Chapter 20: Love Is Indeed Blind

Lana Vane also noticed Seren Thorne.

In truth, she hadn't wanted to bring Ethan Hart today. However, she couldn't bear to see him sad. When he asked if she looked down on him or felt that bringing him out would be embarrassing, she eventually softened and relented.

Lana brought Ethan over to Seren’s side and greeted her and Alaric.

Seeing Ethan following her, Alaric’s expression turned cold. "Aunt, on such an important occasion, why did you bring an irrelevant person?"

Hearing this, Ethan put on a look of grievance. "I'm sorry, Mr. Vane. I know my status isn't worthy of appearing at an event for upper-class people like you. I just wasn't comfortable letting Lana come alone.

"Don't blame her; I was the one who begged her to bring me so I could see the world. If you want to blame someone, blame me. Don't let me ruin the relationship between you and your aunt."

Jasper Vane, who was silently "eating melon" (gossiping) on the side, had an inner monologue: So this is Aunt's little boyfriend? Just like my sister-in-law said, he’s absolutely reeking of 'green tea' vibes.

After being warned by Seren’s inner voice last time, Lana no longer trusted Ethan as blindly as she once had. But since he was someone she had liked for so long, seeing Alaric’s unfriendly tone, she still defended him out of reflex: "Alaric, don't go too far with your words.

"Ethan is my boyfriend, so he’s practically half a Vane. Why wouldn't he be worthy of being here?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she heard Seren’s inner voice: {Alaric didn't mean to look down on Ethan at all just now. It was clearly Ethan himself who said he wasn't worthy, purposely guiding others to see him as a bullied, vulnerable victim.}

{I didn't expect it. Lana seems like such a shrewd person, yet she actually let him lead her astray. Love is indeed blind.}

Lana froze suddenly, finally realizing something was off.

Indeed, Alaric had only said Ethan was an "irrelevant person"; his words hadn't carried any contempt. On the contrary, it was Ethan who—even before she brought him back to the Vane manor a few days ago—was constantly telling her about his humble origins, saying the Vanes might look down on him or bully him, and speaking ill of wealthy people.

She used to have a great relationship with her family. But after Ethan intentionally shaped the Vanes into villains in her mind, she had begun to assume her family looked down on him.

In reality, the Vane family had excellent upbringing. Although Alaric was temperamental, he never criticized or looked down on anyone without reason, and the benefits he provided to household staff and company employees were the highest in the industry.

She knew Alaric's personality so clearly, so how did a few words from Ethan make her believe Alaric was a bully who oppressed the weak?

Ethan was still waiting for Lana to stand up for him and make Alaric bow his head in apology. Seeing Lana suddenly fall silent, he recalled her recent coldness toward him, and a flash of panic hit his heart.

After returning from the Vane house that day, Lana’s attitude had clearly cooled significantly. He had spent a lot of time these past few days just to coax her back. He blamed himself for forgetting the pain once the wound had healed—why couldn't he help but pick a verbal spat with Alaric just now?

Silence was clearly the optimal solution in this situation.

Ethan began to regret his impulsiveness. He grabbed Lana’s hand and said, "Lana, today is Mr. North’s big day. Don't get angry with Mr. Vane because of me.

"Didn't you say there were a few clients you needed to greet today? I'll accompany you."

Ethan took a proactive step back. Seeing his obedient and sensible appearance, Lana wondered again if she was overthinking. Perhaps Ethan was just insecure and felt pressured facing Alaric, leading him to say those things habitually rather than out of a desire to manipulate her.

At this thought, Lana’s expression softened slightly. "Fine, let’s go."

Just as she took Ethan’s hand to leave, Seren’s voice rang in her ears again:

{Ethan Hart is truly bold. He actually dares to plan a scheme against Lana on an occasion where so many elites are gathered.}

{But perhaps that’s the effect he wants. The more people who see them in bed together, the greater the pressure from public opinion will be. Only then would the Vanes be likely to let Lana marry him.}

Lana, who had already walked several meters away, stopped dead in her tracks.

Alaric’s gaze also darkened. He intentionally guided Seren’s thoughts, murmuring to himself in a voice only he and Seren could hear, "That Ethan Hart clearly isn't a good person. I wonder if Aunt will actually end up marrying him."

{For sure, brother. Guaranteed marriage.} As expected, upon hearing his words, Seren followed his train of thought.

{Ethan is going to put a sedative in Lana’s drink today to make sure "the rice is cooked"—making it a fait accompli in front of everyone.}

{Once they are married, this piece of human trash will take Lana hiking and push her right off a cliff to kill his wife for the insurance money.}

{When that time comes, he’ll not only get a massive insurance payout, but he’ll also naturally inherit all of Lana’s estate.}

{Poor Lana. Falling from the mountain and hitting a boulder... she’ll end up scattered in pieces.}

Jasper: "?"

What pieces? Scattered where?

Alaric’s face sank. He called the pale-faced Lana away.

Ethan was left bewildered. Watching Lana’s retreating back, he felt the Vanes were acting strange, and a sense of unease began to stir in his heart. Could Alaric have discovered what he was planning to do to Lana?

The moment that thought appeared, he dismissed it.

He had noticed long ago that the Vanes were monitoring him, so today’s arrangements weren't handled by him personally. Instead, he used a burner WeChat account to contact someone else to do the job. Even if Alaric had eyes and ears everywhere, he shouldn't be able to trace this. He told himself not to get spooked by his own shadow.

However, he could never have imagined that all three members of the Vane family present had already learned exactly what he was going to do through Seren’s inner voice.

Alaric took Lana to a deserted corner and spoke with a serious expression: "Aunt, you must break up with this Ethan Hart."

Lana’s face was still pale, but she had calmed down. She was in her thirties, after all. While she might lose some judgment when "love-brained," she was still clear-headed when a real crisis hit.

She took a deep breath and said, "Find a few people to protect me in secret. If Ethan really does something to me, I will naturally break up with him."

Hearing her words, Alaric’s stern expression did not soften at all. "He wants to kill you, and your only plan is just to break up with him?"

Lana was silent for a few seconds before saying, "The people you find to protect me... make them men. And make them gay."

If all of this was just Seren’s imagination and Ethan had no intention of harming her, then the matter would end there. But if Ethan really intended to use such filthy methods to coerce her, then she would make him taste what it felt like to be schemed against!