Ethan smirked, giving her a curious glance. "It's not a bad thing. It shows progress when you can go out and negotiate with clients on your own."
"But... I didn't find the right person."
"It's not totally wrong either. Daniel and Harper Group have had conflicts for years. Although they are relatives, it doesn't affect anything. There's no doubt about his character and ability," Ethan reassured her.
Amelia felt relieved upon hearing his words. It seemed like the situation wasn't as bad as she thought.
"Remember, don't go to client meetings alone. It's best to bring someone from the company who is familiar with personnel management. That way, you can make the right choice of business partners."
"Can I bring your secretary?" Amelia looked at Ethan, playfully batting her eyelashes. Mike knew more about the company and had been with him for a long time, so his analysis would be more accurate, and his reports would be more reliable.
"Mike? Sure, why not?" Ethan immediately agreed without hesitation.
Amelia hesitated for a moment. "You're not trying to assign Mike to me so that you can get a new young and beautiful female secretary, are you?"
"It's a possibility," Ethan replied with a playful smile, glancing at Amelia. He found her pouting and furrowing her brows quite adorable.
"Bel, are you awake? Is there something you want to eat?" Charles had already left, leaving only Delilah and the nurse in the ward.
"There's still another bottle of IV drip today. Let me know if you have any questions."
"Okay."
The nurse left the room, leaving Bella alone with Delilah by her side.
Bella had slept for the whole afternoon, feeling a bit better. She felt much better, no longer resembling someone on the verge of death.
"Mom, I feel so tired. When can I go home?"
"We can go home in a couple of days, my dear. You need to stay positive," Delilah replied, holding Bella's hand.
Bella let out a cold smile, feeling for the first time how absurd fate could be. She despised Steele Group the most, yet she ended up with Andrew. She had no choice, which was truly pitiful.
"Bel, what's wrong with you?" Delilah noticed Bella's expression and behavior. Bella was her only daughter, her hope and reliance for the rest of her life.
Bella shook her head gently, unable to hold back her tears. Looking at Delilah, she asked earnestly, "Mom, Ethan and I don't have any chance left, do we?"
Delilah held onto her hand tightly. "My dear, although Steele Group may not be as big as Grand Group, marrying Andrew doesn't mean you won't have a future. Trust me, in the future... both Steele Group and Harper Group will be yours."
Steele Group, Harper Group, Grand Group.
Bella sneered bitterly. Even if she still had a choice, she wouldn't care about being Grand Group's CEO's wife. After this complete loss, she finally understood that it wasn't the position of a CEO's wife that attracted her; it was Ethan as a person.
"I will make her pay the price, and I will get what I want," Bella declared with determination.
"You're talking about Sophia? Don't worry, no matter if she is Amelia or not, we won't let her live so comfortably. I will help you," Delilah assured her.
Delilah looked at Bella with a worried expression. In that moment, she attributed all the humiliation and misery to Sophia. Bella firmly believed that without Sophia, Ethan would surely be hers.
...
The next day.
Ethan and Amelia were still in bed, woken up by a sudden phone ringing. They checked the time and saw that it was six in the morning.
"Who's calling at this hour?" Amelia asked, looking at Ethan, who seemed lost in thought, staring at his phone screen.
"It's a relative. You don't need to worry about it. Go back to sleep for a while," Ethan replied after taking a moment, his eyes resting on Amelia, who was still lying in his arms.
Amelia slightly opened her eyes and glanced at Ethan. Seeing him placing the phone on the bedside table without much concern, she didn't pay much attention either.
A little while later, the phone rang again. Ethan's hand hadn't reached it yet, but Amelia picked it up.
Looking at the screen displaying "Rosetta Jones," she wondered why it sounded like a girl's name. She didn't particularly like it since both Rosetta and Delilah shared the same surname.
"Who's this?" Amelia asked.
"My cousin," Ethan replied.
"Who are you?" Amelia answered the phone.
Rosetta was surprised to hear a woman's voice, wondering why someone would answer the call at this time.
"I am... I've already said, but you wouldn't know. If you have something to say, go ahead. I was hoping to sleep a bit longer," Amelia replied nonchalantly.
This response further surprised Rosetta. "Who are you? I'm looking for my brother Ethan."
"I am... I am his secretary. He's not available at the moment. If there's something, you can tell me," Amelia casually replied.
Secretary? Rosetta had been paying attention to Ethan's activities, so how did she not hear about such a significant change in his secretary? She had even seen Mike yesterday and he hadn't mentioned anything.
"His secretary? Isn't it supposed to be Mike? Who are you, really?" Rosetta questioned.
"Well... If you have nothing, I'll hang up now," Amelia disregarded, feeling that this young girl was quite interesting, calling and chatting early in the morning for no apparent reason.
Wait, something doesn't seem right.
"Just tell me where my cousin is. I want to go see him," Rosetta insisted.
"Hold on a moment."
Amelia handed the phone to Ethan. "Your cousin is looking for you."
Ethan took the call and looked at the caller ID—Rosetta.
"Hello, what's the matter? Is something wrong?"
"Where are you? What are you doing?" Rosetta asked anxiously.
"Sleeping, it's still early in the morning. Is something happening?"
Sleeping? How could there be a secretary around while he was sleeping, especially a female one?
Rosetta felt her breathing becoming difficult and her emotions becoming erratic.
"You're with a woman, aren't you?" Ethan didn't answer immediately, following up politely, "Is there something you need?"
Rosetta didn't respond. All she could think of were the memories of how good Ethan had been to her in the past.
Even with a smile, he always treated her so gently and spoke patiently. He never acted like this with anyone else. How could it come to this? Being with another woman? Rosetta thought to herself.
No, it couldn't be true. There must be a misunderstanding.
Rosetta left the house and hailed a taxi, heading towards Ethan's villa.
Twenty minutes later, Rosetta arrived at the front gate of Ethan's villa just as Ethan was waking up and preparing breakfast.
Hearing the doorbell, Ethan found it strange who would visit so early in the morning. Upon checking the surveillance cameras, he was surprised to see Rosetta.
Opening the door, Rosetta's face looked somewhat displeased as she walked right in.
The living room was neat and tidy, and Ethan, dressed in his pajamas, was making breakfast. He appeared unaffected by any unusual circumstances.
"Coming over so early, is there something wrong?" Ethan wondered.
After calming down a bit, Rosetta shook her head. "No, I just haven't seen you in a few days and missed you a bit."
"Thank you. Would you like to join me for breakfast?" Ethan remembered how Rosetta's mother had once saved him and considered Rosetta like a beloved little sister.
Rosetta happily nodded in agreement.