"Audrey, Mom divided everything equally among us. She's been fair. Let's not overthink this." Ethan advised.
"It's divided equally among four of us, not just two. If it were just us two, I wouldn't say a word!" Scarlett snapped.
Ethan glanced at Scarlett, sighed, and fell silent.
"Audrey, don't back out on me! You can't betray me. We're sisters. We need to stick together!"
"Betray? That's a bit dramatic. I just think splitting up will hurt our relationship. Things are fine as they are." Audrey forced a smile.
"Audrey, splitting up will only make things better, not worse. You have to stand with me! Didn't you see Ethan leave with Gray just now? They're already scheming. If you don't side with me, those sisters of ours will be pushed around!"
"Gray isn't that bad!" Audrey shook her head.
"He's not bad? He's ruthless. Let him be ruthless, and we won't have a way to live. When Thomas left and Gray took over the company, don't tell me you didn't see what he did to clean house. Besides, splitting up only benefits him. Who doesn't want more money?"
"I'll think about it." Audrey finally conceded.
Ethan followed Gray back to Sterling Manor.
"Ethan, come here!" Evelyn was reading on the living room sofa. She called out to him.
"Aunt Evelyn!" Ethan greeted her politely, dropping his usual playful demeanor.
Evelyn smiled and gestured for him to sit.
"Feeling better?" Gray walked over and sat beside Evelyn.
"Much better after a nap. Want something to drink? I'll get it."
"Don't bother. I need to discuss something with Ethan. Don't wait up for me. Go to bed first."
"Alright. Don't worry about me." Evelyn nodded.
Gray touched her head and headed upstairs with Ethan.
Ethan watched his uncle's gesture. He always treated his aunt like a child. It was amusing.
Gray and Ethan went upstairs. Evelyn continued reading. Lily Thompson brought freshly warmed milk to Evelyn in the living room.
Evelyn asked Lily to brew a pot of tea and prepare some snacks to send to Gray's study. Then she resumed reading, waiting for the milk to cool.
Gray and Ethan didn't talk long. They came back downstairs.
Evelyn hadn't even finished two pages. She was a slow reader, after all. It was a parenting book. She had to study it carefully.
"Little aunt, I'll head back now."
"So soon? Won't you stay a bit longer?" Evelyn asked.
She wasn't used to Ethan's sudden politeness.
"It's late. You and my uncle should rest early. Good night!"
"Good night!"
After Ethan left, Lily cleaned up and went to rest.
Gray helped Evelyn upstairs.
"What did you talk about at today's family meeting?" Evelyn didn't want to pry, but she felt it was appropriate to ask.
"Announcing the split. The accountant listed the divisible assets. Mom wants us to think it over. If nothing changes by next Tuesday, we'll proceed with the current distribution." Gray explained.
"Oh. What do you think?" Evelyn looked at Gray.
"I'm fine either way. If you want to split, we can. If not, we don't have to." Gray said lightly.
Evelyn nodded.
"Actually, Mom wants to see what Audrey and Scarlett think. If they don't want to split, we won't." Gray added.
"Audrey seems hesitant. But Scarlett seems determined." Evelyn said.
"Yeah. Scarlett has always wanted to split."
"What about Ethan and Rose?"
"Ethan doesn't care. His ambition isn't business. He only works at Sterling Group out of family duty."
"Why doesn't he continue studying? He's still so young?" Evelyn couldn't help but gossip.
"Ethan already has a master's degree. Do you want him to get a PhD?" Gray asked with a smile.
"Huh?" Evelyn stared at Gray in shock. "How could he graduate with a master's degree at his age?"
Before, Ethan had told her he graduated from elementary school. She had joked that he was an elementary school graduate.
"He's a prodigy. He started university at thirteen." Gray explained.
"At thirteen, I was still in middle school!" Evelyn muttered.
She never realized Ethan was so smart. She always thought he was just a troublemaker.
"Wait. Did he lie to me about being gay too?" Evelyn suddenly remembered.
"He told you he was gay?"
"Yeah. The first time we met, he said he was gay. And you too. That's why Mom was so anxious to get you married!" Evelyn explained awkwardly.
Gray burst out laughing. He touched Evelyn's head and asked, "How can you trust people so easily? I'll have to keep a closer eye on you. Otherwise, you might get tricked."
"It's not that I trust people easily. But Ethan was so serious about it. And he dressed like a parrot, with colorful hair. That's why I believed him!" Evelyn shrank back and retorted.
"Didn't I tell you before?"
"Yes, you did. But you forgot. Never mind."
"We'll have to discuss this with Ethan another day." Gray said.
"Is he really gay?"
"I don't know. But I've never seen him bring a girlfriend home. I think my uncle needs to clarify things for him." Gray stroked his chin.
"What do you mean?" Evelyn looked at him, puzzled.
"Arrange a blind date for him. Otherwise, he's too idle." Gray replied.
"..." Evelyn was speechless.
The topic ended without a conclusion. Evelyn simply stopped asking. She went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face, ready for bed.
The next day, Evelyn had dinner with her mother-in-law at the main house.
Gray was still working overtime. She was bored alone, so she joined her mother-in-law for dinner.
"Evelyn, how are you feeling now?" Eleanor asked with concern.
"I'm getting used to it. I was a bit worried at first, but now I'm more comfortable." Evelyn smiled.