The Retired CEO's Guide To Being Spoiled-Chapter 39: A Free Show

The two of them sat in the cafe for a long while before finally returning home. As they settled into the car, Julian Sterling heard Ethan Caldwell’s phone vibrate a few times, but he paid it no mind, simply pulling the seatbelt across his chest to buckle it.

Suddenly, Ethan asked him, "Do you want to watch a show tonight?"

Julian looked at him in confusion, then saw Ethan hold up his phone screen for him to see. It was a messaging interface, and the sender’s avatar looked quite familiar.

"Ethan, there is a family gathering tonight. Please come join us. Dad tried calling Julian but couldn’t get through."

Julian raised an eyebrow; so it was his precious father.

Ever since being bothered by Edward Sterling, Julian had quickly changed his phone number and social media accounts. Therefore, it was perfectly normal that Richard Sterling could not contact him. It was just that, looking at the tone of that message, one would have mistaken Ethan for the man’s actual son. Addressing himself as "Dad" really seemed to come naturally to him.

"Let’s go. I also want to see just how aggrieved Aaron looks."

Actually, he thought Aaron Sterling wouldn’t show it clearly. Instead, he would pretend to be magnanimous and forgiving, only to shift the blame onto Julian, claiming Julian held a grudge and thus told his brother-in-law to snatch that piece of land.

Ha, a play this good wasn’t available in just any theater. Why refuse a free show?

"Find somewhere to eat first. I’m afraid I won’t have an appetite tonight."

Ethan smiled, shaking his head as he looked at him, but he indulged him nonetheless. "You look for a restaurant nearby. Let’s change our palate."

He spoke while steering the car out onto the road.

"Director Caldwell, do you want to try eating at a roadside stall?" Julian looked at some recommended spots on his phone, suddenly wanting to taste these earthly delicacies. In his past life, he had heard employees say that one must try eating grilled food at a street stall and sipping cold beer at least once in a life.

He wanted to taste it too.

"If there is parking there."

Julian glanced at the CEO’s expensive car, pursed his lips, and decided against it. Never mind, he would taste the flavor of the common world next time.

The two went into a nearby restaurant, ordered a few dishes to line their stomachs, then returned home to shower and prepare to go to the Sterling residence.

"Do we need to bring a gift?"

Julian was drying his hair. Hearing this, he turned to look at Ethan with a puzzled expression. "They invited you for a meal, didn’t they? It is a family dinner, why bring gifts?"

After saying that, he put the dryer away in the cabinet and looked at his clothes again. A shirt worn with a sweater over it looked very comfortable. Looking again, Ethan was also wearing a shirt and holding a sweater of the same style as the one Julian was wearing to put on.

Julian looked at their reflections in the mirror and smiled. It was incredibly childish.

...

By the time they arrived at the Sterling house, it was nearly seven in the evening.

Ethan drove the car into the villa grounds, let Julian out, and then steered into the garage before taking a different path to the main house.

"Ethan!"

There was no one in the living room, only one or two maids passing by. Ethan was just about to ask them where Julian was when he heard the call. The way of address was quite familiar, as Julian had always called him that, but the voice did not belong to his baby.

Ethan frowned. Sure enough, he saw Aaron standing at the foot of the stairs. He was smiling brightly, slowly walking toward him.

"Ethan, you are here? Was there traffic on the way?"

"It was clear," Ethan said, widening the distance between himself and Aaron. Seeing the boy’s face turn resentful as if preparing to say something, Ethan quickly blocked him. "I am not close with you, don’t call me Ethan so affectionately. It wouldn’t be good if outsiders heard. At the very least, I am your brother’s husband. If you like, call me Brother-in-law, otherwise call me Mr. Caldwell."

Julian emerged from the first-floor restroom and burst out laughing when he heard this. He looked at Aaron’s face, which had already changed color, and put on an obedient expression, walking over to hug Ethan’s arm. "Why call you Mr. Caldwell? People will rumor that our family is discordant."

Saying this, he smiled sweetly at Aaron. "Don’t be mad, Aaron. Brother-in-law’s personality is just like that. But he is actually very gentle."

Finished, he didn’t bother looking at Aaron’s increasingly uncomfortable expression but shook Ethan’s hand. "Dad must be in the study. Shall I take you up? Then I will go down to the kitchen to help Mom."

"Or why don’t you help Mom, Julian? Let me take... Brother-in-law up to find Dad."

Julian glanced at Aaron with a half-smile. It seemed this kid hadn’t been living easily lately; perhaps constant failure was making him impatient. No matter how deep his schemes were, he was still just an eighteen-year-old boy.

"Oh my? He is my husband, why should I trouble you? Or is it that Aaron is being lazy and doesn’t want to help Mom?"

"Of course I want to help Mom, I was just afraid you haven’t been back in a long time..."

Julian cut in again: "I have only been married off for a few days, how much could the house have changed? Or is it that now that I am married, the people in this house don’t want to see my face, cutting ties with me, and with your Brother-in-law too?"

Aaron naturally wanted him to not have any dealings with the Sterling family anymore, but with Ethan attached, did he dare say it out loud? Even if Ethan wasn’t there, he wouldn’t dare; he still had to play the part of the capable and understanding son.