?Chapter 969:
Then, he leaned in a little. “She then started undressing. Right there in his office. The door stayed wide open the whole time. She stripped down to her underwear, Brenna. Her body… It was covered in bruises and scars. Old ones. New ones. You didn’t need to be a doctor to tell she’d been through hell. But what really hit me wasn’t even that. It was Ethan. He looked like he really felt for her. The two of them just stood there, holding each other for a long time.”
Brenna had long made her decision about Ethan. She believed she had never loved him. She just liked him and found him appealing. Yet, hearing this made her heart heavy with anger, her demeanor turning cold.
“How do you know? Maybe someone made this up.”
“I knew you’d say that,” said Thiago, calm and certain. “But my source is reliable. One of Ethan’s secretaries has a mother with kidney failure. She is on dialysis twice a week and takes imported meds that cost a small fortune. They’re waiting on a…”
“Transnt they can’t afford. His paycheck barely scratches the surface. I pay him a hundred grand a month to keep an eye on Ethan.” Thiago pulled out his phone and showed her a photo. It captured Gracie clinging to Ethan, stripped down to nothing but her underwear. Bruises marked her skin like faded ink. Ethan stood there, arms slightly outstretched, making no move to hold her back. His hands never touched her.
Despite that, Brenna felt inexplicably angry and betrayed. Her jaw tightened as she ground out, “That’s disgusting. Don’t ever show me anything like that again.”
Somehow, even though she’d only nced at it, the image burned into her mind. Brenna could not shake it off, no matter how hard she tried.
When the elevator doors slid open, Brenna stepped out briskly, her heels clicking against the floor. She needed a few minutes to be alone.
“Brenna!” Before she could react, she bumped squarely into someone’s chest. She hadn’t noticed anyone standing there. Irritated, she looked up, ready tosh out—only to see Ethan.
“Move aside!” Brenna shoved past him and headed for the exit.
Ethan reached out and caught her hand. “Brenna, I have something to say to you.”
Her patience snapped. “I don’t want to talk to you.” Alec, on lobby duty, froze as he watched them argue, eyes wide.
Ethan held her hand firmly, blocking her path. Thiago, watching from the side, gauged the tension and decided not to interfere. He figured Brenna could handle Ethan on her own. With a shrug, he said casually, “I’ll head out first.”
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It was the end of the workday, and employees began trickling into the lobby. They paused when they saw the scene: Brenna standing stiffly, her expression livid, while Ethan humbly begged for forgiveness. The staff quickly averted their eyes and slipped past the pair, pretending not to see anything.
“Brenna, Gracie’s in a terrible situation,” Ethan said urgently. “Please—let me exin everything to you.”
“How is that my concern?” Brenna replied coldly. She had seen Gracie’s scars in the photo. Yes, they were horrible. But if Gracie had been hurt, she should have gone to…
She’d gone to a hospital, not thrown herself at someone else’s boyfriend. Brenna said, “If you want to help her, then help her. You don’t need my permission.” Ethan faltered, struggling to find the right words. Gracie’s situation wasn’t just pitiful; it was tragic. “She’s a victim of domestic abuse. She has no one left. She came to me because she was desperate,” Ethan exined. But he could see Brenna was still furious and clearly skeptical. “Brenna, please. Could we help her together?” Ethan implored, hoping that if Brenna truly understood how helpless Gracie was, she would stop being angry and forgive what had happened.
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