“Ethan Carter, I’ve told you before—don’t bring strangers into our home. Did my words just go in one ear and out the other?”
I glanced at Daniel Foster and said calmly to Olivia Brooks, “Daniel’s been here plenty of times. He practically treats this place as his own. Funny, I’ve never seen you complain about him.”
Her face tightened with anger and embarrassment. “Daniel is my assistant, not a stranger! Who is this woman? Ethan Carter, if you don’t give me a clear explanation today, I will not let this slide!”
Daniel chimed in, fanning the flames with a mocking tone.
“VP Carter, don’t tell me you’re jealous because Ms. Brooks asked me to pretend to be her fiancé today, so you brought a woman here just to provoke her?
That’s really petty. Ms. Brooks has reunited with her biological family—she’s now the Brooks family heiress, with an impressive background. Her fiancé can’t be this small-minded.”
He then turned to Sophia Reed, his eyes flashing with a mix of lust and mockery.
“How much did Carter pay to bring you here?
I’ve met plenty of women like you—willing to do anything for money.
Be honest, have you slept with him? Did you—”
Before he could finish, Sophia’s foot shot out and landed squarely between his legs.
Daniel clearly hadn’t expected her to strike so decisively, and with no time to defend himself, he crumpled to the floor, clutching himself and groaning in pain, his face drained of color.
The sudden move startled Olivia.
She raised her hand to slap Sophia, but Sophia caught her wrist in a firm grip.
With an icy glare, Sophia said coldly,
“You do something shameful and then dare to blame others. You really have no shame.
Do you think that just because you’re back in the Brooks family you can soar like a phoenix?
Fool. You’ll regret this.”
With that, Sophia flung her wrist away, sending Olivia stumbling back and nearly falling.
Olivia shot Sophia a vicious glare, but whatever harsh words she’d planned died on her lips when faced with Sophia’s cold, commanding presence.
Instead, she turned to me and shouted, “Ethan Carter, are you even a man? Didn’t you see her almost push me over? I’m ordering you to teach her a lesson—”
Before she could finish, I cut her off. “And why exactly do you think you can order me around?”
That only enraged her more. “I’m your fiancée! I’ve just been bullied, and you stand there doing nothing? Ethan Carter, I’ll say this one last time—if you don’t listen to me, I will never forgive you—”
I interrupted again, my voice flat. “Olivia Brooks, your fiancé is Daniel Foster. You announced that yourself, in front of everyone, at the Brooks family’s homecoming reception.
Whether you forgive me or not doesn’t matter anymore.
From now on, I don’t want anything to do with you.
I’ve given too much to this relationship, and I’m exhausted. I’m done.”
Without waiting for her response, I called out to Sophia. She took hold of the luggage and pushed my wheelchair toward the apartment door.
Olivia, flushed with anger and still convinced she was in the right, yelled after me, “Ethan Carter, if you dare walk out that door today, don’t ever think about coming back again!”
