Stephanie asked, “How did it go?”
Clara blushed as she looked at Stephanie.
Stephanie thought, “Does the lady not want to talk about it? Or did something inappropriate happen? Otherwise, why is her face so red?”
Clara, still blushing, said, “I did what you taught me, showing affection in front of Belle on purpose.”
Stephanie inquired, “How did you show affection?”
She knew she probably shouldn’t ask, but she couldn’t resist her natural curiosity. Women are naturally inclined to gossip.
Clara, her face still flushed, replied, “I said I burned my hand, and then… he blew on it for me.”
Stephanie was momentarily stunned, and then she began to imagine Ethan gently blowing on Clara’s hand, softly saying, “It doesn’t hurt anymore; a little blow will make it better…”
It seemed a bit surreal. Mr. Logan didn’t seem like the type to do such things. Yet, he actually did.
“Mr. Logan is really good to you,” Stephanie remarked.
She had been by Ethan’s side for several years and knew he was always aloof with women, including his former fiancee Iris. Many people said Ethan must have loved Iris deeply to withstand family pressure and get engaged to her. But Stephanie felt that no matter how cold a man was, he should be warm and indulgent toward the woman he loved.
She believed Mr. Logan didn’t love Iris. She didn’t know why he went through with the engagement despite the pressure, but her intuition told her he didn’t love Iris. Now, it was clear she was right. Mr. Logan truly loved Clara.
Clara’s face turned even redder. She felt that sometimes Ethan was nice to her, but other times he seemed indifferent. He was a strange man, perhaps treating her according to his mood-kind when in a good mood and taking it out on her when not.
Stephanie observed Clara’s shy demeanor and felt a sense of understanding. It was like the novels where a cold and domineering CEO falls for an innocent young wife. It was quite beautiful.
In the evening, Clara and Ethan returned home from work. As soon as they entered, they saw Grace sitting on the couch in the living room.
Clara greeted obediently, “Mom.”
Grace ignored Clara and addressed Ethan, “Ethan, I need to talk to you.”
“What is it?” Ethan asked calmly.
“Nora wants to work at Logan Group,” Grace said.
Ethan looked at Grace and replied, “Isn’t she doing well at Poole Group?”
Grace sighed, “Everyone at Poole Group knows Nora is the eldest daughter of the Poole family. They pamper her, so she doesn’t learn anything there.”
Ethan responded indifferently, “If she’s not learning anything, isn’t it because she’s not capable?”
Clara glanced at Ethan secretly and applauded him in her heart: Well said, Honey.
Grace hadn’t expected Ethan to respond so bluntly.
“Why? Clara can intern at Logan Group, but Nora can’t?” Grace said angrily.
Ethan glanced at Clara. Clara blinked innocently; she was just an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire.
Ethan told Grace, “How can you compare Clara to Nora? Clara is my wife and will be my supportive partner in the future. It’s normal for her to intern and understand our company. But Nora? What qualifies her?”
His tone remained calm and steady, yet his words were hurtful.
Clara blushed again, feeling a flutter in her heart… A supportive partner? Could she really become one?
In her imagination, a supportive partner was gentle yet capable-someone who managed the household efficiently and helped her husband with business and social matters. Could she do that? She felt she couldn’t right now. But if Ethan believed she could, then she would strive for it.
Grace frowned and said, “Nora was once your girlfriend. Can you really be so heartless and not help her with this small favor?”
Ethan replied coldly, “Precisely because she was once my girlfriend, it’s even more important to avoid suspicion.”
Grace felt powerless. Ethan seemed impervious to persuasion; nothing she said seemed to matter. He showed no affection for Nora at all. Was she wrong about him? Did Ethan truly not care for Nora? But apart from Nora, there were no other options. Over the years, Ethan had only dated Nora.
Grace decided not to give up on Nora. If Ethan had dated Nora before, he must have had feelings for her. First loves are hard to forget. Ethan couldn’t be so heartless toward Nora.
“Alright,” Ethan suddenly said.
Both Grace and Clara were taken aback and looked at Ethan in confusion.
What did Ethan mean by “alright”?
“Let Nora come work at Logan Group,” Ethan said.
Grace felt a surge of joy. She knew it-Ethan couldn’t be so unfeeling toward Nora. Nora was his first love and an outstanding woman; he couldn’t possibly have no feelings for her.
Clara felt conflicted… Didn’t Ethan dislike Nora? Why did he suddenly agree to let her work at Logan Group?
“Let her be my secretary,” Ethan said.
Nora as Ethan’s secretary? Wouldn’t that mean they’d be together every day? What if old feelings rekindled?
Grace thought similarly… With Nora as Ethan’s secretary, they’d see each other daily. Feelings could develop from frequent interactions, especially since there were already feelings between them.
Ethan added indifferently, “Besides… I could use another secretary.”
This was clearly untrue. There were already three secretaries-Alayna and Hanna were indeed busy, but Stephanie often had time to spare for personal grooming during work hours. How could there be a shortage of secretaries?
Ethan was just making an excuse to have Nora close by so he could see her every day.
“Alright,” Grace said with a smile, casting a smug glance at Clara.
Clara’s mood soured instantly.
Clara’s bad mood affected her appetite; she barely touched dinner before heading back to their room. Once there, she told Ethan, “Then I… won’t go to work at the company tomorrow.”
With four secretaries now, what use would they have for her?
Ethan raised an eyebrow at Clara. “Why?”
Clara replied, “Including Nora, you have four secretaries now.”
Ethan said nonchalantly, “They’re secretaries… You’re just the girl who brings tea and runs errands.”
How infuriating! What a jerk!
A tea-serving errand girl… even less than a secretary!
She frowned in dissatisfaction and glared at Ethan.
Ethan slightly frowned back. “What? Not satisfied?”
Clara’s defiance crumbled instantly. She dared not express dissatisfaction-she was scared.
“… No,” Clara murmured with her head down.
Sigh…
She truly felt pitiful.
Would her future days be any better?
There was already Stephanie in the secretary’s office-a woman whose relationship with Ethan seemed suspicious-and now his first love would join too…
What was going on?
Was Ethan planning to gather all the women connected to him into his office?