?Chapter 601:


    With a sharp tug, she led Brenna away. Brenna’s face was a mask of frost, her gaze cutting through Kenny as if he were a stranger.


    They had barely made a few steps when Kenny’s phone rang. He answered, only to be met with Ethan’s icy rebuke. “Who gave you the right to interfere in my affairs?”


    Kenny’s patience snappedpletely. He couldn’tsh out at outsiders, but he could snap at his own brother.


    “You think I wanted to get dragged into your damn mess?” he barked, his voice sharp with anger. “Mom forced me to do this. I’m done. I already swallowed my pride and apologized to Miss Harper. Whether she wants to forgive me or not, that’s her call.”


    His chest heaved with frustration as he added, “Don’t you dare scold me like I owe you anything! If you’ve got the guts, go pick a fight with Mom! You’ve been butting heads with her since we were kids. Go ahead; do it again!”


    With that, Kenny ended the call. Through gritted teeth, he muttered bitterly, “Goddamn it! Now I’m the viin to both sides. Screw this.”


    In Plieca, Ethan’s face…


    Ethan’s face darkened. His voice was low with disbelief as he stared at his phone. “He actually hung up on me? He’s been thepliant one his entire life, and now he chooses to follow such an absurd order? To impersonate me just because Mommanded it? What the hell was he thinking? Thank God Brenna caught on instantly. If she hadn’t, I swear, I would’ve made him regret it for the rest of his life.”


    Nearby, Neville struggled to maintain hisposure, his shoulders shaking slightly with suppressedughter.


    He couldn’t help but admire Brenna’s resolve. Unlike others, Brenna didn’t try to smooth things over or show any concern about losing Ethan’s favor. Instead, she cleverly tossed the entire predicament back to Ethan, forcing him to untangle the mess himself.


    Her tact was nothing short of masterful.


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    With Brenna’s sharp wit, she was undoubtedly well-equipped to deal with Elsa.


    Ethan stood silhouetted against the hotel window, his gaze locked on the bustling street below as he dialed Elsa’s number.


    The moment he pressed the phone to his ear, Elsa’s voice burst forth like a thunderp. “You brat, you dare call me after all this?”


    Ethan’s voice was a calm counter to her fury. “I hope you’ll stay out of my affairs from now on,” he said, his tone firm.


    Elsa scoffed, “Oh? And what will you do if I don’t? Are you going to cut ties with me?”


    “I might really do that,” Ethan replied.


    A chill settled in Ethan’s heart as shadows from the past began to stir. From the earliest days he could recall, Elsa and Emmett had instilled in him the notion that his destinyy in the military. As a child, he was often made to stand at attention and march in lockstep, held to the same rigid standards as a soldier. Even his nkets had to be folded in military style.


    He was harshly disciplined as a child, sometimes even physically, for not meeting his parents’ requirements.


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