Chapter 2

The air in the lounge was so tense it felt frozen.

Alicia pushed the door open and locked it behind her. Her usually innocent face twisted into a vicious scowl as she pointed accusingly at Ethan, who was sitting on the sofa sipping coffee, her voice sharp and cutting.

She said, "Rhea, are you out of your mind? If you want someone to back you up, at least find someone who's actually useful. Ethan can't even step foot in the Waller family's house anymore.

"He's holed up in a rundown part of town, drowning in debt. You brought back a loser like him so the whole city can laugh at you?"

Ethan set down his coffee cup, the clink of porcelain sharp in the silence. He lowered his gaze, his bangs hiding whatever emotion flickered in his eyes, looking meek and utterly defeated.

"Ms. Alicia Burton, you're right," Ethan said, his voice low with a touch of self-mockery. "I really am a good-for-nothing drowning in debt."

"Good, at least you admit it!" Alicia's tone grew even harsher as she strode over to Rhea in her high heels. "Rhea, you used to have such high standards.

"You wouldn't even give Mr. Wyatt the time of day. And now you've sunk so low, picking up the trash the Waller family threw away?"

Mid-sentence, Rhea suddenly raised her hand.

A loud slap landed right across Alicia's face.

Alicia grabbed her cheek, eyes wide in disbelief. "Did you just hit me?"

"Yeah, I hit you," Rhea said, pulling out a handkerchief and carefully wiping her fingers like she'd touched something dirty. "If anyone's trash, it's you. Still not sick of stealing your sister's fiancé? And now you're sticking your nose in my business?"

"You—" Alicia was about to lose it when Thomas Wyatt, who had been outside, pushed the door open and walked in.

Thomas was Rhea's ex-fiancé, and after Rhea's "death," Alicia didn't waste a second before latching onto him. He looked at Rhea, his gaze complicated, partly struck by her beauty, but mostly annoyed and offended.

Thomas snapped, "Rhea, you just got back, and you're already causing chaos at home? Don't you think that's going too far?"

He shot Ethan a look full of disdain. "Mr. Waller, you're broke, so you should know your place. No matter how desperate you are for a free ride from the Burtons, you'll never be able to swallow it."

Ethan stood up, moving slowly and smoothly. He was half a head taller than Thomas, and even in that worn-out trench coat, he totally outclassed him.

"Point taken, Mr. Wyatt," Ethan said, stepping over to Rhea with genuine sincerity. "Ms. Rhea Burton, maybe I should head out. I don't want to mess things up between you two."

Rhea let out a cold laugh, then wrapped her arm around Ethan's waist, shooting Thomas a defiant glare.

"Mess things up? All we ever do is play games. There are no real feelings between Mr. Wyatt and me. And as for mooching—" Rhea leaned in close to Ethan.

She whispered in his ear but loud enough for everyone to hear, "As long as you behave, I'll make sure you get to mooch off the Burtons forever."

Thomas's face was darkened with fury as he stormed out of the room.

Alicia, her eyes red from anger and frustration, followed after him, shooting Rhea a vicious glare before leaving.

The room fell silent again.

Ethan took a step back, putting some space between himself and Rhea. In an instant, the defeated, humble look vanished from his face, his eyes turning cold and deep like a frozen lake.

"Ms. Burton, did you enjoy the show?" he asked, his long fingers brushing the spot where her hand had just been, his voice carrying a hint of danger.

Rhea's smile disappeared, her gaze razor-sharp as she fixed it on him. "Ethan, drop the act. If you can survive being hunted by the Waller family all this time, you're definitely not some useless guy."

Ethan let out a low chuckle, leaning in close, his warm breath brushing against her neck.

"You're right, I'm not useless. But I am a creditor," he said, pulling out a vintage seal from his pocket and spinning it between his fingers.

He continued, "To accompany you back to the Burton family, I put everything I had on the line today. So, Ms. Burton, how do you plan to pay me back?"

Rhea's eyes narrowed in shock as she stared at the seal. It was the private seal for the Waller family's core assets, the one rumored to have been missing for years.

Ethan was hiding way more than she ever imagined.