Chapter 11

"Damn it!" Ethan was just enjoying having a girl in his arms one second, and the next, chaos hit him out of nowhere. With a loud curse, he jolted like he'd been electrocuted and instantly let go of Anna. That charming, smooth-rich-guy image he had going for him? Instantly gone. His designer suit jacket and pants were now drenched in stomach acid, courtesy of a certain someone. Anna looked completely wrecked, hunched over, mouth wide open, gagging hard but throwing up nothing. She hadn't eaten a thing since last night—literally not even water. What she puked on Ethan just now was all she had. She struggled to catch her breath, pushing down that wave of nausea. Then she looked up—and saw Ethan. And cracked up. They'd known each other for a while now, and every time Ethan showed up, he was all bodyguards, luxury brands, and pretty-boy vibes. But now? Man looked like a total mess. Anna, who'd just wanted to curl up and die a second ago, suddenly felt great. That puke timing was honestly legendary. She pulled a face that was half-apologetic, half-amused. Put on her best pitiful expression and whispered, "I swear I didn't do it on purpose. My stomach's just a mess... it's not because you make me want to hurl or anything." Yeah, Ethan's face was so dark at this point you could barely see the usual smugness. Anna only dared to joke around like this because she knew Ethan might be trash in some ways, but he'd never hit a woman. Still, the way he stared at her without saying a word... kinda creepy, not gonna lie. She tiptoed past him, trying to slip away unnoticed—which surprisingly worked. Ethan didn't chase her. Just coldly threw a line at her back: "You'll be back." Anna scoffed. What the hell, do I look like some desperate, pathetic simp or what? ... In the span of one day, Anna had been cheated on, dragged into a surprise marriage, force-kissed, and thrown into an ex showdown. Could it get worse? She skipped her afternoon classes—zero mood for learning today. She was a junior and already a campus veteran, so she just called up Sophia and asked her to help mark her name in class. Then she headed home, mentally wiped. "I landed a huge deal today! Once it's done... just look at this number!" Anna had barely stepped into the house when she heard her dad, Michael Green, sitting on the couch with a flushed face, bragging like crazy and waving his hands around. "Hey, Anna, you're back," came a warm voice from the kitchen. Lucy Young, her mother, poked her head out and gave her a smile. "Hi Mom, Dad," Anna called out, but Michael barely glanced at her. She was used to this kind of treatment. In their family, she and Emily Green were the only kids. But their dad doted on Emily like she was made of gold and barely gave Anna the time of day. Emily was lounging on the sofa, legs crossed, clinging onto Michael's arm. "Dad, how much do you think you can make off this deal? three million?" "What three million? I'm guessing at least ten million!" Michael beamed, clearly hyped, and Emily gasped with sparkly eyes. "Dad, you're amazing! You've gotta buy me the new LV bag! Everyone in class has it already. I'm the only one still carrying last season's." "Of course, sweetheart. Whatever you want. You're Daddy's little angel," he said, grinning ear to ear. Watching them share this Oscar-worthy father-daughter moment, Anna furrowed her brows. Ten million? "Dad, seriously though, be careful. We're just a small company. How would we ever get a deal that big?" Anna couldn't help but chime in. She wasn't in the business world yet, but she had at least some idea of their company's capacity. "Ugh, sis! What's your problem?" Emily suddenly snapped, after ignoring her the whole time since she came in.