Belle’s feelings for Ethan were obvious to anyone who wasn’t blind, and Ethan certainly wasn’t blind. He could see it clearly.
Belle made no attempt to hide her feelings.
“So what?” Ethan raised an eyebrow, maintaining his indifferent demeanor.
Clara, lacking composure, gritted her teeth in frustration.
“Belle likes you, and you still interact with her, dine with her at romantic restaurants. You’re giving Belle hope, misleading her into thinking you like her,” Clara said angrily.
“I’ve never given her that impression,” Ethan replied calmly.
Clara glared at Ethan. What a jerk.
He was truly a jerk.
Enjoying the pursuit and affection of a beauty like Belle without rejecting her-wasn’t that the definition of a jerk?
A jerk who neither initiates nor rejects nor takes responsibility.
“Jerk,” Clara cursed.
Ethan looked at Clara. It was the first time someone had called him a jerk.
Him, a jerk?
Given his status, if he were truly a jerk, how many women in Riverton’s high society could escape his grasp?
“So, you’re this angry because… you’re jealous?” Ethan asked with a slight smile.
Clara’s expression stiffened, her face slowly turning red before she regained her composure and glared at Ethan. “Don’t be ridiculous. Why would I be jealous?”
Why would she be jealous?
“Then why are you upset about Belle and me?” Ethan asked.
Clara glared at him. Wasn’t it obvious?
“Do you know how embarrassed I was today? I went out to eat with my classmates and saw you dining with another woman. What do you think my classmates and roommates thought?” Clara asked.
Although she had a decent relationship with her dorm mates, on the surface, there were no major conflicts. But privately, there were always some petty thoughts.
Not just in her dorm; it’s the same everywhere in society.
In a company, colleagues in the same department might seem friendly and cheerful on the surface, but behind the scenes, they might be scheming against each other.
She wasn’t naive.
Because she hadn’t been favored since childhood, she understood human nature and social dynamics better.
The girls in her dorm might not have bad intentions towards her, but there was certainly some envy and jealousy.
She came from a good family and had married a man like Ethan. It seemed like she had all the luck in the world. If such a person were a stranger, it would be fine. But when such a person was right beside them, it felt like no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t catch up. It led to feelings of defeat and jealousy.
But seeing Belle and Ethan ‘dating’ would make them think it was just a business marriage. Even though she married Ethan, he didn’t love her and had other women outside. Beneath her glamorous exterior might be countless lonely nights of enduring humiliation.
This would give them a subtle sense of satisfaction.
They laughed at her behind her back.
She cared about her reputation and didn’t want to be laughed at. They might even mock her for not being attractive enough to keep her own man.
Ethan looked at Clara, his smile fading slowly.
So, she wasn’t angry out of jealousy but because she felt humiliated in front of her roommates.
“What would they think? They’d think you married an outstanding husband,” Ethan said calmly.
If she could, Clara really wanted to spit in Ethan’s face. How shameless could he be?
How could he say such things?
Outstanding?
What was outstanding about him?
He was handsome and rich, but did that make him outstanding?
Clearly, he was just a jerk.
“Anyway, I don’t care. From now on, you’re not allowed to interact with Belle anymore,” Clara said, sticking to her unreasonable stance.
She believed Ethan wasn’t a patient person. His tolerance was limited. Maybe… he was already fed up now.
“Why?” Ethan asked.
Clara glared at him. “Do you even need to ask why? You’re my husband. You’re a married man. How can you still entangle with other women? What position does that leave me in? Do you even care about me?”
That question… was tricky to answer.
Should he tell the truth?
It might hurt Clara’s feelings.
Ethan remained silent.
Clara also realized what she had said.
Her face turned red as she thought about how awkward it sounded.
It seemed like she was really jealous.
Jealous because Ethan was with another woman.
It made it seem like she loved Ethan deeply.
Did she love Ethan…
Thinking about this made Clara even more embarrassed and uncomfortable.
She prayed silently that Ethan wouldn’t think this way. Otherwise, he’d think she was some pervert coveting her brother-in-law.
She didn’t want to be seen as a pervert.
Clara looked at Ethan nervously with a flushed face.
Ethan looked at Clara and said calmly, “Don’t worry. You’re my wife. No one can shake your position.”
Why did that sound so wrong?
What did he mean by no one could shake her position?
Shouldn’t he say: “Darling, rest assured, you’re the only one in my heart. There will be no other women.”
Saying no one could shake her position implied that those women outside were just for fun.
Jerk.
A typical jerk.
She hadn’t realized he was such a jerk before.
Usually so serious and aloof, he seemed different from other men who were always thinking about women.
But in reality, how different was he?
They were all the same-just like the saying goes: all crows are black under the sun.
“What do you mean by that?” Clara asked with a frown.
Ethan also frowned slightly. Didn’t he make himself clear enough?
“Do you think I’m after an unshakable position? Do you think I’m after the Logan family’s wealth and status?” Clara asked, pretending to be hurt and angry.
Ethan raised an eyebrow and asked back, “Isn’t that so?”
The Everett family’s behavior suggested they were indeed after the Logan family’s wealth and status.
His words… left no room for argument.
The other members of the Everett family were indeed after the Logan family’s wealth and status.
But not her.
She agreed to marry him in place of her sister only to calm his anger and give the Everett family a chance to survive. She never intended to seek the Logan family’s wealth.
But the other members of the Everett family… they were indeed hoping to cling to Ethan and benefit from the Logan family.
However, they were still her family. Even if they didn’t like her much, they had given birth to her and raised her in luxury until now.
Clara felt she had no standing to argue with Ethan about whether she was after his wealth and status.
Even if she wasn’t, her family was.
After all, her parents and relatives were part of who she was.
Clara seemed to deflate like a punctured balloon, giving up the argument.
Ethan looked at Clara’s defeated expression with a faint smile. “So you’re not after my wealth. Are you after me as a person?”
Clara’s face turned red with anger as she glared at Ethan. “Who’s after you?”
Ethan remained unbothered and said calmly, “There are plenty of people who are.”
That statement left no room for response.
But even if it did, she had to respond somehow.
She had to stick to being unreasonable and annoying until the end.
“You need to behave yourself from now on. Stop flirting around,” Clara said seriously. “Otherwise, I won’t let you off.”
Ethan smiled as he looked at Clara.
This little girl was quite interesting.
Much more interesting than her pretentious sister.
“Oh? And how do you plan not to let me off?” Ethan asked with a smile.
“You’ll find out when the time comes,” Clara said proudly with her chin slightly raised, as if she had many tricks up her sleeve.
Ethan nodded. “I’ll wait.”
Was he implying he planned to flirt around?
Jerk!
“I’ll wait to see what tricks you have up your sleeve,” Ethan said.
Clara snorted. “I have plenty of ways. For example, if you piss me off enough, I’ll make sure you regret it while you’re asleep.”