Chapter 5: It Takes Skill to Be a Kept Man
1214 Words
Lily Blackwell sat there, her attitude toward Ken Riley and Ethan being identical: she felt absolutely no warmth for either, and perhaps even a flicker of extreme disgust.
"Lily, Ken has come all this way to see you in person. Why don't you go with him?" Susan advised.
"The two of you haven't seen each other in a while, either. Take this opportunity to catch up." Susan tried to push Lily toward Ken Riley.
From across the room, Ethan watched the scene, his heart pounding with rage.
Lily and I aren't divorced yet, and you, my mother-in-law, are already helping an outsider cheat on me?
Ethan saw Susan grasp Lily's hand, about to place it into Ken Riley's.
Ken Riley was eager to take it, but Lily stiffened, pulling back her hand.
"Fine." Lily didn't want Susan to make a scene and reluctantly agreed to go.
"Wait! Honey, I'll go with you!" Ethan worried about Lily going to the Riley family estate alone. What if she gets bullied?
Daisy Blackwell turned to look at Ethan, her face full of disdain. "Go find a corner and stay put. Stop pestering my sister all day."
"Besides, my sister is going there to treat a sick man. You don't understand anything; you'll only be a hindrance to her work if you go. You’ve already brought enough shame on the Blackwell family!"
Ken Riley smiled without saying a word, but his expression clearly conveyed his deep disapproval of Ethan.
"You are not going!" Susan stated sternly, then immediately smoothed her face into a smile toward Ken Riley. "It’s getting late; the two of you should hurry off."
"You young people, spending the whole evening out... it's perfectly fine if you come back a little late," Susan added meaningfully.
"Of course, Aunt Susan," Ken Riley replied.
I am still standing right here, and you are already making suggestive comments to Ken Riley. If I weren't here, wouldn't you just hand your daughter over to him?
This was intolerable! Just as Ethan was about to explode with anger, he heard Lily's cold voice. "Ethan, come with me."
The three people in the room were stunned.
Susan and Daisy were both shocked. They exchanged glances, unable to understand what had gotten into Lily.
It was Lily, after all, who had first brought up the idea of divorce.
"Uh... let's all go together then," Ken Riley stammered. He was reluctant, but since Lily had spoken, he couldn't refuse.
Soon, the three got into Ken Riley’s sleek black BMW. Ken Riley sat in the driver's seat, Ethan sat next to him, and Lily took the back row.
The Riley family estate was even more luxurious and imposing than the Blackwell manor. Especially the driveway—entering it felt like approaching a royal palace.
The walls were adorned with countless murals, each reportedly worth over a million dollars.
Elias Riley, Ken Riley’s grandfather, was sitting in a large armchair, covered with a thick blanket. His hair was sparse, his face pale, and he coughed intermittently.
Time had carved deep marks into the old man, leaving him utterly lifeless.
"Grandpa, we're back," Ken Riley said.
"Hmm." Elias Riley nodded with difficulty, slowly lifted his head, and gestured for Lily and the others to be seated.
Besides Elias, the living room was filled with several nurses and Ken Riley's other relatives.
They reacted to Lily with great enthusiasm, but when they saw Ethan, they immediately shifted their tone. "Ken, didn't you say only Lily was coming?"
"If we hadn't been notified in advance, we wouldn't have been able to set a place for this guest."
The implication was clear: they had no intention of having Ethan join them for a meal.
"I've already eaten. If you want to eat first, I'll just sit on the sofa and wait," Ethan said shamelessly. After the single sentence, he sprawled out on the couch and turned on the TV, acting as if he were at home.
A flash of raw disgust crossed Ken Riley's eyes. He deliberately introduced Ethan, "I forgot to introduce him. This is Ethan Chen, the man who married into the Blackwell family. Lily's husband."
Upon hearing this, everyone reacted with sudden understanding.
"Oh, I remember now. So he's the one who ate off the Blackwells for three years."
"A man in his twenties, doing nothing all day, lounging around, and shamelessly spending the Blackwells' money. I really don't know where he gets the nerve. He's nothing like our Ken Riley!"
"These days, those who eat off others actually feel superior. They have no sense of decorum, integrity, or shame."
Listening to their sarcasm, Ethan genuinely didn't care; after all, he had heard far harsher things in the past three years.
Lily, however, was clearly bothered.
Regardless of his flaws, Ethan was her legal husband. The Blackwell family could insult him.
But that privilege was limited to the Blackwells; for outsiders to slander Ethan was to slander the Blackwell family and embarrass Lily publicly.
"If the Riley family doesn't welcome us, then we're leaving," Lily said unhappily.
"Wait, Lily, this has nothing to do with you. You're still a good person in our eyes."
"Exactly! How could you, such a beautiful flower, willingly settle for a pile of cow dung?"
The Riley family members immediately stepped forward, taking Lily's arm to prevent her from leaving.
Ethan pretended to watch TV, but he paid attention to their every word and action. He was actually quite pleased to hear Lily stand up for him.
"Alright, since you've already made it to the Riley estate, and since Lily asked nicely, we'll grudgingly set an extra place for you," Ken Riley said with reluctance.
Ethan chuckled shamelessly. "There are so many people in the world. Do you think you can eat whenever you want? The fact that I was able to eat at the Blackwells' for three years means being a kept man is a skill in itself!"
Ken Riley and the others were left speechless. In all their years, they had never encountered a man who could be so brazenly shameless.
"I'm not eating. Didn't you say Mr. Riley was ill? Let me examine him," Lily said, cutting straight to the main reason for their visit.
"Lily, don't rush. Let's finish eating first. I also prepared a gift for you from abroad tonight. I'm sure you'll love it," Ken Riley said with a smile.
Lily, too annoyed to waste more words, walked directly over to Elias Riley.
Seeing this, Ethan leaned closer, his eyes activating his supernatural vision again, piercing through Elias Riley's clothing and skin to see his internal condition clearly.
Elias Riley was suffering from advanced age, but what truly caused his fatigue was a blocked bronchial tube.
Similarly, after her examination, Lily roughly determined the nature of the illness.
Treating this minor issue was technically not difficult; it simply required a minimally invasive procedure to clear the bronchial tube obstruction.
But Elias Riley was very old—he was practically on his deathbed. He could not withstand any type of surgery.
"Ken, your grandfather's illness..." Lily was about to suggest that Ken and the others take him to a specialist hospital.
"Lily is saying that Mr. Riley can be cured!" Ethan interrupted Lily, speaking up quickly.
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