My Amnesic Ex Married My Sister, So I Married His Uncle-Chapter 76: Little Uncle, You’re My Substitute
Stella Sterling was in a wonderful mood after getting her wish: a street food dinner just off campus.
Her excellent mood wasn’t just from the explosion of flavors, but also from the feeling that Owen Rhodes truly cared for her.
The idea of wanting to experience campus life wasn’t new. When she was with Ethan Rhodes, she had mentioned it to him offhandedly, but he never took it to heart.
The redness from his coughing fit still lingered in Owen Rhodes’s deep-set eyes. It was hard to imagine a man like him ever looking so wretched.
The thought that she was the cause of his miserable state made Stella Sterling feel a little guilty.
’Of course, not much. Just a little.’
So, as they left, she took his hand. "Let’s go home."
Owen Rhodes gave her a gentle look. "Okay."
Hand in hand, they had only taken a few steps before they ran right into Ethan Rhodes.
He must have just been out drinking with friends. He was walking out of a barbecue restaurant with a few other guys his age, and his eyes were bloodshot. He’d clearly had a lot to drink.
Lately, it was as if Ethan Rhodes had been erased from Stella Sterling’s life. If she hadn’t seen him just now, she wouldn’t have even remembered he existed.
The three of them stood face to face. Ethan Rhodes’s gaze swept over their faces before landing on their intertwined hands.
The faint but happy smiles on Owen and Stella’s faces, their tightly clasped hands—it all irritated him, an infuriating eyesore.
Perhaps it was the alcohol, but Ethan Rhodes stood frozen to the spot. He didn’t say a word, just stared at them with a dark, sullen expression.
It was one of the guys with him who recognized Owen Rhodes and quickly greeted him. "President Rhodes, you’re out enjoying the food street tonight, too?"
As he spoke, the young man nudged Ethan Rhodes with his elbow, a silent prompt not to just stand there gawking.
His gaze then shifted to Stella Sterling, who was holding Owen’s hand. "And this is?"
Owen Rhodes introduced her without hesitation. "My wife."
"Wow! So you’re Mrs. Rhodes!" Leo Quinn quickly wiped his hand on his pants before extending it toward Stella Sterling. "Hello, Mrs. Rhodes. I’m Leo Quinn, a good friend of Ethan’s."
Leo Quinn kept his expression neutral, but his eyes revealed that he understood everything.
He and Ethan Rhodes had been friends since elementary school and knew everything about him, including his relationship with Stella Sterling.
In a way, he was even the reason Stella and Ethan had gotten together in the first place.
’After Ethan lost his memory, I tried to talk some sense into him, warning him not to burn his bridges, but Ethan was completely obsessed with Kiana Sterling back then and refused to listen.’
’I was at Ethan’s engagement party, too. Even back then, I sensed something unusual about Owen and Stella’s relationship. But still, who would have thought...’
’At this point, it was best to just keep my mouth shut.’
After a light handshake with Stella, he said warmly, "Have you eaten already? I know this area like the back of my hand. If not, I can recommend some great spots."
Stella Sterling smiled politely. "Thank you, but we’ve already eaten. We were about to head back."
At that moment, Ethan Rhodes suddenly spoke up. "Uncle."
Owen Rhodes glanced at him, his eyes cold. "Yes. We’re leaving now."
He took Stella’s hand to lead her away, but as they passed by, Ethan Rhodes grabbed her wrist.
His eyes were red-rimmed as he stared at her and asked, "You two are together?"
Stella frowned, trying to wrench her hand away, but his grip was too tight. Her hand wouldn’t move an inch.
Stella didn’t answer, only demanding, "Let go!"
Ethan Rhodes took her silence as confirmation, staring at her persistently. "Why?"
Seeing the situation escalating, Leo Quinn frantically tugged at his arm. "Dude, Ethan, not in public. This looks bad. Let her go first."
Owen Rhodes’s voice was a sharp warning from the side. "Ethan Rhodes, let go of her!"
But he ignored them completely.
Stella, having reached her limit, raised her hand and slapped him across the face. "It’s none of your business!"
Ethan’s head snapped to the side from the force of the blow, and his grip loosened enough for Stella to finally yank her wrist free.
Owen instantly pulled Stella behind him. Fighting the urge to punch Ethan, he said to Leo, "Get him home."
With that, he led Stella away.
But they had only gone a few steps before Ethan Rhodes chased after them again.
He completely ignored Leo’s attempts to stop him and blocked their path.
He stared intently at Stella for a moment before his gaze shifted to Owen.
"Uncle, I bet you don’t know this, do you? Stella used to want me to bring her here, to experience campus life. I said no, so now she has you do it. You’re just my substitute, Uncle. I wonder if she’s satisfied."
Owen’s expression darkened as he shielded Stella. "You’re drunk. Go home and sleep it off. Don’t make a scene in the middle of the street."
"Making a scene? What, can’t you handle the truth? I never knew there was something the great President Rhodes couldn’t take."
Just then, Stella stepped forward. Without a word, she raised her hand and slapped Ethan again.
"Ethan Rhodes, you’re disgusting!"
Not wanting to stay a second longer, she grabbed Owen’s hand and stormed off.
Slapped twice by Stella in one night, Ethan’s rage became uncontrollable.
He snapped out of it and tried to lunge after them, but Leo held him back with all his might. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚
Just then, Leo spotted Kiana Sterling standing nearby. "Ethan! Look, Kiana’s here to take you home! Stop making a scene!"
Kiana chose that moment to walk over. By the time she stood in front of Ethan, her eyes were already shimmering with tears.
"Ethan... you remember Stella now, don’t you?"
The sight of Kiana seemed to instantly placate Ethan.
He stared at Kiana with a dazed look. After a long pause, he just said, "Let’s go home."
He then let Leo support him as he walked right past Kiana.
Kiana bit her lip, her gaze filled with venom as she watched Stella and Owen walk away hand in hand. A moment later, she turned and hurried after Ethan.
After the scene Ethan had caused, the atmosphere between Stella and Owen became inexplicably awkward.
As they walked back the way they came, Stella’s palms grew clammy.
After a long silence, she finally broke it, unable to hold back. "Owen, it’s not what Ethan said."
Owen’s tone was steady. "Yes, I know."
"I’m not the kind of girl who can’t move on. I wouldn’t play some cheap substitute game; that’s just bad karma. I did think about having him show me around a Chinese university campus once, but that was only because he was the only person I knew back then. It’s absolutely not like he said. You have to believe me!"
Stella was getting anxious, unconsciously tightening her grip on Owen’s hand.
Owen stopped, turned to look at her, and patted the back of her hand reassuringly. "I told you, I believe you unconditionally."
"So... you don’t mind?"
As soon as she asked, Stella felt conflicted.
She was worried he’d say he minded, but she was also worried he’d say he didn’t.
Owen answered honestly, "Well, I do mind a little."
He stared at Stella’s plump, red lips. "But maybe if you kissed me, I’d mind a little less."
