Chapter 71

Ethan’s POV

Andrew’s finger was an inch away from my face as he seethed at me. His breathing was ragged, hard. I could feel the angry heat radiating from his skin.

He was really mad.

“Andrew,” I greeted, keeping my voice calm and smooth. It only upset him that much more,

“I know what you have been doing,” He ground out through gritted teeth. “I know you’ve been trying to take out my company from the inside.”

I placed a hand over my heart, mocking surprise, “What could you possibly be talking about?”

Andrew took a step closer. He lowered his finger and wrapped his arm around Sarah’s bicep. He pulled her forward and glared at me.

“I know you used your little wife to tell Sarah lies. You wanted to send me on some wild goose-chase to make yourself and your pack prosper - or whatever you wanted.” Andrew let go of Sarah and waved his hands around as he spoke. Sarah stood beside him, silently. She was just watching me, looking into the house as often as she could.

I tried to block her view, but Andrew’s movements pushed the front door further open. It was open as wide as it could be.

“You’re paranoid, Andrew.” I shook my head, feigning pity. “You’ve got nothing else to do but come complain to me because you made some wrong choices?”

Andrew’s eyes narrowed into slits as he went to respond. There was a shadow that appeared beside me, and his gaze shifted to whoever was by me. It only fueled his anger.

“Olivia?” He sputtered. “Olivia is here with you, is this what it was all about?”

I wanted to tell him that Olivia was the reason I wanted his entire empire to fall, but that wouldn’t be true. It was so much easier to deny everything than to admit a partial truth.

Saving Olivia from her engagement to him was only a subplan to my main plan. I needed to destroy his pack, his entire enterprise, for what he did to my parents. He killed them, he knew that too. He really thought I only sought out to take Olivia from him?

No, I wanted to take everything from him.

Just like he did to me.

Mars walked up behind Olivia, and that’s what really sent Andrew over the edge. Mars used to be Andrew’s second-in-command. Since helping me break up the marriage between them, Mars has quit and was offered a very comfortable position at my company.

Based solely on gossip, the social ladder at his company is crumbling. I only wished I could be there to see it most days.

“And you!” Andrew growled at Mars, “When you came to me you were nothing and nobody. How dare you side with him. How dare you undermine me!”

Andrew was amping himself up, his face kept growing redder the angrier he got. Not once, though, did he try to push himself into the house. I thought this might have to do with avoiding a trespassing charge. He didn’t want to risk me calling the police on him.

So, he stayed on the front porch.

Sarah, on the other hand, was trying to inch her way closer and closer over the threshold. She was frowning at something over my shoulder. Not Olivia or Mars, but somewhere above me.

I followed her gaze and was looking at the top of the stairs. Ava was standing there in her pajamas, watching us with a mixture of curiosity and a sense of resolution. As though she had both discovered a problem and figured out how to solve it in the same instant.

“Excuse me,” Ava’s voice was loud and sure, it carried itself across the entire room and effectively silenced the shouting from both groups.

Andrew looked over my shoulder, watching as Ava descended the stairs. Despite her pink, fuzzy pajama pants and bunny slippers, she looked unreasonably put together and powerful. She looked like the Luna I was grooming her to be.

A sense of pride swelled in my chest. It took a lot of work to keep a smile from cracking on my face while she stole the attention of everyone in the room.

“Can we help you?” She asked, tilting her head to this side as she got to the final step.

Andrew looked at her, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. I wanted to focus on him, understand his thoughts, but I couldn’t bring myself to look away from Ava.

She commanded attention.

“I was just talking to your husband about business,” Andrew muttered, ready to pull himself away from the scene. It was odd how easily he was to leave after Ava showed up. The fight in him was gone.

“Well forgive me, but I believe those matters would be better discussed during the day,” Ava crossed her arms over her chest, tapping her bunny-slippered foot on the tile, “You may get in contact with Tristan to set up a meeting.”

Andre bit his tongue. I could tell there was more he wanted to say, an argument he was prepared for.

He turned back to me, and in a dangerously low voice said, “Ethan, you’ve started a war that you are completely unprepared for.”

“Alright,” I rolled my eyes, but he wasn’t done.

“I don’t run from a fight, and I don’t play nice.” He glowered, then grabbed Sarah’s bicep once more to guide her away from the door and back whatever way he came from.

Sarah, though, at his contact came to life with anger. Her eyes never faltered from Ava’s form, following her in quiet anger.

“I have a few things to say to Ava before we leave, actually,” She stepped forward. Andrew kept his grip on her, but allowed her the freedom to go nose-to-nose with Ava.

I debated whether or not I needed to intervene, but Ava looked at me and calmed me down.

“Make them quick, please,” Ava said, a false sweetness thick in her voice. “I want to go to bed with my husband.”

She emphasized the word ‘husband’, rubbing it in Sarah’s face.

It only made Sarah glare harder, but a sick smile twisted her features. She looked demented, evil even.

“Does your husband know about your relationship with your father?” She asked, cocking her head to the side and jutting out her bottom lip. “Does he know that you aren’t actually who you say you are at all?”

I looked between Ava and Sarah. I had no clue what Sarah was talking about, and based on Ava’s reactions, neither did she.

“What?” Ava furrowed her brows.

Olivia and Mars took a few steps back, but they were still behind us. Showing both support, and probably staying out of morbid curiosity. I couldn’t fault them for either.

“Oh, you don’t know?” Sarah grinned, an over-exaggerated pout on her face. “Well, I did some investigating on your ‘father’ and it turns out there are some discrepancies in your mother’s story.”

Ava watched her with wide eyes, she looked less sure of herself. Suddenly resembling a lost child rather than the powerful Luna I saw mere moments ago.

“What are you talking about?” She laughed nervously.

Sarah's eyes narrowed and a smile replaced her faux frown.

“Ask your mom who your real father is,” Sarah wet her bottom lip, “I’d bet my house that it’s not Liam like you’ve grown up to think.”