Chapter 241: The Dumbest is Ethan
Chapter 241: The Dumbest is Ethan
Hearing this, Phoebe's face instantly turned pale. She defended herself somewhat frantically, "I didn't lie to Larry at all. I am pregnant, otherwise how could I have fooled him?"
"Whether you're really pregnant or not, deep down, you know the truth," Vivian said slowly. "Phoebe, don't do anything stupid. You're already Noah's girlfriend now. Once you marry into the White family, won't you get much more than twenty-five million dollars?"
"Besides, our company will pay the money to Foster Enterprises eventually, with interest and penalties intact. Foster Enterprises won't lose out either."
Phoebe's expression wavered, as if she was somewhat swayed by Vivian's words.
"Have some. The desserts at this restaurant are pretty good," Vivian said, pushing a plate of small cakes in front of Phoebe.
Phoebe had been looking down, but suddenly raised her head to look at her, her expression becoming calm. "Last time, Noah threatened Larry with a knife to protect me. I believe he won't abandon me this time either."
A trace of faint contempt flashed across Vivian's face as she pretended to be concerned. "Are you really not going to think it over carefully?"
"It's already two o'clock. You still have ten hours to prepare the money. Otherwise, at midnight tonight, you'll see news about the Bell Group maliciously withholding payment from Foster Enterprises, all because you targeted me." Phoebe interrupted Vivian with an unpleasant expression, then grabbed her bag and left directly.
Vivian watched her figure disappear from view, the smile on her lips gradually fading, mockery and disdain flickering in her eyes.
When they first met today, and she heard what Phoebe said, she thought Phoebe had gotten smarter.
Turns out, she's still an idiot!
How could someone like that be worthy of Noah?
Vivian picked up the champagne on the table and took a light sip.
Even if Noah doesn't end up with her, he shouldn't choose Phoebe either.
The only woman currently worthy of Noah was herself—barely!
She picked up her phone, notified the Bell Group people to prepare the payment, then called Larry. "Mr. White? Yes, nothing major, just haven't seen you in a while and miss you."
After Phoebe walked some distance from the restaurant, the anger and anxiety on her face gradually faded, returning to a calm expression.
She entered a restroom, went into a stall, took off her sweater, pulled out makeup remover and cotton pads, wiped the red marks on her neck a few times, then put her knit top back on.
Actually, red marks pinched onto the neck with fingers looked similar to love bites at first glance.
But Vivian was meticulous, so Phoebe worried she'd see through it and used makeup to touch it up a bit more, making the marks look more like love bites.
After tidying up, Phoebe walked out of the stall carrying her things and suddenly bumped into someone.
"I'm sorry," Phoebe quickly apologized, but the moment she saw who it was, her voice stopped abruptly.
Ethan stood across from her, wearing casual clothes.
Phoebe glanced at him and noticed the clothes were all niche brands she didn't recognize.
His hair was somewhat messy too—he probably hadn't had it done in a while, completely unlike the refined Ethan from before.
Phoebe looked at him, frowned slightly, and tried to walk around him, but he immediately followed.
"Breaking your promises again and again—is that fun, Ethan?" Phoebe said coldly.
Seeing her attitude remained the same, a trace of sadness flashed through Ethan's amber eyes. "I'm just leaving the country, probably won't be back for many years. I just wanted to see you."
"You've seen me now. Will you please leave me alone?" Phoebe said coldly.
Ethan smiled bitterly and reached out his hand, wanting to pat her head like he used to.
She quickly stepped back several paces to avoid him, her face full of disgust. "Mr. Bell, please show some respect."
"I broke off my engagement with Grace and cut ties with my family. At first, they thought I was just throwing a tantrum and would go back after a while, so they didn't stop me."
"Later, when they realized I was serious, they started making companies that hired me, fired me, demanding that major companies not hire me, and they froze my bank card, trying to force me to come back." Ethan withdrew his hand with a bitter expression, his eyes full of pain and guilt.
Phoebe laughed mockingly. "Why is Mr. Bell suddenly telling me all this? Want me to feel sorry for you?"
"No, I just wanted to say my family is completely different from what I thought they were." Ethan's gaze dimmed, his expression showing deep exhaustion.
Phoebe didn't want to hear this or face him anymore. "Are you done? If so, I'm leaving."
"After learning I wanted to cut ties with my family, people around me tried to persuade me at first. When they saw I was determined not to go back, under pressure from my family, they completely cut contact with me."
"Phoebe, I suddenly understand how you felt three years ago. It's like the whole world collapsed. Overnight, everyone and everything changed. It's like having a nightmare, but more cruel than a nightmare. No, maybe I haven't experienced even one-tenth of your pain."
"Phoebe, I'm truly sorry." Ethan no longer had his former pride, his whole being radiating a dejected air.
As Phoebe brushed past him, she said coldly, "Take care."
Her voice was soft, but it made a glimmer of light flash in Ethan's eyes. He reached out to grab her arm. "You don't need to worry about that payment to Foster Enterprises. I contacted Vivian just to try, and she agreed. She even said she'd pay before midnight tonight."
In this world, the only person who gave him any comfort was Vivian—she wasn't as cold as he'd imagined.
Phoebe stopped, brushed off his hand, and laughed mockingly. "I always thought I was the stupidest person, but you're even more foolish than me."
Ethan looked confused. "What do you mean?"
"You think Vivian agreed right away when you talked to her about this because she felt guilty?" Phoebe asked.
Ethan's dry lips trembled. "Isn't that why?"
"Of course not." Phoebe smiled at him, though there was no smile in her eyes. "Because I threatened her, just this afternoon."
Ethan's pupils contracted sharply, his face turning deathly pale. He staggered a few steps before managing to steady himself against the wall.
Vivian, Vivian!
"Goodbye." Phoebe had wanted to say "goodbye forever," but changed her mind at the last moment.
She ignored the devastated Ethan and took the escalator down to the first floor.
Quinn had called earlier, so she called back.
"You completed this task pretty well. Come back. Mr. White is here to pick you up." Compared to before, Quinn's voice was slightly warmer.
Phoebe frowned slightly, acknowledged it, and hung up. She took a cab back to the company.
Roman was about to go out on business and ran into her. He gave her a thumbs-up. "You did an excellent job this time. How did you get the Bell Group to pay up?"
"Probably because I look approachable, and York couldn't bear to refuse me?" Phoebe smiled lightly.
Seeing she didn't want to say more, Roman didn't press further. "You really did something great this time! Alright, I won't keep you—I've got to get going!"
"Bye, Roman." Phoebe waved at him and took the elevator to the CFO's office.
Noah was also sitting in the office, chatting with Quinn about something. They seemed to be having a pleasant conversation.
Quinn even said with a smile, "If I were twenty-some years younger, I'd probably be head over heels for you too."
"Then I can only be grateful that you're not, otherwise I'd have to disappoint you." Noah glanced coolly at Phoebe.
Phoebe acted as if she hadn't seen him and stood quietly to the side.
Seeing this, Noah frowned slightly.
"You handled this matter very well." Quinn stood up and patted Phoebe lightly on the shoulder. "You've worked hard these past few days. I'm giving you half a day off. Go out with Mr. White."
Besides Noah, Roman, and others, Quinn was also found to be quite strict.
Hearing praise from her now, Phoebe's tense nerves finally relaxed a bit. "Thank you, Ms. Archer."
Seeing that Phoebe wasn't getting arrogant or complacent over this, Quinn was fairly satisfied.