Chapter 91: Chapter 91: A Calculated Test

One might have assumed that returning home would grant them a chance to sleep. However, there were still enough miscellaneous matters requiring arrangement to cause the short vacation of Julian Sterling and Ethan Caldwell to completely fall through.

Naturally, the one compelled to work was Ethan Caldwell, while Julian was forced by him onto the bed to sleep. Although Julian very much wanted to lend a hand, he also knew how to estimate his own strength. Julian’s body had not yet fully recovered, and going to meet Aaron Sterling just moments ago had merely been him trying to act tough.

Perhaps, as Ethan had said, Julian would not be resigned to letting Aaron off too easily. But at present, neither of them knew Aaron’s true status in Gabriel Cole’s heart, or even regarding that Cedric Harrington who was still lurking in the background. Therefore, Julian could not handle Aaron in a truly satisfying manner just yet.

Pushing Aaron before the law this time was merely a calculated test. It was to test how much weight his position held in the hearts of those men. It was to test just how far this world would go to favor him.

Yet, to simply let the person go like that, Julian could not swallow such resentment.

He had decided to go meet Aaron and deliver a few mocking remarks.

It sounded somewhat childish, but looking at Aaron’s bewildered face, Julian actually felt quite cheerful. Furthermore, this time he had contributed to sowing the seeds of suspicion regarding the relationship between Aaron and Richard Sterling, and perhaps even the entire Sterling family.

Unless the Sterling family truly disregarded their reputation and interests to drag Aaron out of this quagmire. Otherwise, once he was helped by the Cole and Harrington families, the hatred in his heart toward Richard would only intensify.

Gabriel Cole was someone he had climbed high to try and pursue. Cedric Harrington was someone who engaged in an ambiguous push and pull with him. Yet both of them were willing to rescue him, while the person he called father had decided to abandon him.

Once Aaron escaped this situation, given his selfish nature, he would undoubtedly tally all these debts against the Sterling family. By that time, whether Aaron managed to climb onto Gabriel’s side or utilize Cedric’s resources, it would no longer be something that Richard could touch.

Julian lay on the bed, his mind wandering endlessly as he thought about the troublesome relationships entangling him. A hand was placed on his head, rubbing gently. Julian raised his head to see Ethan standing by the bed holding a glass of water.

“Be good, take your medicine and go to sleep. Do not think about random things anymore.”

Julian nodded and accepted the medicine from his hand. He swept his eyes over them briefly, noting a few transparent capsules containing white powder inside that looked slightly low in quality. Before he could say anything, Ethan had already explained: “The medicine was prepared by Kieran Talbot.”

“It looks a bit crumbly on the outside, but the medicinal ingredients are safe, so you can rest assured. His younger brother studies research and preparation, so he is very sensitive to these things. Thanks to that kid, the speed of analyzing the drug components in your blood also yielded results much faster this time.”

Earlier, Julian had even been approached by that kid Kyle Talbot, who ran over to ask for a urine sample to take back for testing. That had been noon of the following day, when Julian was sluggishly being supported by Ethan to go out for a meal, and conveniently to let Kieran examine him again.

Thinking of this, Julian could not help but laugh. He still remembered the image of Kyle Talbot with both ears burning red, stuttering, yet determined to ask for the urine sample at all costs to serve his research.

“Is there a result table for the drug components yet?”

Julian tilted his head back to drink all the warm water to soothe his dry throat, then handed the empty cup back to Ethan. His eyes still held a trace of fatigue but gleamed with the look of expecting an answer.

Ethan took the cup and set it aside, nodding slightly in confirmation. However, the moment he saw Julian hurriedly spreading his hand out to demand a look, he raised his hand and gave a light, pampering tap onto the boy’s pale palm.

“Be good, leave that for tomorrow when you are fully awake to look at later. Right now, your most important task is to rest, do you understand?”

His voice was deep and low, carrying a coaxing tone but also full of determination. After speaking, Ethan gently supported Julian’s shoulders, helping him lie down on the pillow. He meticulously pulled up the blanket, carefully tucking in the corners so the wind would not draft in, saying: “You go to sleep, take a nap for about two or three hours and I will wake you up to eat some hot porridge.”

Julian pouted, asking: “Now you are even setting up a whole sleep schedule for me?”

Looking at that cutely dissatisfied appearance, Ethan could not restrain himself from bending down and planting a kiss on the boy’s pouting lips. “Your health is too weak this time, and after looking at the test results, Kieran also said your body indices are currently very poor, requiring absolute recuperation to recover. Listen to me.”

Hearing Dr. Talbot mentioned, Julian also fell silent. He knew that he had been too negligent this time, allowing himself to fall for the opponent’s trick, which caused his body to be affected by the medicinal properties of the drug more heavily than imagined. Knowing he could no longer act tough, he resignedly withdrew his stubbornness and obediently closed his eyes.

Ethan remained sitting quietly by the edge of the bed. One of his hands held his phone to scroll through the reports sent to him, while the other slipped under the blanket, gently rubbing Julian’s stomach to make him feel comfortable. The rhythmic movement and the warmth from his hand caused drowsiness to arrive quickly.

Only when he sensed that the breathing of the person on the bed had become steady and deeper did Ethan stop his hand. He adjusted the angle of the blanket for Julian one more time, then stood up, tiptoed out, and closed the room door very softly.

Clearly, the face that had been very gentle just moments ago had now darkened, filled with a look of serious determination. He pursed his lips and went straight to his study. The computer on Ethan’s desk was still open, displaying a report densely packed with figures and overlapping charts. In a small corner, an email icon was blinking, flashing red incessantly.

Ethan kept his face cold, his index finger tapping on the desk a few times, and then he picked up the phone again to make a call.

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