Chubby Mommy: Scheming Daddy, Surrender Now!-Chapter 272: I’m a Jerk

Ruby Sullivan looked at Ethan Sterling, smiling as he pinched her cheek contentedly while driving. She puffed her cheeks and decided not to argue with him. Lately, Ethan had been doing a lot of these little gestures.

Flicking her forehead, pinching her nose, squeezing her cheeks. Thankfully, she had good skin, and her foundation always stayed on well. Otherwise, being with him, wouldn’t she constantly need to touch up her makeup?

Still, she found herself kind of liking these little gestures.

On the road, Ruby Sullivan was planning things for the studio in her mind. As the route became more familiar, she suddenly realized they were heading home.

"Weren’t we supposed to check out the new place we were moving to?"

"Yeah." Ethan replied, speaking as he drove the car into a complex and soon parked under a building.

Ruby Sullivan was a bit dumbfounded, "Did you rent this place again?" Such a coincidence, that this place was vacant?

"No." Ethan locked the car and took her hand, leading her inside, "I bought it."

Still suspicious, Ruby Sullivan rolled her eyes. Would it kill him to breathe properly?

Thinking of her first landing spot after returning home, she felt a bit nostalgic. Back then, Ethan often brought Seth to mooch meals, leaving many beautiful memories there.

"Weren’t you the one who found this place too small and refused to buy it?"

"Living with the kids would be small, but with you, it’s just right." Ethan said, looking at her with a gentle smile, tenderness in his eyes.

Ruby Sullivan could never have imagined Ethan Sterling looking at her like that one day. Back then, it was already great if he didn’t look at her with disdain. When this man was gentle, he was truly irresistible!

Seeing her suddenly lower her head, her expression seemingly melancholic and sorrowful, Ethan couldn’t help but feel puzzled. The elevator door opened, and Ruby walked out first. When he looked again, her face was already bright and clear.

This woman, always keeping things inside.

Ethan Sterling’s eyebrows twitched unintentionally, silently taking out the keys to open the door.

After she came in and closed the door, he suddenly turned around and propped both hands against the door, pinning her against the narrow foyer.

Ruby Sullivan was startled, instinctively backed up against the door, and looked up at his probing gaze, joking casually, "Mr. Sterling, not every woman likes being cornered against a wall." Such as her, she always felt inexplicably flustered when confined to a small area like this.

She didn’t like situations she couldn’t dominate.

Ethan Sterling ignored her and asked for his answer, "What were you thinking just now?" Looking down at her, determined not to let go unless she answered.

Ruby Sullivan blinked, not knowing what he was asking, "When?"

"In the elevator."

"Just thinking about the studio things, what else could I think?" She raised her hand, trying to pull his arm away, wanting to escape, but no amount of effort could move him.

Ethan Sterling frowned, unsatisfied with her answer, and the next second, forcefully sealed her lips with a kiss, "Don’t hide your unhappiness anymore..." He realized only by talking to her like this would she listen properly.

Wasn’t it? Talking like this, it’s hard to hear clearly, isn’t it? However, Ruby Sullivan didn’t want to argue with him about these things; this kiss rendered her unwilling to stop.

When her psychological defenses cracked, she found it hard to remain emotionally detached from this man. She wasn’t a saint and couldn’t be utterly indifferent. In this long and passionate kiss, she couldn’t help but sigh.

Ethan Sterling abruptly let go, lightly gripping her chin, "Disobedient."

His voice was slightly hoarse, and his warm lips lightly touched her cheeks, forehead, and eyes. He was struggling to control the rising impulses within him.

After he had tormented Ruby Sullivan like this, her eyes turned misty, breathing slowly, and she bitterly smiled, "I was just thinking about the years right after I married you, back then, you were so disdainful upon seeing me. My only chance to speak with you was to ask what you wanted to eat. Luckily, my cooking was decent, or I wouldn’t even have had that chance?"

She said this, lowering her eyes, a self-mocking smile on her face, with her hands behind her back, looking extremely helpless.

No matter how gentle and affectionate Ethan Sterling was to her now, or how considerate, she still couldn’t forget those things. On the contrary, the more he doted on her, the more frequently she’d recall the past circumstances.

Back then, she truly loved him; she didn’t question reasons or future. If needed to save him by giving him her heart, she’d do it without a blink.

Loving him that much before, now she was equally afraid of loving him again.

Ethan Sterling gazed at her eyes filled with sorrow, his heart ached, and suddenly, he slapped himself hard, "I’m a bastard!"

Ruby Sullivan was stunned, not expecting Ethan to punish himself this way. This wasn’t just about a slap; it was about his dignity as a man, and he didn’t need to lower himself like this.

She stood there, mouth agape, unsure what to say. After a long moment, she tentatively reached to touch the spot where his hand had landed, fearing hurting him, hurriedly pulling back, furrowing her brow, "Don’t do this again."

Ethan Sterling held her hand and kissed it, "I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness, nor do I have the right to ask you to believe me, but I’ll show you with my actions—I truly want to grow old with you."

Ruby Sullivan exhaled deeply, taking the initiative to embrace him, "I got it."

Ethan’s self-inflicted slap was quite harsh, quickly swelling up, and he remembered he had to dine with the studio’s girls that night.

Ruby Sullivan was quite distressed; after all, she couldn’t let the boss go out with a handprint on his face? If people misunderstood it as domestic violence, that’d be troublesome, wouldn’t it?

Ethan Sterling wasn’t worried, allowing her to massage his face with an egg, then switching to an ice cube after the egg. Although the contrast between hot and cold wasn’t great, seeing Ruby Sullivan’s worry and concern sweetened his heart like honey, firmly believing this slap was worth it.

Thankfully, two hours later, Ethan Sterling’s face looked much better. With the evening light, unless scrutinized, it wouldn’t be noticeable. The two checked the time and set off for the agreed-upon restaurant.

Currently, the lab’s four girls sat in the restaurant a bit nervously.

Ever since Ruby Sullivan left, they lived in a state of anxiety. Although nothing changed in terms of treatment, not getting a new perfumer naturally made them uneasy, uncertain if one day the studio would close down.