Chapter 130
Hearing those words, Ethan''s face darkened instantly. His hands clenched under the table,
suppressing a wave of anger ready to explode.
Noel''s face was also serious. He said to Aaron in a dissatisfied tone, "Aaron, we''re all best friends
here, don''t spoil the mood. You''ve had too much to drink, watch your words next time. Marriage isn''t
a game, you can''t just call it quits."
A mocking smile shed in Aaron''s eyes, he looked exceptionally bitter, "Noel, ask this man here if
he even considers me a friend. This is the second time, the second time he''s stolen the woman I
love from me."
He could ept Ines''s husband being anyone else, but he couldn''t ept it being Ethan.
"I''ve told you, it was an ident." Ethan kept repeating the same words. He wasn''t good at
exining, always resorting to such phrases.
"Don''t sugarcoat it! Love at first sight, huh? Did you just think Ines and Le looked somewhat
alike? You were just looking for a recement for Le."
"Aaron, I''m not that petty." Ethan forced a smile. The recement theory wasplete nonsense.
Noel also thought Aaron was being obstinate. Ines and Le hardly looked alike. Even if their
personalities were slightly simr, Ines was more yful and lively, while Le was a mature and
steady professional woman, always serious.
Besides, Ethan only met Ines once, it was unlikely he could have noticed any simrities in their
personalities.
"They''re both auditors, isn''t that enough?"
Noel shook his head, "Aaron, you’ve be increasingly paranoid over the years. Ethan has
interacted with many auditors, those aren''t reasons." Why did he have to go after Ines?
Ethan frowned at Aaron, carefully pondering his words.
He hadn''t thought about any of this at the time. He just found Ines interesting, so he strangely
wanted to marry her.
"I''ll tell Ines everything. I want to see what she will do."
As soon as Aaron finished speaking, Ethan punched him. Anger shed in Ethan''s eyes. Ines was
his bottom line, but Aaron had been crossing it repeatedly tonight, he couldn''t tolerate it any longer.
Taken aback, Aaron fought back, and the two began to brawl. For a while, they seemed evenly
matched.
Noel chose to stand aside, refraining from interceding in the brawl. After all, both were full-grown
men, as tough as theye. A few bruises wouldn''t cause them any significant harm. Eventually,
the fight subsided. Aaron slumped onto the sofa, his energy spent, while Ethan, though equally
battered and covered in bruises, maintained his poise. He straightened his rumpled white shirt,
collected his coat, and directed at Noel, "I''m heading out, ensure he gets home safely."
Noel nodded, "You okay? You drank quite a bit, can you drive? If not, I can call Lucas to pick you
up."
"No need, I''ll get a designated driver."
With that, Ethan left without a backward nce. Noel sighed and turned to Aaron, who seemed to
have fallen asleep. After a while, Noel reluctantly carried Aaron out of the private room.
When Ethan got home, the lights in the living room were off, only the TV was on. Ines was sound
asleep on the sofa, wrapped in a nket. Her mouth was slightly open, making a faint breathing
sound.
Looking at her face, he once again confirmed that she was the one, not anyone else, but the
woman he had chosen at first sight.
He lifted her into his arms, and she immediately clung to his neck, pressing her face against his
chest. This reliance made him smile, his irritation from meeting Aaronpletely disappeared.
Just as he was about toy Ines on the bed, she stirred and like a puppy, started sniffing him.
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Ethan cursed inwardly: I forgot to shower first.
Seeing Ines about to wake up, he quickly turned off the lights, leaving only the dim wallmps on.
Ines asked sleepily, "Ethan, when did you get home?"
Ethan hadn''t looked in the mirror, but he could feel the burning pain on his cheek and lips. He knew
he must look a mess. He turned his face away slightly, not wanting Ines to see his bruises, "I just
got back, I''m gonna shower first, you go back to sleep."
Ines wasn''t fooled that easily, her eyes narrowed at Ethan''s evasiveness, "Ethan, why are you
hiding from me?"
"No..." Ethan denied, trying to get up and go to the bathroom.
Seeing him trying to escape, Ines quickly got up on her knees, pushed him back down, and
forcefully turned his face towards her. Her eyes widened in surprise, then she turned on all the
lights.
Ethan had always been a gentleman in her eyes, the idea of him fighting was preposterous.
Under the bright lights, Ethan''s usually perfect face was bruised, especially his lips, looking like he''d
been punched hard.
Ines looked at him sympathetically, "Ethan, who did you fight with? Look at yourself!"
Ethan gave her a sheepish smile, "It''s nothing, just an old friend, he''s no better off."
"Was it Noel?" Ines asked.
Ethan shook his head, "Not him, a friend from a long time ago."
Seeing that Ethan didn''t want to talk about this person, Ines didn''t press further, she just said
exasperatedly, "You''re in your thirties and still fighting with people, isn''t that childish?"
"He said things that were too offensive, I couldn''t hold back." He finally married his wife, but Aaron
was talking nonsense and insulting him. Besides, he seemed to have not given up, wanting to
snatch Ines from him. This was absolutely intolerable, even if he was a good friend.
"Who threw the first punch?"
Ethan touched his nose, gave an embarrassed smile and admitted, "I think it was me."
"I had no clue, you got a rough side too, huh? Well, today''s been an eye-opener that''s for sure."
Ines shot him a look, then leaned in again, taking a whiff of him. She could smell smoke and booze,
pretty strong, definitely not from someone else. He must have had his fair share.