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"Why did you let me in, Gianna?"
I'm not sure where he is going with this line of questioning, but I take the bait.
"I'm not scared of you, Ethan. You had your chance to hurt me, and you didn't. In fact, you were pretty decent, all things considered."
Turning his stare to Mason, he asks, "Do you have anything stronger than beer?"
Mason lets out an irritated huff before shuffling over to a cabinet and pulling out a bottle of whiskey. Ethan and I both watch as he opens one empty cabinet after another before finding a coffee mug and placing it on the island in front of Ethan.
"Alright, Ethan, you have your drink. Now start talking." Mason all but barks out before posting up on a barstool to my right.
He’s getting impatient, and I can't blame him. After everything that's happened, Ethan isn't the person I want to be giving my time to right now.
"I'm not sure where to start, Gianna, but I'll start with: I never planned on physically hurting you. If anything, I wanted you for myself." Pausing, he throws back a shot of warm whiskey and winces as it goes down. His expression is a mix of shame and regret, which doesn't make sense. I know I'm not the catch of the day, but I can't be that bad.
“Yes, the look of disgust on your face right now is really selling your claim that you found me attractive and had no plans to hurt me. Why have the tracker installed on my car if you had no plans of harming me?”
He winces and rubs his hand over his chest, probably from a mix of my words and the alcohol.
“I used Mason because my goal was to fuck up your relationship with August. The night he showed up to take you home, I knew using him would kill two birds with one stone. The two of you clearly had feelings for each other so rubbing that in August’s face helped. Keeping you both in the dark was necessary, so I took advantage of your relationship with Mason to accomplish that goal. Plus, I needed to keep dibs on you. As far as the rest goes, I’m trying to get to that.”
“Well, you should probably hurry up and get there before Mason’s hospitality runs out.” I know the last thing Mason wants to hear are accounts of how other people used our relationship against us. A relationship that no longer exists.
Crossing his arms over his chest, Ethan leans back against the counter before sizing up Mason. For a second it almost feels suspiciously protective, but that can’t be it. Before I have any more time to analyze his body language he starts talking.
"I admit that I was out to sabotage your relationship with August, but not just for my own selfish reasons. The weekend you ran into August at the club, I was there and prepared to make you mine until August stepped in and laid his claim. I was so fucking livid when I found out who you were that night. He had literally just finished explaining to Grant and me that you were a mistake."
I'm not going to lie. That confession still stings. It's the one and only time that August wavered in his decision to pursue me. I watch as Ethan pours himself yet another shot and throws it back. At this rate, he'll be passed out drunk before he ever gets to the reason he is here.
"August and I have always had a frenemies bond, I don't think either one of us was ever under any illusions that we were true friends, but it worked until it didn't. The day after we went to the club, I went golfing with my dad. It wasn't a surprise that he wanted to talk about August. After all, I spent most of my teen years being compared to him. The interesting part was when your name rolled off his tongue without pause. It was as if he was well acquainted with all things regarding you, and I was immediately intrigued. Why would a man like my dad know anything about a girl like you? Why would my dad give two shits about who August is fucking?"
I would be shocked if I didn't already know that Robert was after my dad, but Ethan seems genuinely shaken. Again, he pours himself another shot but doesn't take it.
"I'm not as shallow as you may think, Gianna. While I've always wanted to please my father, I won't follow him blindly. However, in so many words, he told me I needed to keep you and August apart if I wanted my inheritance. I'll admit I like being rich. I like what this lifestyle affords me, but my curiosity was piqued. My father doesn't ask much of me. In fact, I've always felt like I'm this major disappointment for him, so when he asked this of me, I knew I wouldn't fail him—that is, until I did my own digging."
Walking across the room toward the fridge, I grab another mug and ice before snatching the bottle of whiskey away from Ethan. His mouth curls up on one side in a half-smile when he watches me pour myself a shot over ice before stepping around me to grab some ice himself. This whole scene is a little too comfortable, and my stomach churns at the thought I'm betraying August by not immediately alerting him that Ethan is here.
Mason must notice the direction of my thoughts because he gives me a nod and picks up his phone to shoot August a text.
Ethan picks up on our silent conversation because he quickly makes a plea.
"Please don't text August. I need to get this out first."
"Ethan, August deserves to know you are here. He's spent the last week locked up in a basement because of you, and I've been on the run."
"Yeah, I get that. But you need to know my intent was never to kill anyone. Carson wanted to play with August, she got some kind of sick pleasure out of messing with him, and I needed him distracted while I tried to figure out my father's plan. You already know about your dad's investments, but the rest is going to rock your world."
"Well, then let's hear it! I haven't had the best week, and my life wasn't exactly easy, so do your best."
He slowly nods his head in understanding before throwing back another shot.
"Well, I'm your brother."
His words don't immediately sink in because there is no way in hell EthanfuckingGrand is my brother. This must be another one of his many schemes, and my dad is dead because of him. That's it. I'm done playing games. I can't believe I thought giving him a chance to speak was worth it.
"Ethan, it's time for you to leave. My dad is dead because of you, and you have the audacity to come here and fuck with me after everything you put me through. I hope there's a special place in hell for selfish pricks like you."
Mason walks over to Ethan and clasps him by the shoulder to gladly escort him out, but he slams his hands down on the counter in protest, his eyes are haunted, and his body is shaking.
