I Married the President

Seth Payne shrank back, explaining with his head lowered, "Third Miss Tanner somehow got into your suitcase. I was a bit rough when I pulled the bag down..."

"What did you say?" An intimidating chill suddenly radiated from Ethan Kingsley.

Seth Payne immediately apologized, "Young Master Kingsley, I’m sorry. I didn’t know Third Miss Tanner was hiding in there."

Ethan Kingsley was about to reprimand him further when the girl suddenly grabbed his hand. "Brother Kingsley, I’m hungry."

Ethan Kingsley raised his other hand and forcefully squeezed her chin, warning through gritted teeth, "Little Idiot, don’t do something so stupid again, or I’ll hit you."

The girl pouted and muttered under her breath, "But I’m hungry..."

Ethan Kingsley sighed in resignation and took her small hand. "Come on, I’ll take you to get something to eat first. I’ll have someone take you home later."

With that, Ethan Kingsley turned to Adrian and Claire. "Sorry, something’s come up. Please excuse me."

And just like that, Ethan Kingsley left with the girl.

Claire Sinclair watched the two of them leave, thinking it was all very strange. ’Why do I get the feeling there’s something off about that girl?’

Adrian Quincy said in a deep voice, "She’s the Third Miss of the Tanner family, who were once the wealthiest family in Aethelgard. She and Ethan Kingsley were engaged at birth, but she fell gravely ill when she was twelve. Her mental capacity regressed to that of an eight-year-old, so the engagement was called off."

"She sounds so pitiful," Claire Sinclair remarked sympathetically. "Even Ethan Kingsley calls her Little Idiot. She must get bullied by the Tanner family, too."

Adrian Quincy said, "The drama of wealthy families is complicated. Ethan Kingsley might be a womanizer, but he never lets anyone bully Third Miss Tanner. Maybe he feels like he owes her."

"So he does have a conscience after all." Claire Sinclair’s opinion of the man improved slightly.

"Let’s go back to the hotel." Adrian Quincy didn’t want to discuss irrelevant matters, so he led Claire Sinclair away.

Claire Sinclair couldn’t resist looking back at Ethan Kingsley and the girl. They had stopped by the side of the road, talking about something she couldn’t make out.

–

Ethan Kingsley’s expression was thunderous. He gripped Ivy Tanner’s wrist with one hand and pulled up her sleeve with the other, his face as black as the bottom of a pot.

Ivy Tanner’s arm was revealed to be covered in a dense spread of bluish-purple bruises. It was obvious to anyone that they were from being grabbed.

Ivy Tanner blinked innocently, staring at the bruises on her wrist. "Brother Kingsley, I fell by accident. Nobody hit me!"

"Where did you fall?" Ethan Kingsley asked, his face grim.

Ivy Tanner shook her head, her expression resolute, as if she would rather die than tell him.

"Good girl," Ethan Kingsley asked again, his tone softening. "Tell me, who was with you when you fell?"

Ivy Tanner finally spoke up. "My big sister, my second sister, and my aunt... lots of people!"

The corner of Ethan Kingsley’s mouth curled into a humorless smile. "I see. You were a very good girl today. I’ll buy you ice cream later."

"I don’t want ice cream! I want skewers!"

"Eating too many skewers is bad for you. You can only have ice cream."

"Then I’m not eating!"

"Little Idiot, if you don’t behave, I’ll hit you," he said, threateningly raising his fist.

A flicker of fear appeared in Ivy Tanner’s eyes, and she instinctively took a step back. "Don’t hit me! I’ll be good!"

Seeing her helpless and frightened expression, Ethan Kingsley no longer had the heart to scare her. He took her small hand again and said in a softened tone, "Little Idiot, give me a hug, and I won’t hit you."