The return of General Ethan

chapter Eight

Chapter Eight.

Rose trembled, her voice trapped in her throat. She had never seen Victoria so furious. Her eyes were wide with fear, her bladder threatening to betray her.

Caleb's eyes were equally wide with shock. Victoria's gaze never left Caleb, her anger palpable. Ethan, however, remained calm, his back against the wall, his arms folded, one hand supporting his chin.

Rose and Caleb exchanged bewildered glances. How did Victoria take Ethan's side without him even speaking?

Undeterred, Rose burst into fake tears. "Why would I lie?" she wailed. Caleb nodded in agreement, his face reddening with anger.

"Yes, why would we lie?" he shouted, striding towards Ethan. "Say something, you fool!"

Victoria's voice cut through the chaos. "Enough!" she screamed, her eyes blazing. "This madness ends now! You've crossed a line by breaking our ancestral jug!"

Rose flinched, her eyes wide with fear. "Why would we break the jug?" she stammered.

Victoria's smirk sent shivers down Rose's spine. Victoria advanced on her, her breath hot on Rose's face.

Rose's back slammed against the wall as she tried to retreat. Her eyes darted wildly, her body tense with fear. She was intimidated by Victoria's fierce demeanor.

Victoria's eyes narrowed. "Why are you lying about Ethan when you're the one who broke the jug?" she accused.

Rose was speechless, but Caleb jumped to their defense.

"We didn't do it! Why blame us?" he snapped, his irritation palpable.

Victoria chuckled, a cold glint in her eye. "Fine, I believe you... for now. But if I check the security footage and find out you're lying, you'll regret ever crossing the Edwards family."

Rose's eyes widened in horror as she realized their mistake. They hadn't counted on the Edwards family having security cameras.

She swallowed hard, her eyes darting to Caleb, who gestured for her to stay calm. But Rose's body betrayed her, shaking uncontrollably.

"Ev-everything we said was a lie," Rose stuttered.

Caleb's face darkened, and he hissed under his breath, "This is why I don't work with women.”

Rose's words tumbled out in a desperate rush.

"I lied about everything! Ethan's not a murderer, and he didn't commit any crime. He actually went to jail to cover for someone!"

She glanced nervously at Victoria, fearing the consequences of her deception, she knew if the Edward's found out the truth by themselves they might put them in jail.

"If you check the footage, you'll see the truth.” she would rather confess now.

Caleb let out a deep sigh, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I'm sorry," he said with a sheepish grin. "I accidentally broke the jug."

Victoria's eyes narrowed, her gaze darting between Rose and Ethan.

Ethan, however, seemed to be enjoying the drama, a hint of amusement dancing in his eyes.

Victoria's brother raised an eyebrow. "Did you really break the jug by accident?"

Caleb nodded hastily. "Yes, I promise it was a mistake."

Victoria's brother chuckled, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Mistake indeed. Was it the same kind of mistake that made you lie about Ethan?"

Caleb's face turned bright red as he felt a wave of stupidity wash over him. Ethan's mocking smile made him feel even worse, his gritted teeth a clear sign of restrained anger.

Victoria's brother spat on the floor in disgust.

"You two are despicable."

Rose felt a deep sense of embarrassment wash over her. In her entire life, she had never felt so humiliated.

Even when Ethan went to jail, their community had still respected them because of Ethan's good character. But now, Rose felt like she had hit rock bottom.

Caleb's face contorted in shame as he pulled out a pen and checkbook. He scribbled out a check for one million dollars and handed it to Victoria.

"I...I...you know, for the jug," he muttered.

Victoria's eyes flashed with anger as she snatched the check from Caleb. With a swift motion, she tore it to shreds. The room fell silent, with Rose and Caleb gasping in shock.

"You think you can just buy your way out of this?" Victoria's voice dripped with venom. "A million dollars means nothing to the Edwards family. You broke our ancestral jug, and you think you can just write a check to make it go away?"

Rose and Caleb exchanged terrified glances. They knew they were in trouble. Caleb's mind racing with the consequences of their actions.

His father would kill him if their business deal fell through. What was he going to do now?

Caleb's voice trembled as he apologized. "I...I'm sorry I broke it. It was an accident."

Victoria's anger flared up again. "Mistake? Or was it because you had a grudge against Ethan and thought you could use our ancestral jug for your petty revenge?"

She had never liked the Sawyer family, with their arrogant attitude and lack of empathy.

Victoria's older brother, who had been trying to curry favor with Ethan, spoke up.

"You falsely accused Ethan, and now only he can save you from our wrath."

Caleb and Rose's eyes widened in shock at the unexpected turn of events. They can't believe their fate is in the hands of Ethan, a nobody.

Caleb, with no other option, stormed up to Ethan, his eyes blazing with anger. "I'm sorry," he growled.

Victoria's brother cut in, his voice cold. "That's not an apology. Get on your knees."

Caleb's face twisted in humiliation as he knelt down. He clasped his hands together, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'm sorry."

Ethan's whisper was laced with amusement. "Who's on their knees now?"

Caleb's teeth gritted in anger, but Ethan just raised his head, cleared his throat, and declared, "I forgive him. Let him give you a million-dollar check."

Victoria's brother nodded curtly. "Fine."

Caleb stood up, dusting off his knees with a scowl, his anger and humiliation simmering just below the surface.

Caleb scribbled out the check and handed it over. Victoria snatched it from his hand, her eyes blazing. "Get out!" she barked.

Caleb tried to speak, but Victoria cut him off. "Out! I said."

With their heads hung low in shame, Rose and Caleb slunk away. As they passed Ethan, they whispered in unison, "This isn't over!" before quickly disappearing.

Once they were gone, Victoria turned to Ethan.

"What's the connection with them?"

Ethan's gaze swept the room, and Victoria followed his line of sight.

"You're looking for the camera, aren't you?" she asked. Ethan's eyes locked onto hers, and Victoria chuckled. "I was just bluffing. There's no camera.”

"I'll be on my way now," Ethan said, his tone neutral.

But beneath the surface, Ethan's anger still simmered. He had loved his wife deeply, and his time in prison had only strengthened his feelings. Only to be betrayed from the beginning.

Victoria insisted on driving Ethan home, while her older brother handed him a ring.

"My father wanted you to have this," he explained. "With this ring, you'll have access to all the major companies under Edwards' control."

Ethan took the ring, because he didn't have time to start another conversation of not accepting it . He nodded curtly, his expression unreadable.

He had dozens of these rings, this was nothing but trash compared to the one he newly acquired.

Victoria led him to the car park, where her sleek red Porsche awaited. As they settled into the luxurious interior, Victoria turned to face Ethan.

"Where can I drop you off?" she asked.

Ethan's response was curt and unexpected: "Prison.”