Chapter 4

He drank too much last night.

Charlie insisted on going to another bar.

They didn't call it a night until the early hours.

Ethan was driven back to his Beverly Hills mansion by his chauffeur.

The sky was already turning pale with the approaching dawn.

He was so tired his eyelids felt heavy.

He forced himself to stagger to the shower.

Clara probably won't nag now.

He thought drowsily.

He woke up again, startled by a sharp pain in his stomach.

"Ugh…" He sat up, pressing a hand to his abdomen.

"My stomach hurts! Mi—"

He cut his own call short mid-name.

Ethan frowned deeply.

She's showing some backbone this time.

Fine.

Let's see how long you can keep this up.

But where is the medicine?

Ethan ransacked every cabinet in the living room.

He couldn't find the first aid kit anywhere.

He called Martha.

"Stomach medicine? It's in the first aid kit."

A vein throbbed at Ethan's temple. "Where is the kit?"

"In the bedroom walk-in closet drawer. Miss Sophia stocked several boxes. She said you often get stomachaches after drinking, so it's convenient to keep it in the bedroom…"

"Hello? Young master? Why did you hang up…"

Ethan walked into the walk-in closet.

He found the first aid kit in the drawer, just as Martha said.

Beneath it, five boxes of stomach medicine were neatly arranged.

All were the brand he usually took.

The pain eased after he took the medicine.

His nerves gradually relaxed.

As he absently pushed the drawer shut, his movement suddenly halted.

All the jewelry and luxury handbags were still there.

But all of Sophia's identification documents were gone.

Her ID card, passport, degree certificates, graduation diplomas—all vanished.

One of the suitcases from the corner was missing too.

Ethan stood frozen on the spot.

Blinding rage instantly shot to his head.

"Good… very good… just wonderful…"

He said the word "good" three times.

A cold smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Women truly shouldn't be spoiled.

The more you indulge them, the worse their temper gets.

The sound of a door opening suddenly came from downstairs.

Ethan immediately went down.

"...Why is it you?"

Amelia was changing her shoes. She looked up at his question. "Who else were you expecting?"

Ethan walked to the sofa and sat down, his tone cold. "What do you want?"

"Martha said your stomach was acting up. Mom sent me to check on her dear brother."

Amelia headed towards the kitchen as she spoke. "And to mooch some lunch."

One reason she liked Sophia was because she was a great cook.

Half a minute later—

"Bro! Why is the kitchen cold and empty?"

"Where's Sophia? Not home today? That doesn't seem right…"

She should have already prepared a meal by this time.

If she was lucky, she could usually snag a meal for herself too.

Sophia again.

Ethan rubbed his temples, not wanting to talk.

Amelia came out of the kitchen, disappointed. "Is she not feeling well? Her complexion looked terrible at the hospital yesterday…"

"...You saw her at the hospital?" Ethan suddenly sat up straight.

"Yeah, I went to Massachusetts General Hospital to see Professor Watson yesterday. Ran into her right at the entrance of the inpatient building. Bro! Professor Watson agreed to give me the direct Ph.D. placement!"

The man frowned. "What was she doing at the hospital?"

"How would I know if you don't?"

Ethan fell silent.

"Maybe she wasn't sick? Visiting someone? But she doesn't really have any friends, does she? Her life pretty much just revolves around you…"

"Are you done?"

Amelia was taken aback.

"If you're done, leave. I need to catch up on sleep." Ethan stood up.

"You're kicking me out just like that? Fine!" Amelia huffed, putting her shoes back on. "I came today with a mission, you know."

Ethan walked straight upstairs.

"Tomorrow, two PM, The French Laundry. Mom set up a blind date for you. Don't be late!"

"Nag."

Amelia stuck her tongue out at his retreating back.

She was used to these kinds of arrangements.

Her brother being with Sophia never really affected these marriage alliances.

He'd attended plenty of these setups over the years.

Most were just formalities to placate their mother.

After shooing Amelia away, Ethan went to his study to work.

In his early years, he started his own business to break free from the family's control.

The first three years were incredibly tough.

He refused any help from home.

Only Sophia was by his side.

His company only began to thrive in the last two years.

He finally shed the label of a spoiled, good-for-nothing rich heir.

The family's attitude softened instead.

They began actively seeking closer ties with him.

Their stance on his relationship with Sophia shifted from opposition to turning a blind eye.

By the time he finished work, it was evening.

Dusk gathered outside the window, and the city lights began to twinkle.

Ethan felt hungry.

He took out his phone and called his girlfriend. "...What are you up to?"

The ringtone sounded first, followed by the girl's hushed voice. "Sorry, baby, I'm in class. I'll find you after it's over, okay?"

The term 'baby' made Ethan uncomfortable. "Yeah. You're busy."

He hung up directly and tossed the phone aside.

Half a minute later, the phone rang again.

Ethan ignored it and continued working.

He only left the study when his stomach protested again with another pang of hunger.

He made plans to have dinner with Charlie.

Ethan changed clothes and was about to head out.

A girl at the door turned around sharply at the sound.

Her smile was pure and slightly shy.

"Isabella?"

"Sorry, I knocked but you didn't answer, so I decided to wait here." She glanced at the suit jacket draped over his arm. "Are you going out?"

Ethan frowned. "How did you find this place?"

Isabella's eyes darted away. "I asked one of your friends…"

"Charlie?"

"No, it was Julian."

Ethan said, "Come in first."

A smile touched the girl's eyes. She bounced inside, looking around. "You hung up and then didn't answer… I was so worried…"

Ethan asked, "Weren't you supposed to be in class?"

"I skipped. My boyfriend is more important."

Sophia never did that.

When he was pursuing her, she was a freshman with a heavy course load.

She never skipped or missed a class for him.

Later, after they got together and she was a senior with fewer classes,

she slowly found more time to spend with him.

"Baby, you haven't eaten, right? I—"

"Do you know how to make oatmeal porridge?" Ethan suddenly asked.

"...Oatmeal porridge?"

"Yes."

"No, but I can learn."

…

He politely declined Isabella's hints about staying the night.

Ethan ate the takeout she had brought.

He drove her back to Caltech.

Then he went to meet Charlie.

While waiting at a red light, he checked his phone.

He remembered Amelia saying she saw Sophia at the hospital.

Even though they were broken up.

There were so many years of history between them.

Even as ordinary friends, he should show some concern.

He opened WeChat—

[Are you sick?]

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