Chapter 66 Jealousy
Chloe froze, her phone still in hand. She stared at Brian across the street. He looked like he had just stepped out of the office tower and was about to get into the silver Maybach parked beside him. The timing felt almost too coincidental.
“What’s wrong, Clo?” Ethan asked. He followed her gaze and spotted Brian as well.
A faint frown creased Ethan’s brow. A chill ran down his spine in the brief moment their eyes met through the glass. It felt like something he had been guarding all was about to be taken from him.
“Lena and Ethan just arrived in Yarfdale, so I’m having lunch with them,” Chloe explained.
“Perfect. I haven’t eaten either,” Brian replied before hanging up.
Chloe blinked, then saw him striding toward them. Moments later, he was at their table.
“I haven’t had lunch. Mind if I join you?” Brian asked.
“What?” Lena’s eyes widened. “Are you talking to us, Mr. Steele?”
“Yes. Got a problem with that?” he countered.
Lena glanced at Chloe instinctively.
“Have a seat,” Chloe said, signaling the waiter for another set of dishes.
Brian slid into the seat directly across from Ethan. The four of them sat at a square table.
Chloe continued eating as usual, but Brian and Ethan locked eyes. The tension was so thick that one
could choke on it.
Lena’s eyes darted between the two men before she cleared her throat, ready to smooth things over. Before she could speak, Ethan leaned in first. “Mr. Steele, what a coincidence. I didn’t expect to run into
you here.”
“It wasn’t a coincidence,” Brian said calmly. “I finished some business nearby and came to see Chloe.”
Ethan frowned. “Chloe?”
Lena almost spat her coffee out. Did Brian just call her Chloe?
Lots of people called Chloe by her first name, but she didn’t think Brian would be on a first–name basis
with her.
Ethan glared at Brian. “You call her Chloe? Who let you call her that?”
Brian cleaned his utensils with a paper towel with deliberate calmness. “She did, of course.”
Both Ethan and Lena turned to stare at Chloe.
“Clo? You let him call you that?” Ethan asked.
“Yeah.” Chloe nodded. “It’s easier that way. Besides, it’s only for three months.”
Ethan’s eyes flickered, his thoughts unreadable.
“Anyway, eat before the food gets cold,” Chloe urged.
Lena quickly jumped in, grabbing her fork. “Right, right. Let’s just eat.”
Ethan followed suit.
Chloe glanced at Brian. “The food here isn’t as fancy as what you’re used to. Think you’ll manage?”
“I’m not picky. I’ve eaten worse than this,” he said.
Far worse. He could even swallow bark and dirt just to survive.
Chloe looked at him with a little surprise, but let it go and returned to her meal.
Brian ate with measured grace, a sharp contrast to Ethan’s more casual style.
“That’s funny, Mr. Steele,” Ethan muttered.
“I wasn’t joking.”
“I’m curious what food could be worse than this. I’d like to try it myself. It can’t be that bad.”
“Tree bark,” Brian said. “I recommend you try some, Mr. Hughes.”
“Brian Steele!” Ethan snapped.
“What is it? Don’t believe me? Or are you saying you’d rather make me your enemy?” Brian’s dark eyes lifted.
The atmosphere at the table turned frigid.
Lena nearly lost her appetite.
Finally, Chloe cut in. “Eat.‘”
Only then did the two men grudgingly return to their meals.
Despite the presence of two handsome men at the table, Lena felt like the meal was taking years off her life.
When they finished, Brian stood up and turned to Chloe. “Let’s go.”
“Okay,” Chloe agreed. She had a deal with him. During her stay in Yarfdale, she could take care of her personal business, but she was to be his bodyguard for the rest of her time.
“Lena, why don’t you and Ethan…” Chloe started, but Ethan caught her hand.
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“Clo, where are you staying? I’ll take you back,” he said.
“She’s staying with me,” Brian cut in, stepping forward and gripping Ethan’s hand. “You shouldn’t trouble yourself, Mr. Hughes. Now, let go.”
Ethan glared at him. “And if I don’t?”
“Then don’t blame me if your wrist ends up broken,” Brian threatened.
Ethan laughed coldly. “That’s assuming you can pull it off.”
The tension spiked again.
“Enough!” Chloe yanked her hand free from Ethan’s grasp and pried Brian’s hand off his wrist. She looked
Brian dead in the eye. “Don’t touch my friends. I won’t forgive you if you do.”
Then she turned to Ethan. “I’m working as Brian’s bodyguard for a while. That’s why I’m staying with him.”
Ethan froze. “A bodyguard? Did he force you to work for him?”
“No,” she replied.
“Then why?”
“Can’t say.” Those two words told Ethan everything he needed to know. It was a classified mission.
“I won’t pry then,” he said. “I’ll be waiting for you at the memorial hall for your parents‘ burial tomorrow.”
“Alright.”
As Chloe turned to leave with Brian, Ethan suddenly pulled her into a hug. It startled her. “What’s wrong?”
“You’re still the same, Clo,” Ethan murmured. “Always protecting the people that matter to you the most.”
When she had stood up to Brian for his sake, he remembered how years ago, she had carried him through
snow–blocked roads when he had been burning with a fever.
“Hold on, we’re almost at the hospital. I won’t let anything happen to you,” she had said as she ran. Sweat
drenched her hair.
His consciousness was hazy then. The cold had been brutal, yet his chest burned with warmth.
Sometimes, all it takes is a single moment to leave a mark on someone.
Ethan whispered, “Clo, if you ever find yourself in trouble, I’ll be there for you. No matter what it takes.”
If Brian was her trouble, then Ethan was ready to face him head–on, even if he was the head of the Steele family.
“I’m not in trouble, don’t worry,” Chloe said, ruffling his hair. “Alright, I have to go now.”
Only then did Ethan reluctantly let her go.
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Off to the side, Lena glanced at Brian and froze. His dark, piercing eyes were locked on Ethan and Chloe.
His eyes burned with jealousy.
