Chapter 65: Surprise Visit (2)

"What?" James asked in disbelief.

He almost thought he had heard wrongly. However, seeing Ethan’s smile that suddenly felt mocking, he realized he hadn’t heard it wrong.

Frowning, Elena spoke. "Ethan, what do you mean you didn’t tell my daughter about us coming?"

Turning to her, the young man smiled. "What do I mean? I’m a little confused, mother-in-law. Are you here to see your daughter... or me?"

Elena stiffened, as she couldn’t give an honest answer. Having regained his composure, James snorted and glanced at the pancakes.

"At least you’re not a fool," He said, reaching for one of them.

He picked it up and took a bite. A surprised expression appeared on his face, and he looked at Ethan again.

"You made this? It’s very good."

The young man smiled but said nothing.

Interested by her husband’s remark, Elena leaned forward and took one too. As she ate, she couldn’t help but smile.

"Hm, a man that can cook is good."

James shot her a disapproving look, then turned back to Ethan while picking up another pancake.

"You seem to have hit the jackpot with your gambling, haven’t you? That’s why you were able to buy this house."

Ethan chuckled. "Father-in-law, you really think so broadly that I’m shocked."

James’s brows furrowed as he tried to understand what Ethan had just said. However, it felt clear and simple, so he didn’t think anything was wrong.

He picked up another pancake, followed by his wife as he ate it.

"Hm, in that case, what are you planning to do for your wife’s family?"

Ethan blinked. "My wife’s family? Why would I plan to do something for them?"

James’s expression hardened, and he said harshly, "Are you an idiot?! A man should always be nice and cater for his in-laws!"

Ethan nodded in agreement. "Exactly. His in-laws, not my in-laws. You guys are a different breed. Excluding Cole and Sophie, I think."

Cole held back a laugh, his expression twitching. Even though his parents were being insulted, he felt no anger. Only shame.

After all, they had brought this upon themselves because of their attitudes toward Ethan.

James’s expression darkened, and he glared at Ethan. "Boy, watch your tongue. Are you insulting us? You really have no respect."

A surprised expression crossed Ethan’s face, and he muttered loud enough for them to hear.

"Was it that obvious? Really..."

James growled angrily, but still reached for another pancake.

Ethan met his gaze and smiled. "Apologies for that. Perhaps my words reflected a different meaning to you."

Snorting, James’s expression eased slightly. "Hmph, better. You should learn to worship your in-laws with everything you have. After all, they are the ones who gave you your wife."

"Yeah... right." Ethan nodded slowly as if he had received some kind of enlightenment.

James felt pleased and continued talking. "So there’s this car that I’m interested in. A Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600. You’ve heard about it, right?"

Ethan nodded. "Yes, I know that SUV. But you see... I personally haven’t gotten a car yet. Maybe after buying mine, I’ll—"

"What nonsense are you talking about?" James scowled. "Who do you think is more important? You or me?"

Cole stared at his father in disbelief. How could he utter such words without being embarrassed?

Even Elena looked away, gracefully stuffing pancakes into her mouth.

"You?" Ethan blinked, then nodded. "I see..."

He reached for the pancakes too, then paused.

Pulling back, he smiled. "Ah, I almost ate that. Didn’t remember I already poisoned it."

The room froze abruptly. Elena blinked, slowly turning to him with her mouth still stuffed. She couldn’t speak, but her question could clearly be seen through her shaking eyes.

He had to be lying, right?

James held his neck with a horrified expression. "You... you... what did you say?"

Shrugging, Ethan responded casually. "Mn, I think I poisoned it. I can’t remember. There’s a bush rat in the garden outside, and I was planning to feed it poisoned pancakes to kill it."

He scratched his head, brows furrowed. "I’m not sure I added the poison anymore, though. After all, I placed it on the table here. Or maybe I did and forgot? I don’t really remember."

"Y-You...!"

James shouted, his face red with anger. He realized Ethan was toying with them. Even then, he couldn’t shake off his suspicion that it was actually poisoned.

"Why didn’t you say so earlier?!"

As he shouted again, Elena stood up and rushed to find a bathroom and vomit what was in her mouth.

Ethan turned to her and said hurriedly. "Don’t forget to flush when you’re done! I don’t want that place messed up!"

Then, he turned back to James and answered with an apologetic smile. "I’m really sorry, father-in-law. But I didn’t ask you to eat it, did I? Sigh, if only you had asked me. Perhaps I would have remembered."

James’s lips trembled as his whole body shook with fear and anger. He didn’t even know what else to say.

Cole turned to Ethan, his expression anxious. "Brother-in-law, you’re joking, right? You couldn’t have seriously poisoned it, right?"

Ethan turned to him with a wry smile. "Actually, I don’t remember. I think I poisoned it... but I don’t remember. You could take them to the hospital and check, though. I’m sure that would be better. After all, the poison only takes effect after thirty minutes, so you still have a lot of time."

He turned back to James and asked, "About your dream car... when do you—"

"Shut up!" James snapped at him and stood up. "Elena?! We’re going to the hospital, right now! Get out here!"

His wife rushed out of the bathroom with water dripping from her lips. She had tried her best to wash her mouth, but she doubted it would help.

Scared, Cole immediately pulled out his car keys and headed for the door. Even though he didn’t like their attitudes, they were still his parents.

He couldn’t allow them to die.

Ethan looked at them in surprise. "You’re going already? That’s a very short visit. Sigh."

He followed them downstairs, using the electronic key to open the gate. Cole quickly got them into the car and started the engine.

Glaring at Ethan through the window, James growled. "If anything happens to me, I’ll—"

He cut himself off, realizing threats were meaningless if he died. Turning to his son, he said. "Hurry! We have to get to the hospital!"

Cole nodded and drove them out of the compound.

Watching them leave, Ethan threw his head back and laughed.

[You have completed today’s task!]