9:59 am DDD
Chapter 175
Chapter 175
Ethan listened to Nick on the other end of the line, his brows knit together in frustration.
He took a deep breath, tamping down his emotions, then said seriously into the phone, “Nick, are you for real?
“Did you really call me just to talk about this?”
As Ethan spoke, the anger he’d barely managed to suppress started bubbling up again.
“It’s one thing for those guys in the group chat to be messing around, but why are you getting in on it too?”
“So even you think I don’t care about the new hires at the firm?” Ethan asked, disappointment clear in his voice.
“I only replied to a couple of messages. Why are you all making such a fuss about it?”
As Ethan spoke, he felt his temper flaring up again.
Honestly, he didn’t even know why he was so pissed off.
He’d been bottling up all this frustration with nowhere to let it out, and this just gave him an excuse to vent.
Nick was silent for a long moment after listening to Ethan’s rant.
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After a while, he finally spoke up, sounding a bit hesitant. “Are you really Ethan? Did you lose your phone or something?
“Seriously, if your phone’s still with you, why are you replying to those new lawyers in the group chat? Didn’t you see the group was about to blow up because of you?
“You’ve always been the cold, untouchable type. What’s with the sudden Mr. Nice Guy act?
“Are those really the kinds of questions you should be answering?
“Come on, Ethan. This isn’t your style at all. Playing the warm–hearted mentor has always been my thing. Just stick to your usual cold image and quit trying to steal my thunder.
“Seriously, you had me worried for nothing. I thought maybe you lost your phone or something when you stepped out.
“When I saw all those messages blowing up in the group chat and realized it was our fellow lawyers, I thought that if any of them caught a glimpse of something on your phone that wasn’t meant for outsiders, we’d be screwed.
“That’s why I hurried to call you.
“Who would’ve guessed it was actually you posting all that yourself?”
Nick complained from the other end. ‘Seniously, Mr. Drake, you can’t keep pulling stunts like this. You’re making my heart race, and I’m not getting any younger I can’t take all this stress from you.”
With Nick’s nonstop complaining. Ethan felt his anger completely melt away.
Ethan had zero patience for Nick’s monk–like rambling about pointless stuff, so he just hung up
Irene watched Ethan look all defeated, feeling pretty pleased with herself she grinned and said “See? If it was just me saying it, you never would’ve believed me But now, you have to admit I was right, don’t you!”
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9:59 am DDDO
Chapter 175
Ethan shot her a look, his brows knitting together again. “Even stuffing your face can’t keep you quiet, huh?”
Irene didn’t care at all about his grumbling and just kept eating.
After two years together, Ethan knew Irene’s tastes inside out. He’d made sure to order all the dishes she loved.
Irene didn’t want to waste any time, so she ate a little too fast, and before she knew it, she accidentally choked.
Coughing hard, she grabbed her water and took a quick gulp.
Ethan shot her a frown. “What’s the rush? It’s not like anyone’s gonna steal your food.”
It was only then that Irene noticed Ethan still hadn’t picked up his fork even once since they sat down.
She blurted out, “Why aren’t you eating?”
“I’m not hungry,” Ethan said, sounding casual.
Ethan was weighed down by a strange, suffocating frustration he couldn’t even put into words.
Because of that, nothing he did felt right.
Seeing how calm and unaffected Irene seemed only made that feeling gnaw at him harder.
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All kinds of thoughts kept bubbling up inside him, but Ethan couldn’t bring himself to voice them, or even admit them to himself. The more he tried to suppress it all, the more it ate away at him.
Fed up, Ethan got up abruptly. “I’m heading out. I’ll wait for you.”
Without another word, he walked out.
Irene watched him leave her sitting there, and her heart clenched.
She was already pretty full, and instinctively wanted to get up and go after him.
But when she saw all the untouched food still spread across the table, she forced herself to stay put and kept eating a while longer.
Rich people really have no idea what things cost, Irene thought. ‘He orders a ton of food and doesn’t even touch it. Such a
waste
Irene just couldn’t stand seeing all that food go to waste, especially since these were all her favorite dishes.
She kept eating until she truly couldn’t take another bite, then finally stood up and went outside after Ethan
Outside the hotel, Ethan had just finished smoking a cigarette. When he saw frene step out, he stubbed it out and glanced at her, “Did you get enough to eat?”
Tm completely stuffed, Irene replied. “You ordered so much and didn’t even touch any of it
A faint smile flickered in Ethan’s eyes as he replied, “It’s not like anyone forced you to eat it all
“I just hate seeing food wasted, so I ended up eating your share too, Irene sand, sounding a little exasperated
Ethan looked at her and, almost without thinking, reached out to drape an arm around her.
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9:59 am DDD
Chapter 175
But Irene instinctively sidestepped away.
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Realizing how obvious her reaction had been, Irene quickly stepped forward and glanced at him. “Where’s the car parked? Let’s hurry. We can’t keep them waiting.”
Ethan’s expression was unreadable, but he didn’t say anything else. He only muttered a reluctant “yeah” and followed behind
her.
After a few steps, Irene spotted their car pulled up along the curb. She took a breath and walked over.
When she reached the car, she composed herself, opened the door, and glanced back at Ethan. “Mr. Drake, after you.”
Ethan gave her a curt “thanks” and climbed in.
Once he was settled, Irene circled around to the other side and got in too.
After both doors closed, the driver, Vince, started the engine and pulled away.
He wasn’t deliberately trying to read their expressions.
Still, the moment they got into the car, he could immediately sense that something felt off between them.
Mr. Drake had always been rigid and by the book, but Irene was usually the one who eased the atmosphere. As long as she was there, Vince never dreaded those trips with Ethan.
But right now, Irene seemed even more withdrawn than Ethan.
That was seriously weird.
The contrast was so obvious that Vince couldn’t help glancing at Irene several times through the rearview mirror.
Irene didn’t notice at all. She kept her head down, carefully reviewing the documents in her hands.
With the upcoming client meeting, she was deliberately maintaining a professional front.
After all, the commission from this case was substantial. It would directly determine whether she could finally put down roots in this familiar city.
After years of saving up, with the money from this deal, she’d definitely have enough.
Irene remained fully focused, her attention locked on the paperwork.
She was so absorbed that she didn’t look up until Ethan suddenly spoke.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
