77| Confrontation at the Sinclair's

Ethan barely registered the sound of his car door slamming shut.

His entire body was a live wire of rage and adrenaline as he stormed toward the entrance of the Sinclair estate.

The staff didn't need to be told twice to step aside.

The tension radiating off him was enough to make even the most seasoned workers shrink back in silent apprehension.

"Where is he?"

The words came out low, sharp—dangerous.

The housekeeper at the door barely had time to stammer before Evelyn appeared at the top of the grand staircase.

Her face was drawn with worry, her hands gripping the railing as she hurried down the steps.

"Ethan." Her voice was full of concern. "Is Sophie alright? You sounded so distressed when you called earlier. She didn't come as she promised, and I've been trying to reach her—what's going on?"

Ethan's jaw clenched.

"Where is he?"

This time, his voice cut through the air like a blade.

Evelyn reached for him, trying to place a comforting hand on his arm. He stepped back.

"I just need to know what happened," she pleaded.

Ethan ignored her. "Where is he?"

The sharpness of his tone made Evelyn flinch.

The housekeeper, trembling, managed to stammer, "M-Mr. Sinclair is in his study, sir."

That was all Ethan needed.

He brushed past Evelyn, her panicked voice calling after him. He didn't stop.

The heavy oak doors to Robert Sinclair's study slammed open, crashing against the walls.

Robert, seated behind his desk, looked up sharply, irritation flashing across his face.

"Ethan, what the hell do you—"

He never got to finish.

Ethan's fist collided with his jaw, sending him sprawling to the floor.

The chair toppled backward, papers scattering, a sharp gasp ripping through the air—

Evelyn screamed.

Robert groaned, his head spinning as he tried to push himself up.

But Ethan was already towering over him, chest heaving, knuckles clenched so tightly they burned.

"You bastard," Ethan spat, his voice shaking with rage so deep it threatened to consume him.

"How could you? How could you put Sophie in danger like that?"

Robert looked up, his face twisting in shock and anger, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he snapped, trying to regain his composure.

Wrong answer.

Ethan grabbed him by the collar, yanking him up with brutal force.

"Don't lie to me!" His roar shook the room, his voice raw with rage and anguish.

"The loan sharks, the threats—for fuck's sake, you even hired people to kidnap her! Are you out of your goddamn mind? They hit her, Robert! They put their hands on Sophie!"

Ethan's voice broke.

He was shaking with fury, his breath ragged.

"You orchestrated all of it, didn't you? This was your twisted way of punishing me." His grip tightened.

"And you used Sophie to do it."

Evelyn gasped, she stood paralyzed, her face draining of color.

"Robert... tell me this isn't true." Her voice trembled, tears already forming in her eyes.

Robert's gaze flickered between his furious son and his devastated wife.

For the first time in years, the mask of cool detachment cracked.

But it wasn't guilt in his eyes.

It was annoyance.

Disdain.

Like he couldn't believe they were making such a fuss.

He jerked free from Ethan's grasp, straightening his suit.

Then, cold as ice:

"I did what was necessary."

Ethan stilled.

Robert sneered, his lip curling in disgust.

"You've become weak, Ethan. Letting that girl distract you. Letting her weaken you."

And then—before Ethan could stop himself—

His fist connected with Robert's jaw again.

Ethan's voice shook with fury, his entire body vibrating with restraint.

"You endangered her life, all because you couldn't control me!"

His father groaned, slowly pushing himself up.

And then—he smiled.

"You see?" Robert wiped the blood from his lip, his tone smug.

"You're proving my point."

Ethan froze.

Robert's voice dropped to a venomous whisper.

"Emotions make you weak. I did what had to be done to show you how vulnerable you are when you let yourself care."

He tilted his head, watching Ethan like a hunter watches prey.

"Sophie was just..." his smirk widened, deliberate, cruel.

"A means to an end."

Ethan saw red.

His vision blurred.

His pulse pounded in his ears.

Everything inside him screamed to finish it.

To hit him again.

To make him hurt.

His fist clenched—

"Ethan, stop!"

The voice cut through the storm raging inside him—sharp, commanding, yet trembling with something else.

Ethan barely registered it at first, his breath coming in ragged gasps, his knuckles aching from the blows he'd already landed. His vision was still tinted red, his body thrumming with the need to keep going, to make Robert feel even an ounce of the pain he had caused.

Then he saw her.

His mother.

Evelyn stood between them now, her arms outstretched, shielding Robert with her own body.

"Please, Ethan, don't do this," she begged, her voice strong despite the tremor beneath it. "You're not like him."

Not like him.

Ethan's chest heaved, his fists still clenched so tightly his nails dug into his palms. His entire life, he had fought against the darkness that threatened to swallow him whole—the part of him that had been shaped under Robert's shadow, the part that knew how to hurt, how to destroy.

And yet, here he was.

One more punch. One more hit. It would be so easy.

But then he met Evelyn's eyes.

Tears brimming. Fear. Sorrow. A depth of emotion he had never seen from her before.

For so long, his mother had been a silent figure in the background—graceful, poised, untouchable. She had never fought back, never interfered. She had simply endured.

But now... now she was standing in front of him, looking at him like he was the one she was afraid of.

"Don't become the monster he wants you to be," she whispered.

The words landed like a blow straight to his gut.

Ethan's breath caught, his grip loosening. His gaze flickered down to Robert, who sat slumped on the ground, dazed, blood trickling from his split lip. He had seen this before—his father in this same position, only years ago, it had been Ethan cowering at his feet.

He staggered back, like the weight of what he had done had just slammed into him all at once.

This wasn't who he was.

This wasn't who he wanted to be.

A shuddering breath left his lips as his arms dropped to his sides, his whole body suddenly feeling heavier than ever.-------

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