arguments had ballooned into massive fights, cold shoulders had turned into icy glares, and a deep, festering suspicion had poisoned the family dynamic. Ethan had always respected his father, a man who had built the Sterling empire from the ground up, but recent events had broken something fundamental inside him. Clara had come to him in tears multiple times over the past few weeks, whispering fragmented stories, hinting at boundaries crossed, making Ethan’s protective instincts curdle into blind hatred toward the old man.
Today, Ethan had snapped. He had walked in to find Clara crying, her clothes slightly disheveled, and Richard standing too close. Without giving his father a single second to speak, Ethan’s temper had exploded.