Chapter 301: Morty’s Character

Saying Morty wasn’t a good person was merely a casual remark from Easton, intended to dissuade Ellis from associating with him; he didn’t truly believe Morty was a bad person. Hearing Ellis’s retort, he vaguely sensed something was amiss, but the feeling was too hazy to grasp clearly. He withdrew his gaze from Morty and Cameron, turning his full attention to the woman before him, who radiated hostility and guarded wariness. A dull, indescribable heaviness settled in his chest, accompanied by a faint sting.

“Anyway, if you can avoid interacting with Morty, then don’t,” Easton said, as if giving her a reminder.

“Why should I listen to you? You’re funny,” Ellis rolled her eyes.

People were the most defiant creatures… Tell them not to do something, and they’d be even more determined to do it, driven by the satisfaction of going against the grain, ideally making the other person angry in the process. But with a clear and rational mind, she suppressed the rebellious urge to deliberately interact more with Morty. The main reason was that Morty was pursuing her. There was no real benefit to getting closer to him—only potential trouble. If things became widely known and people started gossiping about her having an ambiguous relationship with her ex-husband’s childhood friend, she’d never hear the end of it.

“Then what are you gaining from keeping in touch with him? If I remember correctly, you don’t even like him that much,” Easton said, pressing his lips together slightly.

He remembered that Ellis disliked Morty. Every time she talked about his childhood friend, she would adopt an unhappy expression. She would even show her annoyance toward Morty if they went out and bumped into him. Now, the tables had turned; she could sit at the same table as Morty peacefully.

“This is basic human interaction. What do you mean by gaining? Get rid of that business mindset of yours,” Ellis glared at her ex-husband and added, “Me interacting with who is none of your business!”

“But…” Easton spoke up and sighed. “Morty doesn’t have a good character. He sent me photos of you and other men twice, trying to create a rumor of you cheating on me.”

Speaking nicely, Morty was trying to sow discord; speaking badly, he just had a bad character. People had an instinctive tendency to seek benefit and avoid harm. If Ellis knew that Morty had poor character, shouldn’t she have cut ties with him? Easton didn’t tolerate any man other than himself getting too close to Ellis.

Before Ellis could even react to his words, Maya gaped in shock. “Holy shit, Morty’s actually that kind of scumbag? He looks all proper and respectable now, but who would’ve thought he was so disgusting?”

Ellis turned to Maya. “You…”

Why was she siding with Easton now? Considering that Easton was present, Ellis swallowed her words. However, Maya could see from Ellis’s eyes that she was happy with Maya saying the wrong thing. She made a gesture of zipping her lips.

Maya stopped talking and became an observer. Ellis then looked at Easton right in his eyes.

“His character has nothing to do with you! Besides, I’ve already divorced you. Whether he spreads rumors or not, I don’t care!”

No one liked being falsely accused, especially with something this bad. Of course, she cared, but in front of her ex-husband, she refused to lose her momentum. After speaking, she deliberately raised an eyebrow and smirked, a hint of provocation in her expression.

Easton watched her, his expression unreadable. She didn’t listen to him. Even after hearing that Morty had a questionable past, she remained indifferent. Suddenly, he was curious just how close they were for her to be so unconcerned about Morty’s past actions.

“If you don’t care, fine.” His lips pressed into a thin line as he paused for a few seconds. “But associating with someone of questionable character? Aren’t you afraid that one day, he’ll sell you out and count the money while he does it?”

“What a joke! Compared to you, no matter how bad Morty’s character is, he’s still a thousand times better than you!” Ellis lifted her hand and jabbed a sharp fingertip right against Easton’s chest, precisely over his heart. “You left me nearly homeless and saddled me with 30 million in debt. Don’t think for a second that I’ve forgotten.”

Hearing this, Maya immediately chimed in, “Exactly! Even Hudson Group’s attorneys were ruthless. Might as well have been highway robbers.”

Ellis hadn’t forgotten the lawsuit notice she received. Back then, it felt like a brutal slap to the face. She was just getting divorced, only one step away from finalizing everything, and Easton suddenly refused to go through with it. He accused her of treating him like a toy and insisted on teaching her a lesson. But he wasn’t teaching her a lesson; he was trying to destroy her.

As past events were dragged into the open, Easton finally came to his senses. He had done wrong. Now wasn’t the time for regret. What mattered was making Ellis forgive him.

With sincerity, he apologized. “I’m sorry. I never actually intended to make you pay thirty million. I just wanted you to apologize. That was just to scare you.”

Ellis scoffed coldly. “What can prove you thought that way at that time?” Who didn’t know how to sweet-talk?

No matter how sincere Easton’s apologies were…