Broken Memories, Intertwined Hearts

Chapter 86

Ethan never really enjoyed these kinds of parties. When Luis sent him an invitation, he had no intention of showing up. If he hadn't known that Ines would be there, he surely wouldn't have bothered to come. Now with all this weird stuff happening, he really wasn't in the mood to stick around. He turned to Luis and the others and said, "Well, I'm gonna take off with my wife."

Everyone nodded. Ethan took Ines by the hand and walked over to Jaime, "Jaime, I'm gonna take Ines home, alright?"

Jaime was taken aback by Ethan's greeting but quickly replied, "Yeah, you guys should get going. I'm really sorry about all this, I was the one who brought Ines here and all this happened."

Ines shook her head, indicating it had nothing to do with him.

As soon as Bella saw Ethan was about to leave, she quickly moved forward and weakly called out, "Ethan."

Ethan didn't bother responding. He gave her a blank look, took Ines's hand, and left.

Before leaving the hotel, Ethan reviewed the surveillance footage. He's a sharp thinker and had already noticed something off in Bella's story. The way that girl accused so confidently, it was obviously premeditated. Nothing in this world happens without a reason.

Ethan watched all the footage related to Ines. The great thing about big hotels is that the surveillance covers everything, no blind spots. Even areas people think are off-camera are actually filmed. Of course, the hotel wouldn't readily reveal this information, but if Ethan wanted to see it, he certainly could.

And so, Ethan saw Stoner harassing Ines.

Seeing her own violent side through her husband's eyes, Ines was a bit taken aback. She sneaked a glance at Ethan and saw his calm expression, which eased her nerves.

Thinking about how she had kicked Stoner and left him unable to get up filled her with a sense of satisfaction. She turned to Ethan and said, "I always say it's good for a woman to carry self-defence gear. Men are naturally stronger, so having a weapon is better than going in bare-handed."

Ethan laughed at her spirited commentary. However, thinking about what had happened still upset him, causing him to furrow his eyebrows.

Unable to resist, Ines reached up and smoothed his brow, softly complaining, "I've told you so many times, don't keep frowning like that, it's scary."

At her words, Ethan quickly forced a smile. However, his hands continued their task, applying an ice pack to her bruised cheek. "I was too arrogant, always thinking I could keep you safe. I forgot that I can't be with you all the time. Izzy, I'm sorry for letting you go through this."

Thankfully, Ines was stronger than she appeared. She was resilient and smart, knew when to bend and when to stand firm, and how to protect herself to the fullest.

Ethan's words warmed her heart. But she didn't like the guilt in his voice and disagreed, "Mr. Meyer, you're overthinking it. I'm a capable and thoughtful person. You can't be with me all the time and I'm not a child anymore. I can take care of myself."

Ethan nodded, but Ines could tell he was still troubled. He was clearly still upset about what had happened, even though it wasn't really his fault. This man was oddly sensitive about such matters.

What Ines didn't know was that this night marked a turning point for Stoner's company. Within a month, his company was pulled out of A City's business circle. No one knew who he had offended, but they guessed it was related to the incident at the party. After all, the woman who had accused

Ines was brought in by him. But only he knew the truth, that it was because of his ill intentions towards Ines.

Rumors of Ethan's affection for his wife also spread like wildfire.

By the time she found out about this, several months had passed. She shook her head, feeling no sympathy for the old man.

"Why did you come here?" Ines changed the subject.

"You said you were bored, didn't you?" ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

Thinking about how this man rushed over just because of her message, Ines couldn't help but smile, "So you're saying, Mr. Meyer, you came specifically to see me?"

Ethan nodded, "Yes." Ines had no reason to doubt him. This man obviously wasn't a fan of these kinds of events. Otherwise, he wouldn't keep such a low profile. With his status, many people in the circle had never seen his true face. He even went to great lengths to disguise his luxury car as a regular one. Thinking about this, Ines couldn't help but laugh.

"Why are you laughing?" Ethan looked at her, puzzled as to why she suddenly laughed.

"Of course, it's because of you. I've always been curious, how did you come up with all those disguises?" It was hard to believe that such a serious person could come up with such methods.

Ethan coughed, "Those are all in the past. Let's not bring it up anymore, okay? I don't need to go to all that trouble to disguise myself anymore."

After tonight, even if he wanted to keep a low profile, he wouldn't be able to. Plus, it was more beneficial for them for Ines's identity to be public. Any smart person wouldn't dare to provoke them.

Hearing Ethan say this, Ines thought of something else. She looked at Ethan seriously and said, "You're almost 33, and yet young girls are addressing you so intimately."

Ines was well aware of Bella's intentions, and how Luis had looked at Ethan when he didn't know who she was. Luis clearly saw Ethan as a potential son-in-law.

Bella was probably only around 20, while Ethan was in his thirties. The age gap was over a decade, yet they didn't seem to mind.

After thinking about it, Ines felt ridiculous. She was upset over a young girl's form of address. Her previous thoughts were correct: she should keep this kind of man to herself.

Ethan watched Ines's changing expressions, a charming smile playing on his lips. He quickly leaned in and kissed her cheek, "So, Mrs. Meyer is jealous?"

"Is there anything to be proud of for attracting others?"

Ethan's eyes were filled with amusement, "when I attract you, I'm very proud." Ines laughed and pushed him away.