Ethan came home sick with anger. He paced the kitchen the way he used to as a teenager, jaw clenched. “We’re not signing this. Not with Victor Crane,” he said. Mara was relieved. For once, Ethan was entirely with her, and they could face this as a team. She only wished he had seen it as early as she did.
Ethan apologized, short and uncomfortable. “I should’ve listened to you, sis,” he said, not meeting her eyes. Mara did not forgive everything in one breath, but the apology mattered to her that day. It meant he still knew the difference between partnership and performance.