Chubby Mommy: Scheming Daddy, Surrender Now!-Chapter 423: Jealousy

Azure Hollis clung to Tyler Aldrin’s arm, sizing up Ruby Sullivan from head to toe, and clicked her tongue, "I was wondering who would wear such a flashy outfit for this occasion, turns out it’s Mrs. Sterling." She finished speaking and maliciously covered her mouth, letting out a laugh.

Tyler Aldrin gave Ruby Sullivan a cold snort, frowned, and reprimanded his wife, "What nonsense are you talking about? Don’t you know Mr. Sterling has already divorced this woman?"

"Oh right, silly me. Now she should be called Miss... Sullivan!" She deliberately elongated the end of the "Su" sound and emphasized the word "Miss" with obvious gloating intent.

Ruby Sullivan didn’t get angry at the insults, adjusted her skirt, and gave Azure Hollis a slight smile, saying, "Wearing last year’s dress this year and not feeling embarrassed, Mrs. Aldrin, you truly are a thrifty and resourceful wife." Watching Azure’s face change, she pretended to be kind and whispered a suggestion, "You better dress up a bit, or people might think there are problems with the Aldrin Group. Besides, aren’t you afraid Young Master Aldrin will actually go find a mistress?"

Saying this, she gave Tyler Aldrin a vicious glare, chuckled softly, and walked away gracefully.

Azure Hollis was so angry her face turned green, shook off Tyler’s arm, and quietly rebuked, "Are you mute? She humiliates me like that, and you don’t even say a word!"

Tyler Aldrin’s eyes were still glued to the glimpse of Ruby Sullivan’s thighs, and her shout made him instinctively look around. Seeing no one noticed their argument, he glared immediately, "Don’t be shameless, spending so much money every month, and I let you wear old clothes to disgrace us?"

Azure Hollis was infuriated by this pig-headedness but didn’t want to make a scene so she clung to his arm silently.

She married Tyler Aldrin hoping to aid her father’s business, but since entering the household, the Aldrin Clan started being suppressed by the Sterling Group, resulting in several small companies being shuttered last year. Tyler blamed all this on her conflict with Ruby Sullivan, remaining self-righteous even when caught red-handed in bed with a young starlet, so Ruby’s words earlier felt like a dagger stabbing her heart!

In truth, Ruby Sullivan didn’t know if Azure was wearing an out-of-style dress; she was simply in it for the verbal spar. If Azure refuted, she would ridicule her for making the latest fashion appear like last season’s leftovers. So regardless of whether Azure’s dress was new or not, she would make her the butt of the joke.

But who could she blame? Those who can’t afford to offend should learn not to provoke; Azure Hollis is just such an unaware fool.

Cindy Sterling was chatting with friends when she turned to see Ruby Sullivan and Azure opposite each other. Noticing Azure with Tyler, and fearing Ruby might suffer, she hurried over, only to see Ruby separating from the pair before she arrived.

At this moment, the two of them came together, and after hearing about what had happened, Cindy couldn’t help but laugh, "With her flat figure, anything she wears is wasted indeed." Cindy linked arms with Ruby, "Let me introduce you to some friends I’ve recently met, who are very interested in your bespoke perfumes."

"Sure." Ruby Sullivan and Cindy Sterling walked over, laughing and talking.

They were young women in their twenties, with an endless supply of topics about luxury items. Though busy with work recently, Ruby Sullivan kept up to date with fashion trends. Understanding the latest trends allows her to make style-leading decisions, mastering this is part of her job as well.

While the girls chatted enthusiastically, one of them by the door suddenly became excited and said, "Emma, isn’t that your big brother? He’s so handsome!" Realizing afterward that Ruby was Ethan Sterling’s ex-wife, she toned it down a bit, but her eager eyes upon seeing Cindy clearly were asking for an introduction.

"Who’s the woman by his side?" Ignoring Ruby’s awkwardness, the speaker directly asked Cindy, "Could it be your brother’s girlfriend?"

Cindy was taken aback, glanced uncomfortably at Ruby, then turned to find a somewhat familiar woman beside Ethan Sterling.

"It’s almost time to take our seats; I’ll head over first." Ruby Sullivan knew when to make her exit, said this, and headed towards the banquet seating.

She truly hadn’t expected Ethan Sterling to bring Hannah Jennings, her heart suddenly felt stuffed as if with cotton, and she fled abruptly.

The seating was thoughtfully arranged; at Ruby’s table, apart from Sasha Shaw, were first or second-tier young actresses, with no one from the corporate world, probably to avoid awkwardness and perfectly suited to developing clients with Sasha Shaw.

At this time, guests were either dancing on the floor or chatting in the buffet area; few had, like her, taken their seats early, waiting for the meal to commence. After all, this charity dinner was primarily social; who would spend tens of thousands just for the meal?

Reflecting on the bravado she had before arriving, now shrinking away to find tranquility, made Ruby feel a bit miffed.

While she daydreamed, suddenly a man sat next to her, "Miss Sullivan."

Ruby tilted her head to find it was Tobias Townsend, the CEO of the Lustra Group. Even though he took the initiative to greet her, his indifferent gaze made her wonder if her ears were hallucinating.

"Care to grace me with a dance?" Tobias Townsend extended his hand as he spoke.

Ruby was even more puzzled, "Mr. Townsend, please speak directly." He didn’t seem like someone who would whimsically ask her to dance; clearly, he deliberately approached for a conversation. She doubted she possessed the charm to compel a man like Tobias Townsend to do something so peculiar.

Indeed, Tobias Townsend gave a faint smile, "How about being my girlfriend?"

*

Ethan Sterling’s face visibly darkened as he led Hannah Jennings to the banquet seating. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Not far away, Ruby Sullivan was engrossed in conversation with Tobias Townsend, occasionally breaking into a smile, seemingly very familiar. Ethan didn’t know when these two became acquainted; as far as he knew, last year Tobias had just sold physical storefronts to The Lawson Group due to the high price and generous terms offered by Rhonda Sullivan.

Hannah Jennings, ever astute, promptly stopped and tugged his arm, "I don’t like sitting so far inside, how about we swap seats?"

"No need." Ethan Sterling coldly responded and walked towards the two of them.

Every chair had a name tag on the back; his seat was with Aidan Sinclair, with Tobias Townsend opposite him. He was unaware of who had the audacity to arrange for Ruby Sullivan to be seated next to Tobias Townsend.

"Mr. Sterling." Tobias Townsend smiled and greeted as Ethan approached.

Ethan Sterling gave no regard, acting as though he hadn’t heard, sat down directly at his designated seat.

Ruby Sullivan smiled at Hannah Jennings, "Miss Jennings, long time no see. Didn’t expect you two to make up so quickly."

Hannah Jennings seemingly didn’t pick up on her sarcasm, shyly glanced at Ethan, and smiled, "Yes, I almost missed my chance with Ethan."

Seeing her play the coy little girl, Ruby Sullivan looked away awkwardly. In that instant, her heart was filled with jealousy, and the sensation flared like a wildfire consuming her entirely, leaving her at a loss.

Afraid of revealing her feelings, she hastily rose, and at this moment, Tobias Townsend grasped her hand.

Not only Ruby Sullivan, but Ethan Sterling’s gaze also fixated on their joined hands at that moment.