Broken Memories, Intertwined Hearts

Chapter 31

The two of them went shopping at a nearby mall. Ines picked out a massage chair for Ethan's grandpa, bought a tie for his dad, and cufflinks for his uncle. For the ladies, she got different patterned silk scarves and a set of skincare products. When it was time to pay, Ines insisted on using her own card. Ethan knew how stubborn she was, so he didn't argue with her.

The car drove towards the suburbs. The closer they got to their destination, the more nervous Ines felt.

Ethan noticed her anxiety and said, "You don't need to be so nervous."

"I'm not nervous," Ines stubbornly denied.

Ethan just smiled and didn't say anything more.

"Ethan, why don't you tell me what your family does for a living?" Ines thought it was time to learn more about his family. Know herself and know her enemy, and she would never be defeated.

"My grandpa is a retired military commander, my dad is a military officer. My mom is the chairwoman of a company, but she doesn't really manage it anymore, only getting involved in big decisions. My uncle is the mayor of A City. My aunt is a painter and runs her own art gallery, and my cousin is a sophomore in college." Ethan said.

Ethan's words were concise, but the amount of information contained was overwhelming for Ines. She looked at Ethan in disbelief. Although she wasn't familiar with military matters, she understood the concepts of military commanders and officers, not to mention a mayor and a painter. His family was undoubtedly prominent, far from an ordinary family.

Something flashed through Ines' mind, and she held her breath as she asked Ethan, "What's the name of your company?"

"The Meyer Group," Ethan replied, seemingly not realizing how shocking the name was to Ines.

Ines felt as if her brain had short-circuited and couldn't help but raise her voice, "Ethan, do you get a sense of accomplishment from lying to me?" She felt like a fool for laying everything out in front of him, while he hid even the most basic information about his family.

The Meyer Group was a top-tier company and a successful multinational corporation, with branches all over the country. And this guy had initially told her that he was running a small company. If a company like that was considered small, then the other companies in A City wouldn't need to exist.

Ethan looked at her angry face, feeling surprised. Then he laughed and said, "I never intended to deceive you. In my eyes, it's just a small company. There are many more like it around the world."

Most women would be secretly celebrating upon hearing about his family background, not getting angry. For some reason, he felt relieved. He was glad that he hadn't told her the truth back then, or else he wouldn't have found such a wife who didn't care about money.

Ines was speechless.

"But do you have to exaggerate it so much?" Ines asked. He actually called it a small company. If he had said it was a decent company, she wouldn't have felt so uncomfortable.

Ethan looked at Ines innocently, "If I said the scale of my company was okay, I was afraid you would think I was exaggerating. It's better not to mention it in the first place."

Ines didn't miss the amusement in his eyes, and she felt both annoyed and amused, cursing, "Sly guy."

"Since you've already chosen me, there's no turning back now." Ethan said.

Ines didn't respond, continuing to digest the shocking news. Suddenly, she remembered something and said, "You should have reminded me when I was buying gifts earlier." With such a family background, the gifts she bought were too modest and not presentable at all.

Ethan knew what she was thinking and reached out a hand to pinch her face, "Don't put too much pressure on yourself. My family has been desperately looking forward to me getting married. They knew I had this plan and told me to seize the opportunity and marry someone I found suitable right away. They wouldn't care about your gifts. To them, you're already the biggest gift, and nothing else can compare to you." His family members weren't superficial people, and they mainly valued a person's character, not the so-called matching of social status.

Ines suddenly understood and couldn't help but laugh.

"But you deserve it," Ines continued. Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

"Happy now?" Ethan caressed her face.

Ines immediately put on a serious face. The stories she had heard about people being forced into matchmaking were nothing compared to this. How troublesome could he be, making his family come up with such a plan?

Ethan touched his nose and pretended to ponder, "Actually, it's not that bad. At least I got a wife in one shot."

"Are you implying that I was too easy to hook?" Ines narrowed her eyes.

Ethan raised an eyebrow, "Of course not. My wife has great taste and incredible luck. Otherwise, where would you find someone as tall, rich, and handsome as me?"

"Narcissist," Ines said angrily, then started worrying about her gifts again, "But I feel like the gifts I picked aren't quite suitable. Your dad is a military man, and I got him a tie."

"It's okay. Dad occasionally goes to business events with Mom, so he'll be able to use it." Ethan said.

As they chatted along the way, Ines found herself less nervous. Since it was winter, it was already dark by the time they arrived at their destination. There was a guard at the gate who smiled and let them in without hesitation.

"Ethan, Phillip has already come out to check several times and told me to let you in directly." The guard said.