Chapter 119

“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.