Chapter 135 Making Men the Bad Guys
Ashley looked at Hannah curiously. "Oh? What do you have in mind?"
Hannah smiled softly. "Christmas is coming up," she said, glancing at Ashley sitting across from her. "I was thinking of talking to Dad, using the holiday as an excuse to make Ethan bring Blake home."
Ashley's expression shifted to concern. "If Blake comes back, he'll just clash with Ethan over that girl again. It'll only make your father and grandfather angry."
Hannah's smile turned calculated. "That's precisely the point. This time, we need to make the men be the villains."
Ashley's heart skipped a beat, feeling suddenly exposed. Yet her face remained calm and composed.
"You want your father and grandfather to antagonize Ethan?" she asked carefully.
Hannah reached across the table and took Ashley's hand in hers. "Aunt Ashley, you might not know about what happened with my mother and grandmother."
Ashley smiled faintly without responding.
How could she not know? She knew everything about the Bennett family—more than anyone. After all, she'd been in love with Richard Bennett since she was sixteen.
They had both been in the same Army entertainment unit. Back then, she wasn't a sophisticated lady—just a struggling soldier from a troubled family. Her father had been sent to a labor camp in the West for "political suspicions," while her mother worked at a small laundry on the East Coast, raising her siblings with her head down, unable to rely on anyone.
She was just thirteen when she joined the unit, skinny and small. In the mess hall, she always ended up at the end of the line, receiving the worst portions. During her first Christmas with the unit, while everyone else enjoyed plates heaped with turkey and mashed potatoes, hers had barely any meat, and the potatoes were already cold.
Just as she was resigning herself to the meager meal, a tray appeared before her. Someone had shared half their turkey and hot mashed potatoes with her.
That person was Richard—General Bennett's eldest son from a military dynasty. Eighteen years old, tall, handsome, he played guitar and sang, always the brightest star on stage. Half the girls in the entertainment unit openly adored him; the other half secretly did.
She truly realized she was in love with him when she was sixteen.
During a performance tour at a remote base in Alaska, they were caught in a blizzard on the return journey. She had developed a high fever and could barely speak. No ambulance could get through, and everyone said they should wait for the weather to clear. It was Richard who carried her on his back through the blizzard to the military hospital, trudging miles through snow to get her to the emergency room.
She knew very well that Richard's kindness toward her wasn't because she was special to him—it was simply his nature to care for newcomers, the weak, the overlooked.
But she fell in love with him anyway.
Yet Richard never fell for any of the girls in the entertainment unit. Not the general's daughter, not the officers' children. The shocking news that eventually came was that he had fallen in love with the household help.
Ashley's love for Richard remained her secret, one she'd never shared with anyone.
Later, her father was exonerated and their family situation improved. As Cold War tensions eased, more educational opportunities became available, and she secured admission to a prestigious East Coast university.
During her years of study and work, she dated, but no man ever measured up to Richard.
Of course she knew the Bennett "housekeeper" story. Richard had been the light of her youth—a man she'd loved since sixteen. Forty-two years had passed, and still, her heart remained his.
Hannah actually knew that Ashley was aware of the story, but she had to speak this way because she still needed Ashley's support to secure her position at Bennett Enterprises.
"Back then, Grandmother strongly opposed my father's relationship with my mother. Grandfather was against it too, though being the shrewd man he was, he kept his opposition silent."
"Grandmother played the villain, and while she ultimately separated my parents, my father has hated her his entire life. He never forgave her, even when she died."
Ashley remained silent. She knew the story well. It was why she'd never directly confronted Olivia—she feared Ethan would hate her just as Richard had hated his mother.
Hannah linked her arm through Ashley's. "We can't follow in Grandmother's footsteps. This time, we need my father and grandfather to be the bad guys."
Ashley patted Hannah's hand, her smile gentle and resigned. "I'm too old for these games now, dear. From here on, I'll leave family matters in your hands."
---
During Olivia's recovery from her arm injury, Ethan helped her bathe every time. Initially, she had refused, insisting she could manage with one hand. Reality proved otherwise.
With no other choice, she'd reluctantly accepted his help. The first few times, she'd been embarrassed, but after multiple occasions, she'd grown accustomed to it.
Yet each time they bathed, Ethan inevitably did things that had nothing to do with bathing.
Even before her injury, she could rarely stop him. Now, with one arm in a cast, resistance was even more futile.
Olivia really didn't want Ethan helping her bathe anymore. She decided to wash herself today, using her period as an excuse.
"I'll bathe myself later," she said casually.
Ethan was rolling up his sleeves. He raised his eyes at her words. "Is your arm healed?"
Olivia cleared her throat. "No, but I got my period today."
She was lying. Her period hadn't come. She just didn't want Ethan helping her anymore.
Ethan gave her a long look. "Be a good girl and wait for me in the bathroom."
Unable to persuade him, Olivia shuffled reluctantly to the bathroom and sat in the changing area, waiting.
Ethan entered wearing a thin white shirt and dress pants with the belt already loosened. His sleeves were rolled to his elbows, exposing muscular forearms.
Olivia stood as soon as he entered.
Since breaking her arm, she'd avoided pullover clothing for ease of dressing. She wore only button-up shirts, including her undershirts.
Ethan bent down to unbutton her cardigan, his long, deft fingers working each white button one by one.
With all the cardigan buttons undone, her red bra was revealed.
Ethan reached behind her and skillfully unhooked the double clasps.
Her breasts bounced free like firm jelly, one inadvertently brushing against Ethan's hand.
His eyes darkened instantly. He leaned down, about to take her breast in his mouth when his phone rang in the bedroom.
Olivia pushed him away with relief. "Go answer your call."
Ethan squeezed her once more. "You'll feed me later."
Olivia immediately refused: "I will not!"
The very thought! How shameless could he be?
Ethan left the bathroom, closing the door behind him, and went to answer the phone.
"This better be important," he said coldly.
Justin coughed awkwardly on the other end. "Thomas is getting desperate."
"Oh? How desperate?" Ethan lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply.