Chapter 9 - Ethan’s Desperate Move
Three days before the preliminary court hearing, I started my new position as a junior financial analyst at a top firm downtown—a job I had earned strictly on my own merit and academic record.
As I walked out of the corporate building during lunch, a figure darted out from behind a concrete pillar. It was Ethan.
He looked disheveled, his eyes bloodshot and his designer suit wrinkled. "Mia! Please, you have to stop this!" he begged, grabbing my sleeve. "The state is freezing everything! I can't even pay my rent!"
"Take your hands off me, Ethan," I said, my voice ice cold.
"We’re blood!" he yelled, attracting the attention of my coworkers and security guards near the lobby. "So Dad made a mistake with your loans! He did it to protect the family! You’re going to put your own brother in prison over some stupid paperwork?"
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"You stood there and laughed while Dad slapped me in front of thousands of people," I said, staring at him with unwavering eyes. "You enjoyed watching me bleed so you could keep living off my stolen credit. You aren't my brother. You're a parasite."
Security officers quickly rushed forward, pinning Ethan against the wall as he kicked and screamed threats at me. As they dragged him away, I smoothed my coat, turned around, and walked back inside to finish my work day.
