglasses, âIf I feel danger, Iâll leave immediately.â
Ethanâs expression was odd,Abigaile was unexpectedly loyal, yet timid.
âWhere to now?â Abigaileâs voice trembled slightly.
âLetâs go meet our star prosecutor,â Ethan pulled out his phone, having gotten Katherineâs number from Jessica.
âI really hate that old man,â Officer Jessica had told him over the phone last night, the background noise clearly indicating she was in a bar, âBut after asking you for help, I feel relieved. No pressure, whatever the outcome.â
âTch.â Ethan scoffed, his mind burdened by other peopleâs family issues.
Ethan dialed the number Jessica had given him.
A cool female voice answered, âHello.â