Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph

I quietly went back to my seat and kept flipping through the photos, already distracted. But one old, yellowed photo caught my eye.

It was a picture of Ethan with a girl. Ethan looked really young, maybe around twenty, and the girl was about the same age and very pretty. Ethan's hand rested naturally on her shoulder, a detail I couldn't ignore. I felt a bit uneasy and wanted a closer look, but suddenly a hand snatched the photo away.

"Grandpa, should these old photos be shown to people? You're just showing them to my wife?" Ethan quickly gathered the photos back into the box, looking a bit shy.

Martin laughed. "What's wrong with her looking at them? Do you now realize your taste back then was questionable? Do you think it's ugly?"

Indeed, young Ethan in the photo looked very different from now. Back then, he seemed carefree and unrestrained, but now he was too composed, making him hard to understand. Experiences shaped who we were. I wondered what Ethan had gone through.

During dinner, Ethan suddenly told Martin we were heading back to Starlight City tomorrow. I was surprised. 'Isn't it supposed to be a week? Could it be because of that phone call?'

Martin sighed. "Go ahead. You have your own things to do. You can't stay with me forever. It's just that Emily's cooking these days has been so good. I'm afraid I won't get used to it once she's gone."

There was a hint of loneliness in Martin's words.

Ethan comforted him, "I'll bring Emily over often when I get the chance."

Martin waved his hand. "Forget it. I'm old. How much longer can I live? It's more important for you two to live your lives well. When will I have a great-grandchild?"

"Soon," Ethan said vaguely, his head down as he ate.

After dinner, Martin took out an invitation. "August 14th, Xavier's daughter is getting married. Xavier invited me, and I should go, but I'm afraid they'll make me drink. If I were younger, I'd definitely drink with them, but now I'm old and can't handle it. Ethan, you and Emily go on my behalf."

Could this Xavier be the director of Benevolence Hospital? I took the invitation and opened it.

Vivian and Arthur would hold their wedding ceremony on August 14th at the New Victory Hotel. I was surprised that Xavier had a connection with Martin.

That night, Ethan told me that Martin used to be the director of Grace Hospital. As a fellow professional, it wasn't surprising that he knew Xavier.

The next day, we said goodbye to Martin and headed back to the city.

After nearly a week of doing nothing, I was still determined to find a job. Ethan needed to go to the hospital to get his bandages removed, so I tagged along.

At Grace Hospital, after his bandages were off, we were about to leave when I noticed a job ad on a big screen in the lobby. Grace Hospital was hiring a receptionist. "You're not thinking of becoming a receptionist, are you?" Ethan asked.

Even though being a receptionist wasn't my specialty, it was still in a hospital, and I knew basic nursing and first aid, so I could handle it.

After searching for a job for so long, finding the perfect one seemed impossible, and I was losing confidence. "Why not give it a shot? A receptionist is fine. I don't mind. Do you mind me being a hospital receptionist?"

Ethan took out a pack of cigarettes, then put it back, realizing we were in a hospital. He pinched my cheek. "Of course, I don't mind. All jobs are valuable. My grandpa used to be the director here. He still has some pull. Do you want me to..." "No." I cut him off, knowing what he was about to say. "I want to do this on my own. If I need someone else's help to get a receptionist job, it just shows how useless I am."

Ethan smiled. "Alright, I'll wait for you in the car."

I didn't expect the application process to go so smoothly. Maybe my resume helped since I had been a nurse before. The HR head decided to hire me on the spot and asked me to start the next day.

After leaving the hospital, I quickly found Ethan's car. Through the windshield, I saw he was on the phone. By the time I opened the door, he had already put the phone aside.

I guess my happiness was obvious because Ethan kept staring at me as I got in. "You got the job?"

I was indeed happy. "Yes, I finally have my own job."

Suddenly, I thought of something and my smile froze. I stared at him. "You didn't tell the hospital staff to hire me, did you?"

Ethan took a drag of his cigarette, started the car, and smiled. "Do you have so little confidence in yourself?"

Seeing how calm he was, I sat up straight, feeling extremely good. Soon, my stomach growled, and I looked at him, embarrassed. "I'm hungry."

Ethan put out his cigarette with one hand and steered the car with the other. "I'll take you to eat."

I was about to suggest going home to save money, but Ethan insisted on taking me to the restaurant on the third floor of Blue Ocean Bar. I didn't expect to run into someone I knew there.

At a table not far from us sat a man and a woman. They were holding hands and gazing at each other affectionately.

The woman was Bella's stepmom, Andrea Gray. Bella had pointed her out to me before, so I recognized her, but she didn't know me. The young man with Andrea was clearly not Bella's dad, Leonard.

I thought, 'Another dramatic affair!'

"Do you know them?" Ethan asked, noticing I was staring.

I quickly looked away. "No."

Leonard had divorced Bella's mom for Andrea, and now Andrea was having an affair. Suddenly, my phone rang-it was Bella.

If Bella found out, with her temper, who knows what trouble she'd cause. So I decided not to tell her for now. But when she heard I was at Blue Ocean Bar, she said she was nearby and wanted to come over.

I thought, 'There's no hiding this now.' Luckily, before Bella arrived, Andrea and her lover left. I would have to tell Bella eventually, but I needed to find the right time.

Outside, night had fallen, and the lights were twinkling.

When Bella arrived, she was wearing black and white striped wide-leg pants and a tight sleeveless T-shirt, looking very sharp.

She had said on the phone that I should treat her to dinner, but when she arrived, she said she had already eaten. She was just joking with me.

Later, we went to the bar on the second floor. The previous fight incident didn't seem to have affected Blue Ocean Bar's business. As soon as it got dark, people started to fill the bar.

Oliver was sitting in a booth, flanked by two scantily clad, sexy women. I almost instinctively looked at Bella. She just glanced at Oliver indifferently, with no change in her expression. Oliver, with a cigarette in his mouth, greeted Ethan nonchalantly, "You went to Greenfield Village to have fun and finally decided to come back?"

Ethan sat down, lit a cigarette, and said, "I was tricked into going back by my grandpa."

Bella and I sat down too.

The two sexy women leaned on Oliver, their hands wandering inside his shirt.

From what I knew about Oliver, he used to be a bit of a mess but not promiscuous. Now he looked like a complete playboy.

'Could it be because of what I said that day?' I thought.

Bella, usually talkative, was very quiet today. The atmosphere felt strange and awkward, so I suddenly put my arm around her shoulder. "Bell, I found a job today. Shouldn't you celebrate with me?" Bella glanced at me, "What job?"

I hesitated and then whispered, "A receptionist at Grace Hospital."

There was an awkward silence, and then the two sexy women laughed unkindly.

"That's great. You're not stealing or robbing, and you don't have to sell your body. You're earning money with your own skills. It's worth celebrating." Bella snapped her fingers and ordered some dark beers. Now it was the two sexy women's turn to feel awkward.

After the beer arrived, Bella opened several bottles right away. I was startled and said nervously, "Bell, just a small celebration is fine."

But Oliver's voice suddenly chimed in, "Emily, Ethan can afford to support you. He could support ten women if he wanted to."

I knew this wasn't good. Sure enough, Bella slammed her beer bottle on the table. "Yes, men with money like to keep mistresses. That's why women need to learn to be self-reliant even more." Oliver looked at Bella, his face a bit grim, but fortunately, he didn't say anything else.

Ethan naturally put his arm around me. "One woman is enough for me. There's nothing wrong with a woman wanting her own job. Having a job means having her own social circle. No matter what, I have to support her." I stared at Ethan's profile in surprise. He hadn't said that before.Têxt belongs to NôvelDrama.Org.

Ethan suddenly turned his head, and our eyes met. His eyes were deep like whirlpools. I looked away in a panic but quickly froze.

Andrea was walking towards us, wrapped in the arms of her lover, Walter Bell. I quickly looked at Bella, who was also staring in that direction, her face dark with anger.

I cursed in my mind, 'These bastards show up at the worst possible time, just when Bella is in a bad mood. This is going to be a disaster!'

Bella downed a bottle of beer in one go. After putting the bottle down, she picked up a half glass of red wine from the table.

When we arrived, only Oliver and the two sexy women were here, so that half glass of wine was probably Oliver's.

Under Oliver's surprised gaze, Bella stood up, holding the half glass of red wine, and walked towards Andrea. Bella deliberately bumped into Andrea, pouring the entire half glass of red wine down her neckline.