Chapter 8 You Are Mine

To keep in touch with Vivian, Howard had arranged for her to have a cell phone. So, as soon as she returned to the Benton family mansion, Vivian started watching Peppa Pig on her new phone. After all, she was currently playing the role of a simpleton with the intelligence of a toddler. She hadn't watched many episodes before Brevard returned. "Watching TV, huh? You've got your own phone now?" Brevard suddenly appeared behind Vivian, startling her. Vivian quickly hid her phone, instantly switching to a ”guilt mode”, "Jean said I can watch Peppa for half an hour. Half an hour isn't up yet, Vivian hasn't been naughty, Vivian is a good girl." Brevard chuckled, "Look up at me properly. Do I look like Jean to you?" Vivian looked up, her eyes instantly going wide, she pouted, "Hmph, it's you! Nasty Glasses!" She called Brevard “Nasty Glasses”! Because he had treated her like a dog before, even if she was playing a fool, she held a grudge. "Mr. Glasses sounds better. Come on, follow me upstairs." In Jean's presence, Brevard was also playing along, "Try talking to Ethan more when you're around him, maybe he'll gradually regain consciousness." Brevard was about to lead Vivian upstairs when he turned back to Jean, "By the way, I heard that the second young master of the Benton family is back?" "Is he?" Jean was somewhat puzzled, how would she know about such matters, "I'm not sure about that. Dr. Herrera, would you like a drink before heading upstairs?" "No need." It seemed that Jean wasn't likely to be Tyler's inside source here. … When Howard drove into the yard, Ethan already knew. A few hours ago, the little simpleton was whisked away by Fiona. Now, someone else was bringing her back, and Ethan didn't know why, but he inexplicably started to worry for this little simpleton. However, in the eyes of others, he was now a "vegetable", even if he knew the little simpleton was back, he could not call out to her. Fortunately, Brevard returned soon after, and he would bring the little simpleton inside. But he couldn't let this little simpleton know he cared about her. So, when Brevard walked in with Vivian, they saw Ethan propped up in bed reading a book. At first glance, Brevard found it quite unusual because, in his memory, Ethan was a person who rarely read books, especially one with "Classic Buddhism" written on the cover. Vivian hadn't seen a man look so handsome in his pajamas while reading in a long time. In fact, she had seen a lot of good-looking men, but there were few like Ethan, who combined abstinence, coolness, nobility, and a mix of scholarly and worldly aura. Especially his body proportions, better than that of most international male models she had seen! If he were to debut, he would totally outshine them all. Although Brevard, standing beside her, also looked quite refined and handsome, compared to Ethan, he was like a drop in the ocean. Comparing the two, Vivian decisively ditched Brevard, gave him back the chocolate he had used to coax her, and ran straight into Ethan's arms. "Mr. Handsome, the sweeties Nasty Glasses gave me taste awful, so bitter and dirty. Look!" Vivian said, sticking out her tiny pink tongue at Ethan, "So dirty!" In fact, from the moment Vivian walked in, Ethan's heart was no longer on the book. Now she had even come to hug him, and was letting him see her... He felt an inexplicable desire. But then he thought, she was a simpleton, with the intelligence of a little girl, how could he have any desire for her? Ethan took a deep breath, suppressed the palpitations in his body, and said seriously,"Little simpleton, that's what chocolate tastes like. If you don't like it, don't eat it." Ethan had been so entranced by the scent of her tongue and the pleasant aroma emanating from her, that he hadn't noticed anything else. Upon closer inspection, he was startled to discover scratches on her face! The marks were unmistakably those made by a woman's nails. Ethan didn't quite understand what was wrong with him, perhaps it was because he had been cooped up in this room for too long. He found himself getting angry easily these days. "What's with your face?" Ethan's voice was steady, the room suddenly feeling as cold as ice, "Who did this? Fiona?!" This guy was a real heartthrob; Vivian had plans to pull his leg under the guise of being clueless. But, he didn't seem to be taking the bait. Feeling a bit deflated, she nonchalantly asked, "Who's Fiona? Can I eat her? Does she taste worse than chocolate?" "Little simpleton!" Ethan was initially ticked off because of her bruised face, but her naive babbling somehow took the edge off his anger. The way he called her “little simpleton”ended up sounding kind of endearing. "Fiona is your stepmother, the woman who took you out this morning. Tell me, did she hurt you?" Vivian shook her head, "No, it was my sis who hit me." "Sis, do you mean Yolanda?" "Yeah, my sister is a simpleton." "Humph," Ethan sneered, "She certainly is a simpleton for laying a hand on you." "Brevard, could you apply some medicine to her face later?" Brevard replied, "My dear lord, are you serious? This small injury is nothing, it's already healing." However, all Brevard got in return was a sharp glare. Following this, Ethan asked Vivian about the events that occurred at the Swain Group office tower today. She answered all his questions with her goofy comments, but made sure Ethan got the lowdown on everything she thought important, without leaving any stone unturned.　　 What did it matter if the woman before him was a simpleton? She was his wife! She was his simpleton! How dare those pests from the Swain family! How dare they bully his wife. "Vivian, no more tears. Today she laid hands on you, tomorrow you'll get your payback ten times, a hundred times over. You're part of the Benton clan now. I won't sit and watch you get pushed around." "Mr. Handsome is the best to Vivian, better than even grandma to Vivian." Brevard cast a glance at Ethan, "So, what's your game plan for the Swains?" Ethan smirked, "As the chill settles, it's about time for the Swain family to face bankruptcy." Vivian, who was feigning cries in Ethan's arms, thought "…" Ha, this man was indeed on the same wavelength as her, thinking along the same lines. However, the Swain family was hers to deal with, she had to take matters into her own hands. She wouldn't give Ethan this head start! In the dead of night. Vivian sat on the bed engrossed in watching Peppa Pig, while Ethan looked at the pigs on her screen, sighing in resignation. "Hand it over." Ethan took Vivian's phone, quickly dialed a number, and set it up for speed dialing. "Remember this, if you need to reach me, just press the number '1'. Now, go to sleep. Don't strain your eyes." She was only interested in watching cartoons, barely speaking a word to him. After Ethan had his say, he switched off the light. It wasn't long before they both drifted off to sleep. In the wee hours of the morning, the main door of the Benton mansion was silently opened from inside, allowing a figure to sneak in. This shadowy figure, stealthily crept up to the second floor of the mansion, heading straight towards Ethan's bedroom...