?Chapter 970:


    A coldugh escaped Brenna. “If saving her is what you want, then do it. Just don’t expect me to be involved. The whole idea makes me sick!” She roughly shook off Ethan and stormed away, her anger evident.


    She could hardly believe it! What did they take her for? A woman showed up to steal her boyfriend, and not only was she expected to stay calm, but she was also supposed to help that woman? Not a chance!


    Stunned, Ethan could only watch as Brenna slid into her car, mmed the door shut, and drove off.


    Before he could collect his thoughts, Alec walked over to him, his demeanor respectful.


    “Mr. Mitchell,” Alec said, choosing his words carefully. “Can you really not see it? Brenna’s already upset because of the way you treat that woman. Now, you expect her to help? What are you thinking?”


    Resisting the urge to say more harsh words, Alec held his tongue. He knew it wasn’t his ce to say those things to Ethan.


    A thoughtful crease formed between Ethan’s brows. Instead of arguing, he thought about Alec’s words in silence.


    “So that’s what this is all about?” Ethan asked, struggling to make sense of it. “Has she always reacted like this?”


    Alec’s face showed confusion. “What do you mean? She’s hardly experienced with these things. Even with Jordy, they met through her mother’s arranged blind date under pressure. She’s inexperienced in rtionships, but that doesn’t mean she’s stupid. You might want to rethink your approach. I’ll speak to her tomorrow and see if I can help smooth things over for you. But you need to stop saying things that make it worse.”


    “Alright.” For the first time, Ethan found Alec somewhat helpful. “Maybe you can tell me how to make things right.”


    “If you want my advice, you’ll stop spending time with that woman. Isn’t my daughter enough? What makes that woman so special? Or do you want to keep both of them by your side?” Alec’s voice turned firm, the wordsing from a protective father. Though it was not entirely appropriate for him to talk to Ethan this way, he felt it necessary.


    After pausing to think, Ethan replied, “I am not trying to do that. That woman is just someone from my past who needs help. I can’t really turn her away.” Alec shook his head in disbelief. “I didn’t expect you to be someone so sentimental.”


    Realizing the misunderstanding, Ethan exined, “There’s nothing between that woman and me. She’s facing serious problems, and that’s the only reason I want to help her.”


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    A sharp scoff escaped Alec. “If you care more about helping her than making things right with Brenna, then go ahead. Is it Gracie you’re helping? Word is she used to be your girlfriend. You’re trying to get back together with her.”


    Feeling that he’d said enough, Alec turned on his heel, confident he’d made his point. In his mind, Ethan needed to learn a lesson about priorities.


    Left on his own, Ethan contemted Alec’s words. There was a ring of truth to them.


    What unsettled him most was how quickly people were talking about Gracie and him. Even a security guard like Alec knew about it.


    Sliding into his car, Ethan found Neville in the driver’s seat. Neville said, “Mr. Mitchell, your dinner with Mr. Dury is set for seven-thirty. We should get going.” Ethan gave a brief nod. “Let’s go.”


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