I Married the President

"A little closer," Ethan said again.

Ivy Tanner took another step forward.

Ethan set down the kitchen knife, then raised his hand and brushed a fleck of apple from the corner of her mouth.

Ivy Tanner’s body stiffened, and her heart began to pound erratically without warning.

’Ethan, what are you doing now?’

After brushing away the fleck of apple, Ethan pulled her head toward him and pressed a kiss of inscrutable meaning onto her forehead.

It was as fleeting as a dragonfly skimming the water’s surface...

He pushed her away and then, as if nothing had happened, closed the window.

Ivy Tanner’s body remained stiff as she mechanically walked away.

She thought she’d heard him say something to her just now, but unfortunately, the words hadn’t registered.

’Ethan, what on earth do you mean?’

-

It was strange.

Ivy Tanner had no appetite at all this morning, but faced with the dinner he had made, she ate ravenously. Even after she finished, she felt as if it wasn’t enough.

It had been a long, long time since her appetite had been this good.

Ivy Tanner was so full she could barely sit up. She lay down on the sofa, rubbing her belly with the expression of a lazy little piglet.

Ethan sat across from her, picked up his phone, and called Corinne Linden. "Where are you?"

Corinne Linden snapped, "Where I am is none of your business, Eldest Young Master Kingsley."

Ethan glanced at the girl lying quietly and motionlessly on the sofa and frowned slightly. "You’re not a child. You should be done with this tantrum by now. Where are you? I’m coming to find you."

But Corinne Linden was not pleased. "Why are you even looking for me? Don’t think I don’t know you’re at The Golden Brocade Palace having dinner with your Little Cutie. You don’t care about me at all!"

Ethan let out a cold laugh. "Once I marry her off, if you’re still like this, there’s no reason for us to continue. The woman I want can act cute with me, but she can’t throw unreasonable tantrums. Understand?"

Corinne Linden paused, then immediately burst into tears. "You bastard! Can’t you tell I’m jealous? And you’re blaming me for throwing a tantrum? You men are all clueless pigs!"

CLICK. The call ended.

Ethan took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He suddenly stood up, walked to Ivy Tanner’s side, and pinched her nose. "Little Cutie," he said softly, "I have to go now. Be good, and call me if you need anything."

Ivy Tanner didn’t open her eyes, merely nodding and letting out a lazy, "Mmm-hmm!"

Ethan smiled, then rose and left.

Only when she heard the door close did Ivy Tanner open her eyes. She walked to the window and looked outside.

’So much for not going back. In the end, doesn’t he still have to go appease his girlfriend? Hah...’

Ethan didn’t leave right away. He sat in his car, talking to someone.

「In the car.」

Ethan said to Seth Payne, "Replace all the servants here. Don’t leave a single one."

Seth Payne looked startled. "Replace all of them?"

Ethan’s cold gaze hardened. "They’ve all been bought by the Linden Family," he said in a low voice. "They can’t be trusted anymore."

Understanding dawned on Seth Payne. "I see. I’ll have them all replaced with our own people by tomorrow."

Ethan nodded. "Let’s go. To Linden Garden."

Seth Payne silently drove away...

The next day, all the servants at The Golden Brocade Palace had been replaced. Not a single one remained.

It was obviously Ethan’s doing, but Ivy Tanner didn’t find anything touching about it.

She was a smart woman. The reason Ethan replaced the servants had to be because Corinne Linden had bought them off. Ethan didn’t like being controlled or monitored, and he especially disliked others monitoring his things.

’And she was just one of his things.’

’To put it nicely, she was a pet he was raising. His most treasured one.’