The Phantom Heiress Rising From The Shadows

Chapter 733:noveldrama

“Was it you?” Emmett inquired, his voice laced with authority.

Ethan didn’t so much as blink. He had long grown used to his father’s rigid authority and the way he spoke as though he were above everyone else. Meanwhile, Elsa simmered beside them, her anger practically radiating from her eyes. If Emmett hadn’t stepped in, she would have already hit Ethan.

“Yeah,” Ethan replied, his voice calm, unfazed by Emmett’s commanding aura.

“Retract your report. Tell them it isn’t true,” Emmett commanded, his tone crisp and clear.

Ethan didn’t budge. “No. Falsely accusing a soldier would be a legal offense. Besides, the report includes everything—solid facts and firsthand evidence. It’s not a false claim.”

Emmett’s voice dipped into reproach. “You’re going to destroy him.”

Ethan stayed composed, his expression unreadable. “He crossed a line by interfering in my life first. I’m only doing what I have to do to stop him.”

Elsa couldn’t hold back any longer. She shouted, her voice filled with fury, “How can you say that? That wasn’t his doing. I told him to do those things. This falls on me.”

With a slow turn of his head, Ethan shot her a disinterested look. “He’s not some helpless kid. He’s a grown man. If he can’t think for himself and just does whatever you say, that’s on him. A man who can’t make his own choices doesn’t deserve to be a soldier.”

“You better say that again, I dare you!” Kenny exploded, springing to his feet. He jabbed a finger at Ethan from across the wide coffee table, his anger flaring.

Ethan didn’t even blink. “Gladly. A man like you, who blindly obeys his mother, isn’t fit to be a soldier. The moment you chose to meddle in my life because Mom told you to, you sealed your fate. You brought this upon yourself.”

“He’s your brother!” Elsa roared, her voice cracking from rage. Her whole body trembled as she glared at Ethan.

Emmett’s brow creased at the outburst, but he didn’t move to stop her.

Read it all on gⱯlnσν𝒆ℓs․com

“Will you take it back or not?” he asked Ethan one last time.

“No,” Ethan answered flatly.

Emmett reclined in his seat. “Alright. Then let’s make a deal.”

After Ethan took the leap and started his own business, the distance between him and Emmett grew. They still sat together at family dinners, but the conversations never went beyond polite exchanges. Though Emmett had begrudgingly accepted Ethan’s choice to leave the military path, he remained displeased.

His ideal life revolved around service, duty, and loyalty to the country—values he had hoped to pass on. But Ethan had never shown any interest in that kind of life.

Even so, Emmett had quietly lent a hand to Ethan’s business. He had used his network to steer investments and contracts in Ethan’s direction, though he never spoke a word about it.

Ethan had known this all along. In the early days of building his company, everything had fallen into place with surprising ease. Curious, he had turned to his grandfather for guidance. His grandfather had helped where he could and told him that his father had been helping him in secret.

.

.

.