Chapter 272 - 270: He’s Just Not Normal

Ethan Sterling was still completely unaware that on just his second day in Lorcain, he had acquired the first "luxury car" of his life.

During the break in the evening study session, Ethan Sterling headed to the restroom. Just as he was unzipping his pants to relieve himself, someone suddenly appeared beside him.

Jameson Stone appeared like a ghost, looking at him expressionlessly.

Ethan jumped, but he wasn’t finished yet. He could only stare wide-eyed at the other guy and exclaim, "Dude, what are you doing?"

Jameson Stone simply raised a hand and placed the gift box that had been returned that morning on the partition above Ethan’s urinal. "Here. Give this back to Renee Reid."

Ethan Sterling’s brow furrowed. He glanced at the box, then back at Jameson Stone.

"Dude, if you want to return it, can’t you do it yourself? I’m not your personal delivery guy!"

Ethan Sterling was speechless.

’Besides, I’m taking a piss here!’

’Is this appropriate?’

After the customary final shake, Ethan Sterling zipped up and turned to leave, only to be grabbed by Jameson Stone.

Although Ethan wasn’t short, his build was still rather slender compared to the boys from the north. Jameson Stone’s hand clamped onto his forearm like a vise. "Helping someone return a gift they’ve been given... that’s a real scummy thing to do, you know that?"

With that, he grabbed the gift box and shoved it into Ethan’s hands. "If she wants to return it, she can do it herself. What does it have to do with you?"

Without waiting for an answer or caring whether Ethan agreed, Jameson Stone turned and walked away.

"But..." Ethan opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He was left standing there helplessly, holding the exquisite, magenta gift box.

"Returning to its rightful owner!" Back in the classroom, Ethan strode over to Renee Reid’s desk and set the box down.

Renee Reid looked up, puzzled. Ethan was looking at her earnestly. "He said if you want to return it, you have to do it yourself. Don’t ask me to do it for you again. That friend of yours is nuts!"

’Considering Jameson’s personality...’

Renee Reid nodded. "Yeah, you’re right. He’s not normal."

With that, she stuffed the box into her desk.

Ethan breathed a small sigh of relief and returned to his seat.

When the final bell rang, a group of boys swarmed Ethan’s desk, all talking over each other as they invited him out.

"Ethan, come to the internet cafe with us!"

"Let’s play League! We want to see what it’s like to get carried by a pro!"

"There’s a good spot just across the street. We go all the time. Come on, let’s go unwind!"

Ethan looked at the eager faces in front of him and could only offer an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, guys. I’m gonna pass. You go on and have fun."

"Why not?"

"Just for a couple of games! An hour at most!"

"Yeah, don’t tell me you think we suck."

"No, no, that’s not it at all," Ethan quickly explained. "I promised my sister that once the fall season was over, I’d focus on my studies. I’m not supposed to touch any games until after the college entrance exams. I can’t go back on my word."

"Was that your sister who picked you up yesterday?"

"Your actual sister? She’s gorgeous!"

"And she drives a Cullinan!"

Ethan nodded, a little embarrassed. Worried they might get the wrong idea, he quickly added, "But once the entrance exams are over, I can play with you guys every day. I’ll help you rank up. We can play for the whole break!"

"For real?"

"You think you can carry us to Challenger?"

"Alright, then we’ll play together over the break."

"Okay, we’re heading out then, Ethan. See you tomorrow!"

Ethan walked home alone. The heavy snow from earlier had left a thick blanket over the entire city. As he walked, he listened to the CRUNCH CRUNCH of his feet on the snow—a completely new experience for him.

The moment he walked in the door, he saw it: his brand-new bicycle, parked right in the entryway.

When he got a clear look at the brand logo on the frame, he couldn’t help but shout, "Holy crap! A TREK!"

Tossing his backpack aside and kicking off his shoes, Ethan rushed forward, his eyes shining. He circled the bike, buzzing with excitement.

Cecilia Sterling heard the commotion and came over. Seeing her little brother’s ecstatic expression, she knew she’d made the right choice.

"You know the brand?"

"Of course I do, Sis! This is awesome!" Ethan looked up at her. "Sis... are we talking ten grand for this?"

Cecilia smiled. "A little over twenty."

Ethan’s eyes went wide. "I don’t even know if I can bring myself to ride it! Why would you buy me such an expensive bike?!"

"Because you get what you pay for. It’s incredibly comfortable to ride."

"Sis, I want to take it for a spin around the neighborhood. I’ve never ridden a TREK before."

Cecilia smiled and nodded. "Go ahead. Be safe."

"I will!"

With that, Ethan excitedly pushed the bike out the door. Cecilia watched him go, shaking her head with a soft chuckle.

’Now that Ethan’s all settled in,’ she thought, ’I can focus on my own classes starting the day after tomorrow. I just hope Mom has everything packed and ready. It’d be great if she could fly in tomorrow.’

Back in the living room, Cecilia took out her phone to video call her mother. She wanted to ask when she was coming so she could book her flight.

’The flight from Veridia to Lorcain is about three hours. Mom would never be willing to book business or first class for herself.’

The call rang for a long time with no answer, eventually disconnecting automatically.

Cecilia frowned and tried calling again.

But again, no one answered. The call just rang until it disconnected.

Feeling uneasy, Cecilia switched to a regular phone call, but there was still no answer. A knot of anxiety tightened in her chest.

Without hesitation, she quickly found her aunt’s number and dialed.

Thankfully, the call was answered after just a few rings. The line was incredibly noisy, however, as if a loud argument was taking place.

"Auntie?" Cecilia asked tentatively. Faintly, through the noise, she thought she could hear someone say Ethan’s name, and also her mother’s voice.

She couldn’t make out the other voices, but she was certain there were a lot of people there.

"Cecilia, hang on a sec! Your auntie’s in the middle of a fight!"

Cecilia didn’t care about that; she was only worried about her mother. She quickly raised her voice to ask, "Auntie, is Mom with you? Is she okay?"

"She’s here, she’s with me." Yvonne Sterling was in the middle of replying when she apparently heard something from the other side. She suddenly exploded, "Is the Fulton Family going extinct or something? It’s been twenty years, and now you show up trying to snatch my sister’s child? Have you no shame?"

"Why do you have to be so nasty? Ethan is my older brother’s son! He’s a child of the Fulton Family! You’re the ones who hid him all these years, and you think you have the moral high ground? Jasmine Sterling, you tell Ethan to get out here right now!"

Her uncle, Brendan Harris, roared in fury, "I’d like to see any of you lay a finger on my sister-in-law today! I’ll kill you!"