Chapter 24: A Close Call

Just moments ago, when he was driving here, the headlights of his car had been too dazzling for him to clearly see the faces of the people who were fighting.

But one of them had the silhouette of a woman, and something on her heel caught the light. He remembered it clearly because it was strikingly bright.

And that bright thing... looked an awful lot like the studs on Little simpleton's boot.

Not to mention, the woman's height was similar to Little simpleton's.

Ethan furrowed his brows, reopened the car door, and looked at Vivian with a hint of suspicion in his eyes.

Vivian immediately noticed the change in Ethan's gaze, but she wasn't sure what gave her away. So she continued to act as innocent and naive as before. "Mr. Handsome, come sit in the car with me," she said, even patting the seat next to her in an overly innocent manner.

Ethan crouched down in front of Vivian, gently taking her injured hand in his. He looked at her intently, "Little simpleton, tell me, what were you wearing today?"

"Clothes?" Vivian looked down at her sweater, "Pink, with a pretty necklace." "Vivian, I'm asking about your outerwear."

He was suspicious and had noticed her during the scuffle with the Scarface. But since all the thugs had escaped, there was no one to confirm his suspicions. As long as she stayed consistent and played dumb, Ethan would have no proof.

So what if she said she was wearing a black jacket?

Black jackets were commonplace on the streets after all. "Um... let me think. It was black. If you don't believe me, Mr. Handsome, you can ask Jean. She picked out the jacket for me."

As Vivian spoke, she attempted to exit the car to find Jean. She purposely used her injured hand to open the car door, causing herself more pain.

"Ah, it hurts. My hand hurts."

Watching this clumsy, naive woman, Ethan began to doubt his suspicions. It was just a stud, after all, and many shoes had studs. What did it prove? ”But he still had a lingering doubt, "When the bad guys took you, did anyone come to your rescue?"

"Yes!" Vivian said confidently, her eyes sparkling, "It was Mr. Handsome. Mr. Handsome is very kind."

With that, she planted a quick kiss on Ethan's cheek.

Caught off guard by her sudden kiss, the soft, moist touch sent a jolt through Ethan.

For a moment, he even wanted to grip the back of her head, invade her, conquer her, and show her what a real kiss was.

But all these desires extinguished the moment he saw the innocence in her sparkling eyes.

He quickly stood up, pulling out his phone, "I'll save the others first." The car door closed, and the innocence in Vivian's eyes disappeared. She pondered, who could have orchestrated such a vile scheme to torment her?

The only suspect who came to mind was Yolanda, who she had just run into at the hospital today.

What a nuisance! Vivian had injured her hand and almost revealed her identity.　　……

To allay Ethan's suspicions, Vivian, forgetting the pain of that night, insisted on sharing a bed with him.

Sharing a bed with him, she couldn't resist playing the fool and teasing him.

She was smitten with his deep, husky voice. It was so seductive and enticing that she couldn't help but want to fully possess him.

However, he seemed to resist her advances. She hadn't forgotten the hardship she endured that night, so she didn't push him all the way.

After all, sleeping soundly next to this man, who was as warm as a furnace, was a delight in itself.

But this proved to be a hardship for Ethan. The man endured a night of mental and physical agony, so much so that he woke up the next morning with dark circles under his eyes. He didn't even have breakfast with Vivian but drove straight to the office.

The first thing he addressed that was the attempted abduction of Vivian the previous night.

Unfortunately, the old construction site where the incident happened had no surveillance cameras, and neither Jean nor the driver saw the culprits' faces.

Little simpleton did see them, but she couldn't articulate the situation clearly, let alone remembering the culprits' appearances.

But luckily, a road surveillance camera captured the face of the man posing as the driver, a man with a scar on his face.

The man had fled, but Ethan traced his connections and found out that he was linked to Tyler.

"Heh, it's him again. He really must be tired of living." The thought of little simpleton's injured hand filled Ethan with a surge of anger. "Austin, put everything else aside for now and prioritize this. I can't wait any longer!"

He couldn't wait to make Tyler pay a heavy price!

"Understood, sir," Austin replied.

"Oh, and," Ethan continued, "cancel the five o'clock meeting and the dinner tonight." "But sir, the meeting about the MG project is crucial," Austin protested. "I said to postpone it," Ethan frowned, "Do I need to repeat myself a third time?" "No, sir," Austin Mitchell sighed, tucking away his tablet. "Do I need to arrange anything else after canceling the meeting and dinner?”

"No, I'm going back to Lakeside Mansion."

"Understood, sir. I'll notify everyone right away." Austin noticed that the boss seemed particularly concerned about his wife, who was known as a simpleton.

But having met the lady herself, Austin Mitchell had to admit, she is truly a beauty.　　……

Jean was still in the hospital due to being drugged, so Ethan didn't inform anyone, including Vivian, when he returned to Lakeside Mansion.

Vivian didn't expect him to return early today, so she wasn't on guard.

She accidentally overslept during her nap and didn't wake up until five in the afternoon. Seeing the time, she figured it was about time to contact Nathaniel due to the time difference, so she planned to get the equipment from the playroom.

However, when she arrived at the door of the playroom, she found the door was ajar.

She had told Jean and all the servants in the mansion not to enter her playroom, even for cleaning, without her permission.

But now, the playroom's door was unexpectedly ajar!

Who'd sneaked in? Would they stumble upon her secret?

Vivian took a step forward and solemnly pushed open the door As the door swung wide, the identity of the intruder came into focus. It was Ethan.

There he was, crouched in front of her Peppa Pig suitcase, the clandestine den for her computer.

”Catching sight of her, his face grew stern, throwing a grave question her way, "What's this all about?"