Chapter 730: Ethan Hawthorne’s Ruthlessness

After she sat down, Ethan Hawthorne asked sternly, "When you went to get stock from Old Man Feng last year, did you notice anything unusual?"

"No, everything was the same as usual. If there was anything out of the ordinary, I’m sure I would have noticed." Bernice asked, confused, "What’s wrong?"

Ethan Hawthorne sneered, pulling a few fabric swatches from his overcoat pocket and slapping them on the table. "Look. This is all from that Thorne fellow. They got the new fabric before us. Old Man Feng has cut us out!"

"That’s impossible. Thorne definitely didn’t get his stock from Old Man Feng. We were the first ones to work with him. The entire East China market is basically ours. Why would Old Man Feng cut us out? Ethan, are you sure you haven’t made a mistake?"

Bernice was very confident about her standing with Old Man Feng, as she had been the one to connect Ethan with him in the first place.

After leaving the Northeast, she had drifted for two years before ending up in Capria, where she wholesaled electronic watches to sell in Tristone. But she had too little capital and could only operate on a small scale. She had known of Old Man Feng for a long time but wasn’t in a position to meet him. Later, she met Ethan Hawthorne by chance.

At the time, Ethan had money but no supply channels, while she had the connections. They hit it off immediately and started working together. From there, it was only natural that they became a couple. Bernice had always been in charge of procurement, and there had never been a problem in all these years. She couldn’t believe Old Man Feng would drop her.

"Besides Old Man Feng, who else in the South do you think could supply this much fabric?" Ethan Hawthorne asked, looking at Bernice with a mocking smile.

When he had first met Bernice, the woman had been impoverished and down on her luck, but she possessed a wild, unyielding spirit that he admired. He had no connections at the time, so he partnered with her. A man and a woman, a young and beautiful one at that, spending all their time together... what happened next was only a matter of course.

Besides, this was simply the way of the Hawthorne family. Ethan Hawthorne didn’t believe a man should remain chaste; casual flings were part of the game. A sensible woman shouldn’t meddle in her man’s affairs outside the home.

But Bernice’s behavior over the past two years had been a great disappointment to Ethan. Perhaps life had gotten too easy, and she had lost that competitive fire. All she seemed to think about day in and day out was marrying him. ’How could I ever agree to that?’ he thought. ’She’s just a mistress, after all.’

"Maybe they’re sourcing it directly from Port Krol. I’ll go to Capria and find Old Man Feng right now."

Bernice felt Ethan’s disappointment, and a sharp pain pierced her heart. She decided to investigate this herself. Ethan wouldn’t keep a useless person around. She had to prove her worth.

"Old Man Feng isn’t in Capria right now. It’d be useless for you to go."

Ethan had called a while ago, but Old Man Feng’s men said their boss was out visiting friends and his return was uncertain.

"Then I’ll wait a few more days. I will get to the bottom of this," Bernice said stubbornly.

Ethan glanced at her, then leaned his head back against the chair and waved a hand dismissively. "You can go."

Bernice bit her lip and left the study, gently closing the door behind her. ’I will definitely get to the bottom of this,’ she resolved.

Ethan rubbed his temples. He had a splitting headache and hadn’t been sleeping well these past few days. He took a photo album from his drawer. It was filled with pictures of his family: a family portrait, photos of his son as a child, and snapshots of Rosalind Green’s daily life. It was a thick album, and he would often flip through it when he had a spare moment.

The appearance of Goldie Thorne had stirred up many memories and feelings of longing. For over four years, he had been so busy with his career that he truly hadn’t had much time to miss his wife and son. Besides, he didn’t dare to think about them, afraid he might dwell on unpleasant things.

Leaving back then had been a last resort. If he hadn’t returned, the Hawthorne family fortune would have been snatched away by those ungrateful vultures. He had to protect the assets his father left behind, which meant he had to leave his family. He could only hope that Kenneth would be able to protect his mother.

Sighing softly, Ethan Hawthorne closed the album.