Broken Memories, Intertwined Hearts

Chapter 41

Ines was in a good mood, but when she saw Ethan still managing to laugh, she instantly got annoyed. Her tone suddenly raised, "Ethan, shut up! Do you think I'm an idiot? Is this a minor issue that could make someone faint? I told you this afternoon, but you didn't take it seriously. If you do this again, I'll never speak to you."

This was the first time Ethan saw Ines like this; she really looked like his parent.

For some reason, being scolded by her didn't make him feel embarrassed in front of his secretary. Instead, it seemed to lessen the pain he was feeling.

"I got it; I'll be more careful," Ethan said softly.

With Ethan's attitude, Ines didn't know what to say. She wasn't an unreasonable woman; on the contrary, she understood things well and knew when to leave a man some dignity. Seeing him sweating profusely, she couldn't help but use her sleeve to wipe the sweat off his forehead. Then she said to Lucas in front, "Lucas, please speed up."

Lucas, who was driving, was already stunned by the interaction between the two in the back seat. Their boss had never been treated like this before, and he was always the one to leave others speechless. Yet, there he was, looking submissive. If the situation were different, Lucas would definitely burst into laughter. Hearing Ines's words, he immediately sped up.

Ines's body instinctively stiffened. Although she tried to restrain herself, Ethan still noticed. Seeing her almost biting her lip, Ethan tightened his grip on her hand and said to Lucas, "I'm fine, slow down a bit, safety first."

"Keep the current speed," Ines also said. Material © NôvelDrama.Org.

"Izzy, I'm really okay." Ethan said.

"I'm fine too, Lucas, just listen to me." Ines's tone couldn't help but become more assertive; sometimes she was stubborn.

Lucas had been by Ethan's side for many years and had always been trusted. Naturally, he knew whose words to follow at critical moments. After what just happened, he was well aware that his boss was now under Ines's control. It was only natural to listen to the boss's wife at this time.

And so, the car sped up, and Ethan's gaze at Lucas instantly changed.

Ines noticed it too and glared at Ethan, "This was my idea."

Ethan smiled at Ines and said, "Then I'll listen to you."

It had to be said that Ethan was indeed handsome, and even being sick didn't diminish his charm. Ines couldn't help but turn her head slightly.

Ethan was taken to the emergency room for an X-ray. The result was severe acute gastric ulcer. If they had arrived any later, it could have developed into a perforated stomach. When Ines heard these words, her face turned pale. Although she didn't know how serious this illness was, she could understand some of it from the literal meaning. What would happen if the stomach ruptured?

"The symptoms have probably persisted for several years. In the future, try to drink less alcohol, especially don't mix different types of alcohol, as it's very harmful to the stomach. Even if you're young, you can't treat your body so poorly. The stomach needs careful care; once it's damaged, it's difficult to recover," the doctor said to Ines.

Ines didn't respond, but she was upset. She knew that the man's body was ruined by work. His mother said that he often flew around for work and didn't return to the manor for half a year. It was obvious that his diet was irregular; otherwise, how could he have ruined his body like this?

Seeing Ines's lack of response, the doctor continued, "Pay more attention to his diet."

"Alright." Ines said.

After receiving fluids, Ethan was transferred to a regular ward. For safety reasons, the doctor suggested observing him in the hospital for a few days. After Ines completed the hospitalization procedures, she returned to the ward to find Ethan already asleep. The hand that had been covering his stomach was now relaxed, indicating that his pain had been alleviated.

Ines breathed a small sigh of relief, seeing Lucas at the door, she couldn't help but ask, "Lucas, what happened today?"

Lucas explained directly that they had encountered a difficult client, and Ethan had reluctantly mixed alcohol and drank several glasses.

Ines frowned slightly, "Are there many occasions like this?"

Lucas shook his head, "Actually, there aren't many. Nowadays, no one in the country dares to persuade Mr. Meyer to drink. Tonight's client is from abroad, and the representative sent to negotiate has had some personal grievances with Mr. Meyer in the past, and he's a bit extreme. Today, he took the opportunity to force Mr. Meyer to drink, and I'm sure he won't feel good when he goes back. Even their bosses wouldn't dare treat Mr. Meyer like that."

With the current status of the Meyer Group, many companies wanted to cooperate with them. They were also afraid of losing one or two resources, and Mr. Meyer's compliance tonight was more because he was feeling displeased. Lucas, of course, wouldn't tell Ines about this.

However, Ines wasn't so easy to fool. She frowned, "Ethan is not a fool. Did something else happen tonight?"

Facing Ines's gaze, Lucas felt a little guilty, "I'm not quite sure about the specifics." Not knowing how much Ines knew about Mr. Meyer's past, he chose to say less in case he said something wrong.

Ines saw Lucas's hesitation and knew it was something inconvenient for her to know. She nodded and felt there was nothing else to do, so she let him go first, "Lucas, you've worked hard tonight. You can go now; I'll stay here with him."

"Thank you, ma'am. It's my job. I'll leave now." Lucas said.

After Lucas left, Ines went to the bathroom, filled a basin of water, and dampened a towel to wipe Ethan's forehead. Then she gently smoothed the wrinkles between his eyebrows. At this moment, Ethan looked a bit disheveled. His dark hair was wet from sweat and appeared somewhat fluffy, making him look somewhat childlike. Ines couldn't help but smile.

However, her inner frustration couldn't be dispelled. She didn't understand what could make Ethan let go and drink to drown his sorrows.

There were only two reasons for someone to drink to drown their sorrows: pressure from life or pressure from emotions.

And it was clearly the latter for Ethan. But she knew nothing about his past. This feeling made her very uncomfortable.

She found herself getting a bit greedy, originally just wanting a suitable marriage partner, but now she was actually starting to care about his past and getting bothered by his feelings for other women.