Chapter 348 - 346: Yes, What Else?

"Cecilia, please, don’t think so badly of us. It’s mostly that we haven’t been in touch for so many years. To be honest, I... your Second Uncle... I don’t know how to face you."

Victor Fulton’s tone softened considerably, as if trying to play the sympathy card.

But Cecilia had absolutely no feelings for them whatsoever.

Cecilia said calmly, "Since we haven’t been in contact for so many years, let’s just keep it that way."

Before Victor Fulton could say another word, Cecilia slowly set down her chopsticks and sat up straight. Her gaze locked onto his. A sudden, silent pressure filled the air. The unadulterated coldness in Cecilia’s eyes sent a chill down Victor’s spine.

Her thin lips parted as she spoke in a monotone voice, "This is the first time you and I have met, Uncle. I hope it’s also the last. Ethan’s college entrance exams are coming up, and I don’t want anyone from the Fulton Family bothering him again. I don’t care if your house is being demolished or if someone in your family dies. It has nothing to do with us!"

"You don’t know me very well, Uncle, but let me tell you this in all seriousness: if you don’t take my words to heart today and insist on doing things that displease me, then I’m capable of anything."

Victor Fulton’s mouth fell open. He stammered, "Cecilia, are you... are you threatening me?"

Cecilia nodded slightly. "I am. What else would you call it?"

Victor Fulton drew in a sharp breath, his eyes instinctively darting to Duane and Kai Sherman standing behind Cecilia. He’d never seen real bodyguards or enforcers before, but the aura these two young men exuded was definitely not an act.

"This is Lorcain. You shouldn’t have come here to provoke me, Uncle. I don’t have an ounce of affection for anyone in the Fulton Family, so don’t expect me to go easy on you out of some imaginary sense of family loyalty."

"So, you will leave Lorcain before Ethan gets out of school tomorrow."

Her tone was mild, but Victor knew Cecilia wasn’t negotiating. She was giving him an ultimatum.

"Cecilia, I..."

Victor Fulton still wanted to say something, to put up a bit of a struggle. After all, a hefty demolition payout was on the line. If he really went back dejectedly like this, wouldn’t all his efforts have been in vain?

But Cecilia clearly had no intention of hearing him out. His words were worthless to her. She slowly rose to her feet, a sudden smile playing on her lips as she looked at Victor. "Weren’t you just dead set on treating Ethan to a meal, Uncle? Since he refused, you can treat me instead. You’re getting the bill!"

Victor Fulton: "?"

Ignoring his stunned expression, Cecilia strode out without a backward glance. Seeing this, Duane and Kai Sherman followed her wordlessly.

It wasn’t until he was the only one left in the room that he snapped back to his senses. He shot up and hurried after them, but the moment he opened the door, a waiter blocked his way.

"Are you finished with your meal, sir? Here is your bill. Your total comes to eighty-six cents."

Victor’s eyes bulged at the words. "H-How... Seymour?!" he gasped.

The waiter repeated with a smile, "Eighty-six cents!"

"No... just... for this stuff? A little over eighty cents?"

"Yes, sir. We even gave you a discount."

Victor Fulton: "..."

Cecilia reached the elevators, and Duane hurried ahead to press the button for her. He then turned to her and asked, "Cecilia, if you’re worried, Kai and I can keep an eye on him. We’ll let you know once we’re sure he’s left Lorcain."

Cecilia smiled. "No need. He’ll leave."

’Although this was the first time she’d met her so-called uncle, the brief encounter was all it took for her to see right through him. Victor Fulton wasn’t a complicated man.’

’Greedy and cowardly. Those two words pretty much summed him up.’

’People like him fear being isolated and helpless above all else. The moment he’s alone and facing an unknown risk, his first instinct will be to retreat.’

’She’d seen plenty of people like him. They were all the same.’

"Are there a few more of our guys downstairs?" Cecilia suddenly turned to Duane and asked.

Duane nodded.

"Call them up. Find a private room and get them something to eat. Order whatever you want, just put it on my tab."

"There’s no need, Cecilia. You don’t have to be so formal with us."

"Am I being formal with you, or are you being formal with me? It’s dinner time. Go eat!"

Duane smiled sheepishly and finally nodded. "All right, then. Should I take you back to school first?"

"Just go eat with the guys. I’m not going back to school just yet. Don’t worry about me."

At that, Duane didn’t press the issue. He watched Cecilia step into the elevator, standing ramrod straight as he saw her off respectfully. "Goodbye, Cecilia!"

Cecilia gave a wry, speechless smile. Just as the elevator doors were closing, she remembered to call out, "Whoever’s driving isn’t allowed to drink!"

Duane grinned and turned to Kai Sherman. "We’re eating well again. Tell the guys to come up."

When school let out that evening, Ethan Sterling and Jameson Stone left together. They stood amidst the crowd of students at the school gate, looking around for a while.

"Ethan, looks like your uncle didn’t show. Did your sister take care of him?"

Ethan’s brow furrowed. "What are you talking about? You make it sound like my sister murdered him."

"That’s not what I meant. I just mean, did your sister handle it?"

"Probably. As long as he’s not here, it’s fine. Let’s go!"

The two of them quickly grabbed their bikes and left the school. They didn’t expect that two blocks later, they’d once again run into Golden Blade and his two friends walking by the side of the road.

Jameson Stone wanted to pretend he hadn’t seen them and just ride past, but Ethan stopped his bike by the side of the road.

Golden Blade and his friends had just left the pool hall and were on their way home. The place had been closing early recently, locking up at nine p.m. Since their route home took them past No. 2 High, their timing happened to coincide with when the seniors were getting out of school.

Golden Blade was taken aback when he saw Ethan suddenly stop beside them.

He thought Ethan had run into trouble again and instinctively glanced behind him, but he didn’t see the uncle from yesterday.

The other two were a little scared of Ethan after the last incident. The bruises from that beating hadn’t even faded yet. Mostly, they were terrified of Ethan’s sister and Kai.

"You need something?"

Golden Blade asked in a low voice, his gaze shifting away. The arrogance from their first meeting was completely gone.

It wasn’t that one beating from Kai had completely changed their personalities; they were just like this in front of Ethan.

They were afraid of getting beaten again for offending him!

Ethan looked at the three of them, his brow furrowing slightly. Golden Blade had it the worst. The corner of his eye was stitched up, and it looked like the sutures hadn’t been taken out yet.

Jameson Stone tugged on Ethan’s sleeve. "Ethan, let’s go," he whispered.

Ethan hesitated for a moment before looking at Golden Blade and his friends. "Thanks for yesterday," he said.

’Fair’s fair. Regardless of their motives for stepping in yesterday, they helped me, so I should thank them.’

Golden Blade blinked, stunned. "Huh?"