Chapter 107 Checking Up?
Emily thought that if she told Ethan about this, he should be able to find a way to stop Andrew from pressuring Aaron.
The moment she finished speaking, tension set in.
She didn’t expect Nancy’s voice to come through the phone. “Ethan, look. There’s a shooting star. Hurry. Make a wish.”
The line fell silent. After a short while, Nancy’s voice rang out again. “Ethan, what did you wish for just now?”
Ethan replied gently, “It’s a secret.”
The reply was brief, but his voice carried an unmistakable note of indulgent tenderness.
Even through the phone, Emily could sense the intimacy between Ethan and Nancy at the moment.
Nancy laughed softly and then said, “Sophie found some crabs. Want to go catch them together?”
Ethan didn’t think twice and answered at once, “Okay.”
But then, as if something suddenly occurred to him, he remembered that Emily was still on the line, so he asked into thephone, “By the way, what were you saying just now?” 18:40
Етпу пп стеорони.
hoarse voice, “Where are you?”
Just like so many times before, she was asking where he was planning to go.
But this time, she was not looking for him to shore up their marriage.
Ethan paused briefly. When he spoke again, he asked with some confusion, “Are you checking up on me?”
“I want to talk to you, face to face,” Emily said.
Ethan replied flatly, “I’m not free right now. Let’s talk next
time.”
Emily had heard that sentence far too many times.
But when exactly was this so–called next time?
The next time he referred to usually meant there would be no
next time at all.
Just as she was just about to explain why she had to see him, the call was already disconnected.
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The busy tone echoed as she lowered her phone. It felt as if all
< Chapter 107 Checking Up?
the strength in her body had been drained in an instant.
For the next two days, she didn’t contact Ethan again, but Aaron suddenly became unreachable.
At this critical moment, Alexander’s gifts never missed a single day, arriving unfailingly, rain or shine.
Several jewelry boxes sat unopened, and Emily had not looked inside any of them.
Anything Alexander gave was naturally not cheap.
Even knowing how pointless it was, he kept sending things
anyway.
But at this moment, Emily had no capacity to think about Alexander at all, because she was far more afraid that something might happen to Aaron.
She waited an entire day, yet Aaron still didn’t reply to her
messages.
Emily could no longer sit still.
She decided to go see Ethan in person. No matter where he was, she had to find him.
She sent Ethan a message. [Which city are you in? I need to talk to you face–to–face. It’s urgent.]
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reply from Ethan.
She opened TikTok and found Nancy’s account, noticing that the location displayed on the profile was in the Santa Barbara
area.
Comparing this with several paparazzi vacation photos,
examining everything from the shape of the coastline to the overall architectural style, Emily ultimately confirmed that they went to Santa Barbara.
Emily booked the earliest flight available, though it was still an afternoon departure.
By the time she arrived, it was already seven in the evening.
It was late autumn, and by seven o’clock the sky was almost completely dark.
Emily took a cab, questioning the driver as they headed toward the places where Ethan might be.
At the same time, outside the most prestigious beachfront hotel in Santa Barbara, a private bonfire party was underway.
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< Chapter 107 Checking Up?
Staff moved in and out with practiced discretion, and the air carried a faint mix of charcoal, sea breeze, and wine.
A section close to the shoreline had been deliberately reserved for Ethan, Nancy, and Sophia. It had all but become their private space.
Sophia loved the ocean almost to excess. She spent her days diving, her evenings roaming the shoreline, and even after nightfall, she draged the adults into a seaside party.
It was too comfortable here. So comfortable that she genuinely hoped the trip would never end.
On a small round table beside the bonfire sat freshly grilled meat and delicate appetizers, with chilled beer and properly aired red wine placed nearby.
Andrew and Shawn sat off to one side. They kept eating and drinking, occasionally lifting their eyes to look toward the distance at the lively “family of three” playing not far away.
After a while, Andrew lowered his head to check his phone, and the next second, he couldn’t help laughing out loud. “Shawn, look at this. I barely hinted at a few things about Aaron, and people rushed in to finish the job for me.
“They tore him apart online, cornered him at home for days, and when he finally went out in disguise, he still got 5/6 recognized. He was beaten on the spot, and his hand was
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<Chapter 107 Checking Up?
injured.”
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As he spoke, Andrew shook his head and clicked his tongue. He then added with mocking amusement, “Shawn, think about it. If a surgeon injures his hand, isn’t he basically no different from a useless person?”
Andrew laughed even louder, as if Aaron’s fate were his proudest work.
Shawn listened with a frown the entire time and didn’t echo
Andrew’s sentiment.
Andrew, however, showed no awareness of Shawn’s discomfort. He scrolled through his phone a couple more times and continued, “I only started it, but I didn’t expect the netizens to be even angrier than I was. They even brought up things like taking bribes and illegal fundraising. All I have to do is stir things up a little, and someone will step in…”
As his words fell, Shawn suddenly cut in. “Do you really think what you’re doing is right?”
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