In the afternoon, a heavy rain poured down on Saint Lawrence City. Julian Sterling sat hugging a pillow, watching the silhouette of Ethan Caldwell, who was busy in the kitchen. At noon, Julian had told him that he really liked fish, mainly because he was too lazy to remove the bones. Consequently, Ethan insisted on cooking some porridge for him, promising to debone the fish so it would be delicious.
And that was how the scene of CEO Caldwell rolling up his sleeves and stepping into the kitchen came to be.
Honestly, Julian did not think a young master like Ethan knew how to cook, but he actually looked the part.
Julian sighed, looking out the window with boredom. It had been raining for an hour, and the usually bustling crowds were gone, leaving nothing for him to watch.
Bored, Julian started scrolling through his phone.
The news today was mundane. The hottest articles mainly revolved around entertainment industry gossip. Stories like a certain young heartthrob being discovered secretly married to a senior in the industry, or rumors of a popular starlet getting hitched.
Julian scrolled to the financial news, which also consisted of minor daily trivia.
Suddenly, Julian paused at an article regarding the Sterling Group: [Suspicions that Sterling Group is in contact with a technology company; are they expanding into a new market?]
Seeing this, Julian suddenly remembered a plot point from the original story. Not long after the original Julian died, the Sterling family had to sacrifice quite a few business deals to compensate the Caldwell family because they could not marry their "beloved son" to Ethan Caldwell.
It was mainly because, at that time, Aaron Sterling held a game technology contract in his hands. It was rumored to be a collaboration with a major company that possessed top-tier virtual reality technology and streamlined peripheral devices.
Shortly after, Sterling Group announced a new project, officially entering the VR game market. They reached a partnership with Helios Technologies and were just waiting to sign the final contract with the graphics provider to officially launch the project.
This was one of the main reasons Aaron Sterling solidified his footing at the Sterling Group. With such a massive contract opening up tremendous success in a new market, what manager would dare to voice opposition?
Not to mention, after the original Julian died, he naturally became the legitimate "young master."
Brood parasitism - it was perfect to the extreme.
Unfortunately, Aaron's calculations did not account for Julian's presence. In Aaron's eyes, Julian was still alive, and moreover, Julian held a crucial key.
According to the scant memories of the original Julian, Julian knew he was acquainted with someone from that graphics company, someone with a significant status. Julian could not recall exactly who it was for the moment, but he believed that person would certainly be a massive stumbling block in Aaron's path.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind.
Could it be...
Julian frowned, his expression looking incredibly tense.
"What is it, babe?" Ethan carried the pot of porridge out. As soon as he placed it on the table, he noticed the grave look on Julian's face.
Hearing Ethan's voice, Julian shook his head, saying he was fine, then looked at the pot of porridge. "Tsk, turns out Young Master Caldwell actually knows how to cook."
"Who said I was cooking a meal?" Ethan went back inside to get two small bowls and ladled some out for him. "I'm cooking porridge."
Julian chuckled at that. He reached out to take the bowl of porridge and tasted a bit. It was not bad; the porridge was thick, and the fish meat melted in his mouth. Most importantly, there were no bones and no fishy smell.
It was acceptable.
Ethan sat down next to him and ate some as well.
Julian suddenly looked up at him and said, "Can you invite someone to teach me painting next week? I have to transfer schools next month anyway."
"Transfer schools? I thought you were just switching to the fine arts department."
"Ha." Julian laughed. "Studying fine arts at University X is nothing. I'm wondering if I should transfer to Saint Lawrence University. Tell me, what would Aaron's face look like if he met me there?"
Ethan looked at Julian's mischievous face and could only rub his head helplessly. "You want to get in there?"
"I know what you're thinking! Don't look down on me," Julian pouted. "I'm more than capable of passing the exam. It's just that I'm not interested in Saint Lawrence University."
If it was just about getting into Saint Lawrence, Julian was confident that with his current level, a little review would be enough. Although Saint Lawrence University was the top university in the country, it specialized in economics and natural sciences; its requirements for fine arts were not high. Even if he got in, it would not be of much value.
He wanted to aim for somewhere higher.
"Do you know what the best revenge is? It is to let them see that the lowly thing they threw away is actually a priceless gem." Julian chewed on the fish meat as if he were chewing up the entire Sterling family. "So you have to help me invite a good teacher. I heard there is a graphic technology company with masters who draw beautifully and have a deep understanding of painting..."
"What was the name again? Ah, Iris Visuals. Do you know them? Can you invite someone from there for me?"
Iris Visuals was one of the leading graphics companies. They not only accepted contracts for game and movie graphics but occasionally handled interior decoration design for major projects.
In reality, Iris Visuals was essentially an art company with a massive team of artists of various ages, creating a diversity of styles within the firm.
It was a name not overly famous to outsiders, but anyone with the slightest intention of entering the market related to painting knew of this company. As soon as Ethan heard Julian mention this company, the first thing he thought of was the rumor that Sterling Group intended to enter the game technology industry.
However, he did not ask. This was Julian's decision, and Ethan had no intention of interfering.
"The standard salary at Iris Visuals isn't bad enough to make employees look for part-time jobs." Ethan implied that it was rare for Iris Visuals staff to take on students outside, especially an older student like Julian.
Hearing him say this, Julian pouted, looking as if he were mocking him. Ethan smiled and ruffled Julian's hair. "But Patrick Lane knows a few people over there. I can ask for you."
Patrick Lane was Ethan's childhood friend whom Julian had met at the wedding.
"Then I'm counting on you. I only have one month left."
"Looking for a teacher with only one month left, you really are something." Ethan shook his head at him, then cleared the bowls from the table into the sink. He did not need to wash them; a housekeeper would come in the evening to clean up for them. He simply needed to keep things tidy.
After finishing, Ethan went into his study, grabbed his laptop, and sat on the sofa with Julian. He glanced over and saw the young man scrolling through economic market news, then opening the stock exchange. Judging by Julian's demeanor, he was probably about to make a trade.
"What's this? Is the little young master planning to withdraw his husband's money into his own account?"
Julian glanced at him and said reluctantly, "To compensate for your losses over the past few days, this young master is helping you earn some money."
After saying that, he buried his head back into observing the market. Seeing this, Ethan shook his head and opened his laptop to handle his own work. Although he was off this afternoon, there were many tasks that his assistant and other departments could not resolve, forcing Ethan to handle them online.
Moreover, he needed to give the Sterling family a warning.
Putting aside Julian's matters, over the past few days, he realized that the Sterling side seemed to be using the Caldwell family to do a few things. Initially, Ethan did not care much; after all, they were in-laws, so letting the other side use a bit of influence was not a problem.
But Ethan realized that normally, Julian's parents were very moderate and would not bluntly use his family's name like that. And Edward certainly wouldn't. He was young and always believed he would achieve success on his own. Edward was capable and could do many things himself, so he would absolutely not exploit the Caldwell name, especially any relationship involving Ethan, or else it would be admitting he was inferior to Ethan.
Then there was only one person who would do such a thing - Aaron Sterling.
Truth be told, Ethan did not like Aaron. He did not know why, but he felt that Aaron was not as he appeared on the surface. Some people, no matter how well they hid it, could not completely conceal the sense of cruelty about them, and Ethan was very sensitive to that.
Not to mention that Julian also disliked him.
Ethan would not interfere in how Julian dealt with the Sterling family, but he would also not let Aaron exploit the Caldwell reputation for his own benefit. His family's reputation was for Julian alone to use.
His slender fingers tapped incessantly on the keyboard. After resolving the urgent company matters, Ethan opened his email and sent a few concise pieces of information to a hidden email address.
Then he closed the email tab, picked up his phone, opened WeChat, and tapped on the chat with a person nicknamed "PatPat".
[You there?]
The other party replied very quickly: [What's up? Young Master wants to go out for a drink? I heard The Aurora just got a new bartender. Want to try?]
Ethan Caldwell: [Not going, I'm busy today. Ask Simon if he's free this weekend. If so, I'll bring Jules along.]
PatPat: [Wow, being married really is different. You take your wife everywhere.]
Ethan ignored Patrick's teasing and continued texting: [I heard you know a few artists at Iris Visuals, right? Can you contact them for me and ask if they take on tutoring?]
PatPat: [Teaching drawing? Teaching you? Or who?]
Ethan Caldwell: [It's Jules. He wants to learn painting. Can you invite someone?]
PatPat: [I'm not sure, let me ask around. I'll let you know.]
Ethan Caldwell: [Thanks.]
After sending the message, he exited the chat interface. Just then, a notification popped up on his phone indicating he had received an email from a stranger. Ethan narrowed his eyes, picked up his laptop again, and opened the email to check.
A moment later, he turned his head to look at Julian, seemingly in deep thought. Perhaps his gaze was too intense, for Julian soon turned to look at him. "What is it?"