It was Ivan Horne!
Ethan Aibileen's hand suddenly went stiff. He turned his head and saw Ivan Horne, face cold, striding toward him. This was River City—how could Ivan show up right on cue as well?
Ivan Horne came over, grabbed Ethan Aibileen's frozen hand that didn't even know to pull back, and flung it away hard.
"M-Mr. Horne, I—I just care about Lia Aiken, I don't mean any harm." Ethan Aibileen did like Lia Aiken now, but in front of Ivan Horne he still chickened out a bit, not daring to clash with him head-on.
"Thank you for your concern, Young Master Ethan. Lia Aiken is my girlfriend. My concern is enough for her; there's no need to trouble you. It's late—please go home." As Ivan Horne spoke, he had already taken his place at Lia Aiken's side. His tall, strong frame was like a towering tree, there to shield her from wind and rain.
His presence was overwhelming. Even though Ethan Aibileen had brought Bodyguards with him and Ivan Horne had come alone, none of them dared to act rashly under his cold glare. Ethan Aibileen realized even his legs were shaking, completely out of his control.
"I—I'll leave right away."
Ethan Aibileen took a few more looks at Lia Aiken, then at how Ivan Horne was protecting her. He had originally thought that once Lia Aiken's background was exposed, Ivan Horne would despise her, and then he could seize the chance to marry her. He never expected that the moment Lia Aiken returned to River City, Ivan Horne would immediately follow.
Clearly he didn't despise her in the slightest!
Ethan Aibileen turned around in dejection and started to leave, but after a few steps he couldn't help turning back again.
Ivan Horne was just about to pull Lia Aiken into his arms when he caught Ethan Aibileen stopping in his peripheral vision. He spun around to face Ethan again, a storm brewing on his handsome face, making it clear that if Ethan had the nerve to be tactless, that storm would drown him.
Meeting Ivan Horne's gaze, Ethan Aibileen asked seriously, "Mr. Horne, can I ask you a few questions? Are you aware of Lia Aiken's background? Do you really not despise her? Your family won't despise her either?"
Ivan Horne didn't answer right away. He walked toward Ethan Aibileen step by step. The two were about the same age, but because Ethan had played around too much and gone through too many women, he didn't look as healthy as Ivan and was a bit shorter. Standing face to face, Ethan once again tasted what it meant to be crushed by someone's aura.
"No one gets to choose how they're born. Lia Aiken never wanted to have that kind of background either. But no matter what her background is, the person I love is her, not her background. I don't despise her, and my family won't despise her. You, Young Master Ethan, like to look at people with prejudice, but don't assume everyone is like you."
Ethan Aibileen wanted to say he didn't look at people with prejudice, but then he remembered how he had indeed wanted to use Lia Aiken's background as a way to marry her. Deep down he did look down on that background—that was his tinted lens. He just couldn't bear to give up this little beauty, felt she suited his taste so well that he insisted on marrying her.
In the face of Ivan Horne's sincerity, Ethan Aibileen lost completely.
It was the first time he truly submitted to Ivan Horne.
No wonder Lia Aiken had accepted Ivan so easily yet resisted him so strongly; when Tom Aiken had forced Lia to marry him, she'd rather be kicked out of the house than marry him, because he wasn't worth her love, wasn't worth her marrying.
"Mr. Horne, I understand now. From now on, I won't come to disturb Lia Aiken anymore. I also wish you and Lia a happy life together. If one day you hold your wedding, I don't know if Mr. Horne would be willing to send me an invitation. I'd like to attend your wedding."
Ivan Horne said in a low voice, "When that day comes, I will definitely send Young Master Ethan an invitation."
What Ethan Aibileen said this time, Ivan Horne believed him.
Ethan Aibileen gave Lia Aiken another long, deep look, then turned around and left with his Bodyguards.
He really did do as he said. From then on, he never again disturbed Lia Aiken, and stopped clamoring to marry her. His parents let out a sigh of relief.
Ivan Horne turned back and walked up to Lia Aiken. She lifted her face to look at him, tears still hanging on her cheeks. She had heard everything he'd said to Ethan Aibileen. Before Ivan could reach out to pull her into his arms, she threw herself into his embrace on her own.
The tears that had finally stopped couldn't help sliding down again.
She was a very strong girl. After learning she wasn't Tom Aiken's biological daughter, that her mother had been caught cheating and then killed herself, her emotions had been in turmoil and she couldn't control her tears.
But at this moment, her tears carried a touch of being deeply moved.
Ivan Horne gently pushed her back a little, then lowered his head and said with aching tenderness, "Don't cry. When you cry, it breaks my heart."
"Ivan, I'm sad. I'm really, really sad."
Ivan Horne said with pity, "I know, I know it all. Anyone in your shoes would feel awful."
He paused, stroked her cheek, and said softly, "If you want to cry, then cry your heart out in front of me. After this time, don't cry anymore. I'll feel bad."
As soon as his words fell, Lia Aiken clutched him and started sobbing.
Ivan Horne's heart ached for her, but he knew she needed to vent.
He held her gently, letting her cry her fill in his arms.
Nobody knew how long it took before Lia Aiken's emotions finally calmed and she stopped crying. Embarrassed, she pulled away from Ivan Horne's chest and saw the large wet patch on the front of his shirt, her tears leaving it a mess. She said apologetically, "I'll wash it clean for you."
"It's fine."
Ivan Horne lowered his eyes to glance at his shirt, then took her hand. His dark eyes were filled with tenderness as he said softly, "Let's go inside."
Lia Aiken nodded.
Ivan Horne led her into the gallery and asked, "Were you planning to spend the night here? If so, I'll lock the door for you now."
"There's a room inside my gallery and a small kitchen too. I had them partitioned off when I was decorating the place, thinking I could stay over when I was busy. I didn't expect that later I'd be kicked out of my dad's house, and this little room would really come in handy."
Ivan Horne helped her close the gallery door.
Lia Aiken had calmed down. With Ivan there, he was technically a guest and she was the host, so she poured him a glass of water, then went to rummage through the small fridge to see what food she had. She hadn't been at the gallery for a while, and she used to be poor, so now there was only a single apple left in the fridge.
She took the apple out and checked it. It hadn't gone bad; it was still edible.
"I haven't been at the gallery for a while, so there isn't much to eat. There's only one apple left. Do you mind? If you don't, I'll wash it and give it to you."
Ivan Horne said warmly, "I don't mind."
Lia Aiken went to wash the apple.
Two minutes later she sat back down across from Ivan Horne. He gestured for her to hand him the apple so he could peel it. After she passed it to him, he said, "You can cook here too, right? What ingredients do you have?"
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