The Retired CEO's Guide To Being Spoiled-Chapter 38: Comrades in Arms

Ethan Caldwell turned his head to tease him upon hearing that. "Has the young master changed his mind? Although I can’t make you the department head, rest assured, the salary in the asset management department isn’t small."

Julian Sterling smiled. "Do I need to work for money? I’m the CEO’s spouse. Ethan Caldwell, from now on, you have to hand over all your salary to me."

"Mm, you can keep it."

Julian laughed when he heard that. He let Ethan hold him for a while before discussing important matters with him. However, their position was quite awkward, so he patted Ethan’s hand, signaling him to let go.

Ethan reluctantly let go, lifted him up, and spun him around, making Julian sit with his back leaning against his chest. Julian just let him be; he didn’t know what kind of medicine CEO Caldwell had taken recently to make him clingy all day long.

Even a cat addicted to catnip wasn’t this clingy.

Julian reached for his phone, typing in information related to Iris Visuals on the data sheet, then glanced at a few articles revealing rumors about the collaboration between the Sterling Group and Helios Technologies. A moment later, he whispered, "What if I don’t go to the asset management department?"

Julian buried himself into the sturdy chest behind him, staring at Aaron Sterling’s dazzling smile on the phone. "I originally didn’t plan to do anything related to economics anymore. I didn’t even want to pursue art. For a period of time, I really just wanted to be a freeloader, eating and sleeping. Since I married you and have you to support me, I’m not afraid of you leaving me. But..."

But some people just like to push others to a dead end.

Recently, on the surface, Aaron and the Sterling family hadn’t done anything to him, but the message from Edward Sterling, along with the card lock notification he just received, all told Julian that he couldn’t live peacefully with them.

Even if something was useless, they still had to wring out every last bit of value from it.

Julian wanted to be a freeloader, wanted to live peacefully. But first, he had to sweep away the pests that were always looking to bite him.

"Ethan, have you ever suspected me?"

"I haven’t suspected you, I’ve just felt curious." Ethan kissed his ear. "Initially, I married you only because of Grandpa, then I found you pitiable. But the longer we interact, the more I realize you are very strange. Not useless, very smart, with your own capabilities, but why did you push yourself into such a fire pit?"

Julian didn’t answer his question but asked in return, "Do you believe the explanation I gave Seraphina Cole? The one about having a fever until I lost my mind?"

"If I said I believed it, would you tell me you were so feverish you became stupid enough to do that? And if I don’t believe it, you’d probably make up another reason, wouldn’t you?"

Julian ignored his sarcasm. "It’s true that I lied to her, but I really have forgotten a lot of things; I just don’t know the reason for it. However, I know I hate the Sterling family, especially Aaron. Clearly, I am the real phoenix, so why is a cuckoo bird like him loved so much? Jealousy and envy make people blind."

Those were the original emotions of the other "Julian."

When he first transmigrated here, Julian never had any thoughts of hating that family. At first, he only thought that perhaps this body was born to be a stepping stone for Aaron, so he was unintentionally pushed onto such a terrible path by him. But after interacting for a long time, the hatred remaining in this body seeped into his soul, making him despise them.

Living in that house for a period of time made Julian realize that nothing was more terrifying than cold violence. If beaten or cursed at, at least there was some comfort, a belief in a better future. But what the other "Julian" faced was a terrifying cold violence; "he" lived as if he were already dead, seemingly just a mass of air hovering in the Sterling house. They lit up hope for the other "Julian," saving him from the quagmire of the Caine family, only to push him into a bottomless abyss.

Belief was crushed, and the heart was shattered.

Everything seemed to tell the other "Julian" that "he" was just redundant and useless. What was the use of beauty? What was the use of kindness?

In this world, kindness only pushed people into the abyss. In a family that prioritized business like the Sterlings, "artist" was just a flowery word for "trash."

Julian’s emotions exploded strangely. He clutched his chest, breathing frantically. The feeling of being surrounded by resentment, of hatred clouding his reason, made him unable to breathe.

From the moment he met Seraphina Cole, there seemed to be a mournful weeping whispering in his ear. It was the cry of an innocent child, a whimper full of resentment.

It was tears soaked in blood.

Julian’s whole body went cold, then he fell into a warm embrace.

A deep, warm voice shone on him like a heating lamp. "Baby, it’s over."

Julian remained silent for a long time. That tearing pain was so real that Julian thought he had experienced it himself.

Fine then, consider it repayment to "him" for gifting this body to Julian. It was also about building a future for himself.

"Ethan, let’s collaborate." Julian turned back to look at him, smiling until his eyes curved. "I will help you find a way to kick Gabriel Cole out of that position. You help me destroy the Sterling family."

It wasn’t doing it for him, but helping, creating conditions.

Like comrades relying on each other, opening a path to move forward together.

Obviously, if he possessed sufficient power, Julian certainly wouldn’t have turned to Ethan Caldwell. If given a few more years, Julian was confident he was more than capable of building his own empire and toppling the Sterling family. But right now, the Sterlings were like tigers lying in wait; although they temporarily viewed him as insignificant, who knew if they would stab him in the back again? Not to mention, there were many new figures appearing around him that he didn’t fully understand yet.

After all, since Julian viewed Ethan Caldwell as a "resource" he could utilize, what reason was there not to exploit that to the fullest?