Chapter 175
Ethan’s POV:
I pushed open the door to my Manhattan apartment, exhaustion
weighing on my shoulders after another day of meetings.
The moment I stepped into the living room, I froze.
My entire family had flown in from Chicago without warning.
“Well, that’s a surprise,” I said, setting my briefcase by the door.
My father, Robert Cole, rose from my favorite leather armchair.
“We heard you found her, Ethan,” he said, his voice carrying that
authoritative tone I’d grown up with.
“We came as soon as we could.”
I glanced over at Sara, my mother, who sat perched on the edge of the
sofa, her perfectly manicured hands clasped tightly in her lap.
Dad caught my questioning gaze and nodded.
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“I’ve told Sara everything. She knows.”
Sara’s lips thinned.
“I still can’t believe you kept something this significant from me for
so long,” she said, her voice tight with controlled emotion.
“My own daughter, Ethan. How could you not tell me immediately?”
“I needed to be certain first,” I replied, loosening my tie.
“There was no point raising hopes prematurely.”
Sara leaned forward, her eyes intense.
“Who is she? Who is my daughter?”
I took a deep breath. “It’s Audrey Lane.”
The color drained from Sara’s face. Robert reached for her hand,
steadying her.
“Audrey Lane?” Robert repeated, his usual commanding voice
suddenly uncertain. “The artist? The one close with Thornton?”
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Sara’s hand flew to her mouth.
“That’s… that’s impossible,” she whispered. “I almost missed her
completely.”
Dad cleared his throat.
“We want to meet her, Ethan.‘
11
I ran a hand through my hair, understanding the mix of emotions
churning inside them.
The yearning to connect with a child they’d thought lost forever was
written across their faces.
“I know this is overwhelming,” I said gently.
“And I completely understand your eagerness to meet her.”
I paused, choosing my next words carefully.
“But we have to consider Audrey’s feelings in all this. She needs time
to process.”
Dad’s shoulders relaxed slightly, and Sara dabbed at the corner of her
eye with a tissue.
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“You’re right,” she admitted reluctantly.
My brother William, who had been silently analyzing the situation
from his position by the window, finally spoke up.
His voice carried that familiar calculating tone that always set my
teeth on edge.
“Don’t worry yourselves too much,” he said with a thin smile. “She’ll
come around eventually. The Cole fortune and connections aren’t
exactly easy to walk away from. ”
Heat rushed to my face.
“That’s enough, Will,” I snapped.
“You don’t know her. Audrey isn’t like that. ”
William raised an eyebrow.
“Don’t be naive,” William countered. “Some people are just good at
pretending.”
I placed my glass down harder than intended.
The tension in the room was suffocating.
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I took a deep breath, knowing I needed to address the other matter at hand–one that wouldn’t make the atmosphere any lighter.
“There’s something else we need to discuss,” I said, my voice cutting through the strained silence.
“I think it would be best if Daisy spent a semester studying in
Europe.”
The room went silent.
Daisy’s head snapped up, her eyes wide with disbelief.
William stepped forward, his face darkening.
“So it begins. One sister shows up and the other gets shipped away? Is
this her idea?”
“Audrey has nothing to do with this decision,” I said firmly.
“Doesn’t she?” William’s voice rose.
“Don’t insult my intelligence, Ethan. She’s manipulating you,
positioning herself to take control of this family.”
I stared at William, incredulous at the venom in his voice.
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I stepped closer to him, lowering my voice.
“She hasn’t asked for anything from us. If anyone’s being manipulated
here, it’s you–by your own baseless assumptions.”
ri
Finley pushed off from the wall.
“Actually, sending Daisy to Europe was my suggestion initially,” he
said, his voice calm but authoritative. “Before we even confirmed
Audrey was our sister.”
Clara nodded in agreement.
“It was discussed when we found out what Daisy did with the hair
sample.”
