Chapter 24 You Don’t Owe Me
Chapter 24 You Don’t Owe Me
An awkward silence fell inside the car.
After a long while, Ryan grew tired of the tension.
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“Hey, since when are you two so close?” he exclaimed loudly, trying to sound cheerful. “You’re calling her
Mimi now?
“What did you two do behind my back?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Ryan realized he’d said the wrong thing.
He coughed awkwardly and sank back into his seat.
Sean, however, smiled slightly. He glanced at Mia and spoke softly, “Mimi and I have been close since elementary school.
“Now that we’re family, we should be even closer.”
Sean’s voice was gentle, full of hesitation and quiet hope.
Ryan noticed and looked toward Mia.
Beneath the dim, shifting lights, Mia’s expression grew distant, as if lost in thought.
Sean and Ryan waited, but she said nothing.
In truth, Mia was completely awake.
She and Sean had indeed been close.
He had been her upperclassman at school, her partner in math competitions.
Her mother and Jane had also been close friends.
To Mia, Sean had always been more than just a stepbrother.
He was an older brother she could truly trust.
A comrade-someone she could always rely on, in debates, competitions, anything.
A best friend.
She told him things she never told anyone else-even personal, girly secrets, like when she first got her period.
So when Jane brought Sean into their house, when his name was added to the family register, when Luke told her to call Jane “Mom” and Sean “brother”-it had all felt too much like a messy, dramatic soap opera.
Years later, she still remembered it clearly.
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Chapter 24 You Don’t Owe Me
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She remembered the shadows of Luke and Jane falling across the floor as they walked into her parents’ bedroom.
She remembered opening the door by accident and seeing Jane in Luke’s arms, gazing at him lovingly.
That had been her mother’s place.
Now it all belonged to Jane.
That was why she’d been so desperate to leave home.
When Ethan proposed marriage, she’d agreed right away.
The rest of the ride was quiet.
The car pulled into the Knight Mansion grounds.
Ryan went inside first.
As Mia opened her door, Sean called out to her.
She turned and looked at him calmly.
“Mimi…”
Sean’s face flushed with nerves. None of his usual powerful aura remained. “Back at the police station… I didn’t mean-”
Mia tilted her head in confusion.
“Don’t be scared of me,” Sean finally managed to say. “I’m only tough with other people. Never with you.
“Never.
“When you take over the Cole and Knight Groups later, you can just be yourself. Anyone you don’t like, anything you don’t want to do-I’ll handle it for you.
“And Ethan Hale… if you want him gone, I’ll take care of him. You just focus on what you want. Don’t worry about anything else.”
Mia stood at her door, listening as Sean’s voice grew more and more humble.
“No need,” she said suddenly.
Sean stared at her, stunned.
“I don’t hate anyone. You don’t have to do all that for me.
“You’re doing perfectly fine, Sean Colton,” Mia said, using his full name seriously.
“You don’t have to live this way. You don’t owe me anything.”
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Chapter 24 You Don’t Owe Me
Sean froze for a second, then smiled bitterly.
After a long moment, he whispered, “Do you… dislike me now?”
Mia blinked in surprise. She never expected him to think that.
He looked so fragile. She hesitated and took a small step toward him.
Just then, a door at the end of the hall flew open.
Luke stood there, his face dark with anger.
“Do you know what time it is? Were you just getting back, or heading out?”
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Ryan’s door opened. He was wearing headphones, nodding along to music, completely unaware of the
scene.
He froze the second he saw Luke.
Ryan’s eyes widened. Then he rolled his eyes and pretended to be sleepwalking, hoping to slip by unnoticed.
“Ryan!” Luke roared. “You think I’m an idiot?!”
His shout was loud enough to shake the whole house.
In the end, none of them escaped.
All three were sent to the study to stand and think about what they’d done.
By then, the sky was just beginning to lighten, hazy and pale.
Ryan leaned against the wall, scrolling lazily on his phone.
Right before she drifted off, Mia vaguely heard a news report from his speaker.
“Leo Ford, rising star and cast member of the hit variety show ‘Let’s Run, Friends, was injured during a physical challenge. He was rushed to the hospital. Sources say his injury is on his face, which may put his TV career at risk.”
Because they were stuck in the study, Mia was late for work
She stopped for breakfast nearby before heading to Harmony Clinic.
The second she walked in, she could feel something was wrong.
Everyone looked tense.
As she moved further inside, she saw a crowd of reporters surrounding Dr. Martin Brooks’ office.
“What’s going on?” Mia asked the cleaning lady at the door.
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