When Ethan Sterling once again allowed others to call his sister-in-law "Mrs. Sterling" under the guise of business, I didn't lose my mind. I didn't scream. I didn't make a scene. Instead, I raised my champagne glass, smiling obediently as I echoed the compliments from the guests. "Yes, they really are a perfect match." Ethan jerked his head up, unable to hide the shock in his eyes. "What did you call her?" I looked at his pale face and smiled lightly. "Mrs. Sterling." 01 Ethan’s shock lasted only a second before his expression returned to its usual indifference. "Leah, do you have to talk like that?" He frowned, his tone impatient. "New Year's Eve is the day after tomorrow. Bella and I are flying to New York to meet clients." "Stay home and behave. Don't try to ruin things. We are just..." He paused, as if waiting for me to explode. But I just nodded. "Mm. I know. You're always together for work." He narrowed his eyes, studying my calm face, trying to find a crack. "She's also going to be the face of the new brand," he added tentatively. "You know..." I curled my lips into an understanding smile. "I know. Helping Bella build her career was Ryan's dying wish." "As his older brother, it's your duty to fulfill it." He froze again. He looked like he wanted to say something. "Leah, you..." I smiled calmly. "Don't worry." "I won't disturb you anymore." 02 Ethan seemed to want to say more, but he was cut off by Bella's sweet, coquettish voice. "Ethan, come here! It's time to cut the cake—" On stage, Bella acted every bit the hostess. She waved at him openly. Under the spotlight, her skin was white as snow, a rose blooming in full glory. The next second, a photo of the two of them, intimate and close, appeared on the giant screen. Cheers erupted from the crowd. "What a match!" "The boss's wife is gorgeous!!" The company annual gala was being held like their wedding reception. The company had expanded fast. Few people knew that I was the real Mrs. Sterling. A few old employees cast sympathetic glances my way. Ethan didn't move. He just glanced at me lazily. He was waiting. Waiting for me to lose control like before, to scream, to smash the cake into Bella's smug face. But I simply took out the gold-wrapped gift box I had prepared for a long time. I handed it to him. "A late gift for the IPO. Congratulations, Mr. Sterling." He was clearly stunned, then the corners of his mouth hooked up in his usual lazy smile. "The IPO was ages ago. You just remembered?" He took the box, his fingers brushing against my skin. "Finally learned to be sensible." Beneath the glittering gold wrapping, a divorce agreement lay quietly inside. Thinking about it now... We started with a gift, and we ended with a gift. A fitting conclusion. "Leah," his voice softened suddenly, the warm light giving him a gentle façade. "Come up with me." Was he making a peace offering? No, it was charity. Giving me a little sweetness in public to keep me leashed. I shook my head. "No thanks." After all, last time, when I self-righteously stood by his side, I was ruthlessly shoved away by an employee who didn't know me. "This is Vice President Bella's spot. Who are you to steal the center stage?" Back then, Ethan acted like he hadn't heard, indifferently letting me be embarrassed. Then he affectionately pulled Bella to his side. The past was unbearable to look back on. I shut down the memory immediately. His eyes turned cold instantly. He stepped closer, his lowered voice audible only to us. "Playing the magnanimous wife? What's this new game?" His breath hit my forehead. "Half a month ago, who was kneeling on the floor begging me not to leave? Leah, who are you performing for?" I looked up, meeting his eyes clearly. "I'm not pretending." I said. The tsunami in my heart had long since subsided. After all the pain, madness, and unwillingness evaporated... I had no reason to stay. 03 He turned and walked onto the stage, face tight, the spotlight chasing him. That tall figure suddenly overlapped with old memories. I had almost forgotten that he was once the man who held the whole world out to me. One evening without warning, the doorbell rang. I opened the door, and a petite figure stumbled, letting out a soft cry as she fell right into Ethan's arms as he was leaving. He caught her almost instinctively. I still remember her tear-streaked face as she spoke words so absurd I couldn't believe them. "Ethan... Ryan is gone..." "The things he promised... he didn't get to do..." "He said... you would do them for him. Is it true?" In her hand, she clutched a long list of Ryan's so-called "dying wishes." Kissing by the lake in Seattle, a wedding on a cliff... Asking my husband to romance his dead brother's girlfriend? But this ridiculous request made Ethan silent. His silence was like ice, spreading inch by inch across my chest. "You aren't... really going to date for your brother, are you?" I asked hoarsely, my voice trembling. He met my eyes, the coldness on his face vanishing instantly as he hugged me gently. "What are you thinking?" "If I chase a girl for Ryan, who's going to love my wife?" My suspended heart settled back into place. But later... He flew to Tibet with Bella on our anniversary for a "pilgrimage hike." On New Year's Eve, he went diving with her in the tropics. When I finally realized it... The simple silver band on his ring finger had been replaced by a priceless diamond ring matching Bella's. Facing my breakdown and questioning, he said lightly, "Respect the dead." "It's just a list. Ryan owed her. I have to pay it back." He started taking her everywhere in the name of work. Vice President title, million-dollar salary, always together. In that moment, I understood. There were no dying wishes. It was just a man's premeditated change of heart, and another woman's guilt-free plunder. And I became the most pathetic joke in this game. 04 Arguments, interrogations, screaming. I tore the upbringing I had accumulated over twenty years into shreds. Late at night, I screamed at my phone screen, "The list says a wedding! Are you going to marry her too?!" He didn't answer. He only left me with longer silences and later returns. My final breakdown happened at his funding celebration party. The champagne tower refracted blinding light. Bella held his arm, accepting compliments about what a beautiful couple they made. I stared at them dead on. "Mistress." My voice wasn't loud, but it silenced the room instantly. The look Ethan turned on me was so cold it froze my blood. A week later, I received a termination letter from the university and a notification that my platform account was permanently banned. The professional image I had built over ten years was destroyed overnight. I rushed into his office like a madwoman, smashing the papers onto his desk. "Clarify it! Ethan, go explain to them—" He leaned back in his chair slowly, his gaze sweeping over my tear-stained face. Like he was appraising a defective product. "Look at yourself," he smirked. "Do you look like a crazy person?" "Aren't you a psychologist?" He leaned forward, articulating every word. "With this behavior, how can you counsel anyone else?" "I told you long ago, Bella is with me for work." He picked up the termination letter with a sneer and tossed it lightly back at my feet. "You insisted on making a scene. Leah, you deserve this bitterness."
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "388632", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel