Page 135 of Lust & Lies

“Can you trust her?”

“Yeah. She wouldn’t do anything to betray me.”

“Would you betray her?” I asked.

“Never,” Ethan vowed.

“What if grandpa told you to stay away from her? What would you do then?”

“I’m nothing like you and Tristan. I’d never let grandpa find out about her. The old man will retire to the countryside one day, and Tristan will take over as the head of the family. You’ll handle the Korean-Inspired Luxury Hotels. I’ll work on my new liquor brand, Bak Soju. And Noe will take over the Watch Dogs. And Ellie, I guess she’ll continue handling marketing if you all decide to let her back in. We’ll all be free then. And when that happens, I’ll be able to be with whoever I want.”

“You’re willing to wait that long?”

“For the right person, I’ll wait however long it takes.”

Should I have waited instead of trying to escape with Noe? Had I rushed things? Had my impatience led to our current predicament? Maybe. The past mistakes couldn’t be changed. I could only look to the future. I smiled at my wiser-than-he-looked baby brother.

“I don’t believe this woman of yours is just a friend,” I teased.

Ethan chuckled. “She’s a friend until she’s my wife. That’s what she says. She doesn’t do boyfriend and girlfriend shit. Either I’m her friend or her husband.”

“That’s her way of telling you she’s ready for a ring.”

“I know. I keep urging Tristan to dethrone grandpa, but he won’t do it.”

“There are rules to follow. He won’t break the family rules.”

“Fuck those archaic family rules. You and Tristan are too focused on pleasing the old man. If it were left up to me, I’d force him to retire and let his old ways and beliefs go with him.”

“That’s your grandfather.”

“I know, which is why I’m willing to visit him after he retires and even go fishing with him. But I’m not able to support his beliefs. Look at what his beliefs did to Noe and Ellie. I mean,I’m not that close with Ellie. But she’s the way she is because grandfather spoiled her and treated her like a princess.”

“He did do that.”

“And Noe is the way she is because Grandpa decided her life for her. He taught her to be tough and treated her like a weapon. She lost her parents because of him. She lost her identity because of him. And now, she’s hiding out in the country because of him. I’m surprised she doesn’t hate the man. I’m surprised she doesn’t hate our family.”

“She grew up with us. Was raised with us. She respects him, the same way we do. It’s hard to bite the hand that feeds you. It’s hard to hate someone who’s always provided for you.”

“Ellie grew up with us, too,” Ethan pointed out. “Why did she get to have the life she wanted, and Noe didn’t?”

“You know what happened back then that forced Noe to live with us full-time. As for Ellie, she spent time at our estate, but she was raised mostly at our aunt’s house. Noe was raised at our house. It would be hard for her to hate grandfather, since she’s always been just as close to him as we are. Despite everything, they do have a bond.”

“I still don’t understand how you can defend him like this. After everything he’s done to you, how come you don’t hate him?”

Part of me did. Part of me always had because of the way he’d treated Noe. I knew he loved her. And I understood why he’d made the decisions he’d made. But there had to have been a better way.

“I love him because he’s my grandfather. If he weren’t my grandfather, I would have nothing to do with him.”

“But...”

“Enough! We’re getting off track, Ethan. Let’s stop talking about grandfather and focus on the Clarks. You know what needs to be done, right?”

“Yeah. I know. I can’t wait to see how those fuckers react to the bodies in their office. I’ll have my girl plant a bug so we can listen in on those idiots.”

“Good idea,” I told him, glad that we were no longer discussing our grandfather. “That’ll help us know what they’re planning next. I’ve got to call Tristan and discuss the Clarks with him. Call me if you run into any hiccups on your end.”

“I will. Tell Noe I said hi.”