?Chapter 542:


    Ethan, burdened by the weight of his thoughts, sighed. “This is gettingplicated.”


    Throughout his career, Ethan had faced countless adversaries in the cutthroat world of business with ease, yet navigating the treacherous waters of family dynamics was a challenge to him.


    Ernst wasn’t good at dealing with family issues either. He took a sip of his drink and suggested, “Why don’t you arrange a meal with Brenna and your mom?”


    Ethan nodded, finding some merit in the idea. He was just worried that Brenna might not be so easy to convince. “Can you gauge Brenna’s attitude for me? See if she’s willing to say something nice to my mom?” He wasn’t worried about Brenna and Elsa refusing to dine together. If Elsa could trick him into returning to the militarypound, he could certainly trick Elsa out for a meal.


    Feeling slightly better, he took out his phone and sent a message to Brenna.


    “Dinner together tomorrow night?”


    Brenna had just finished dinner and was heading upstairs, chatting casually with Giselle at the elevator. Giselle seemed to have something to say but couldn’t find the right words, eventually mumbling something about tomorrow’s afternoon lecture.


    Brenna didn’t suspect anything and shared her ns.


    When her phone vibrated with a new message, Brenna nced down to see Ethan’s name light up her screen. Given Ethan’s deft handling of the recent debacle with Patrick, she felt somewhatpelled to ept his dinner invitation.


    “Sure, where do you have in mind?” she replied.


    “How about Starlight Splendor?” Ethan texted back.


    That ce was an upscale gem Ethan had frequented a few times. Not only was the cuisine top-notch, but the atmosphere was also exceptionally cozy,plete with private dining rooms.


    “Sounds perfect. Let’s meet at the south gate of Shirie University at six tomorrow evening,” Brenna replied.


    Every tale finds a home at g?lnσν???s


    Ethan wasted no time and promptly phoned Elsa to ask her to have dinner with him tomorrow. To his surprise, Elsa took the news of his earlier departure in stride and agreed to the arrangements without a hint of displeasure.


    A wave of relief washed over Ethan. It felt as if he had untangled aplex knot at work, and his spirits soared.


    He remained blissfully unaware of the intricate ns Elsa was crafting behind the scenes.


    The following afternoon, Brenna wrapped up her lunch early and had Tommy take her to Shirie University. With Tommy carrying a meticulously crafted car model in a box and Brenna slinging a backpack over her shoulder, they blended seamlessly into the campus crowd. As they meandered along the tree-dotted pathways, they exchanged casual nods with the friendly faces of numerous undergraduates.


    As Brenna rounded a familiar bend in the path, her eyes instantly found a familiar figure—Elsa. The memory of theirst unfortunate meeting shed through her mind, a reminder that she still owed Elsa an apology. Eager to make amends, Brenna walked over, her face breaking into a warm, tentative smile. “Good afternoon, Mrs. Mitchell,” she said.


    Elsa, having noticed Brenna from afar just now, kept her expression cool. “We need to talk.”


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