?Chapter 1009:

    Fury lit up Emmett’s face. He jabbed a finger at his son and shouted, “Don’t you dare do this to me!”

    Ethan offered no reply, his expression cold and unyielding. The bodyguards got the message and started hauling Emmett away.

    Elsa raised her voice, eximing, “What are you so afraid of? Ethan, I never thought—”

    Disappointment colored every word; she was shocked to see her son take someone else’s side over hers.

    A single nod from Ethan was all it took. The bodyguard swiftly covered Elsa’s mouth and dragged her out.

    Emmett tried to argue, convinced Ethan had lost his mind by siding with Brenna. But before he could get a word in, the bodyguard dragging him out mped a hand over his mouth, too.

    Once the bodyguards had hustled his parents into the car and driven them away, Ethan finally let himself rx. He turned to Giselle and said apologetically, “Mrs. Harper, I’m truly sorry for all the trouble my parents caused you.”

    Though still visibly upset, Giselle couldn’t ignore the fact that Ethan had refused to take his parents’ side today. That alone softened her irritation, if only slightly.

    “I always believed your mother was the unreasonable one, but after today, I realize that your father has shown he’s just as bad. Ethan, I don’t think you and Brenna are meant to be together. With parents like yours, it’s clear they will never let you marry Brenna. I think it’s best if you and Brenna cut off all ties with each other.” Giselle kept her words blunt and her tone chilly, showing no intention of going easy on him.

    Ethan refused to give up. “Mrs. Harper, I promise I’ll take care of this. You have my word. If Brenna bes my wife, I’ll make sure my parents respect our marriage. Just give me time; I’ll show you I really mean what I say.”

    Giselle wanted nothing more than for him to leave, so she waved him away. “Just go.”

    After Ethan walked out, Giselle sank onto the sofa, still fuming. When Shepard and Ernst returned together, they were surprised to find that nothing seemed out of the ordinary at home.

    Shepard sounded annoyed as he spoke. “You called us home so urgently. Do you realize we were in the middle of a major negotiation with Hector? It was rude to just leave him like that.”

    Ernst noticed right away that something was wrong. “Mom, what happened?” Giselle told them everything that had urred, finishing her ount just as Brenna came back. Julia hurried over and filled Brenna in on the details.

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    Brenna let out a coldugh. “This is almost funny. Elsa insulted me first, and I didn’t just stand there and take it. I tossed a ss of juice to get back at her. And now, she has the nerve to show up here and cause a scene? She called the police on me back then, but Darwin’s father shut it down, so nothing came of it. Now, she still thinks she’s the victim in this matter. It’s absurd.”

    Giselle understood her daughter’s temperament well. Normally, Brenna would shrug off little provocations. Elsa had started plenty of trouble before, and Brenna had always let it go for Ethan’s sake. Why had Brenna fought back this time?

    Curious, Giselle asked, “What did she say to you?”

    Still fuming, Brenna said, “She told me nobody would want me after breaking up with her son and then offered to set me up with a boyfriend. She even went as far as listing older single men she could introduce me to. She was obviously trying to humiliate me. Did she really expect me to just ignore that? I put up with her before only because she was Ethan’s mother. Now that things are over between Ethan and me, why should I keep tolerating her antics? That’s why I ended up throwing the juice right at her!”

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