Chapter 162
But the second he stepped through the doors, Lacey practically lunged at him.
“How is Lucas? Is he awake yet p>
Ethan glared at her. “Why don’t you ask about the men who risked their lives for you today p>
“Ethan, watch your tone! Is that how you speak to your mother p>
“I’d love to respect my mother, but you have to act like someone worthy of it first. Your son was just hit with some kind of knockout drug by Mira. He’ll be fine once it wears off. But three of those men are permanently disabled. How are they supposed to provide for their families now p>
“We’ve paid them well for years. Bleeding for us is literally their job. Casualties are just part of the business p>
“So that’s how you see it,” Ethan scoffed. “Careful, mother. With an attitude like that, you’ll find yourself without a shred of loyalty left p>
Logically, she wasn’t entirely wrong, but people weren’t machines. If a boss never cared about their subordinates, no one would genuinely follow them.
“What else was I supposed to do?” she wailed. “Mara is dying! It’s all that wretched Mira’s fault. She couldn’t even spare a little blood p>
“I’ve said it a thousand times-Mira owes her nothing. If she helps, it’s a favor. If she doesn’t, it’s her right. Stop obsessing over her p>
At this point, Mira was practically a mortal enemy of the family.
“I can’t just stand by and watch Mara die!” Lacey sobbed.
“We did everything we could. The rest is out of our hands p>
“You are so cold, Ethan. She’s your sister p>
Her eldest son was becoming more unfeeling by the day.
“What do you want me to do? Trade my life for hers and see if that cures her p>
Lately, Ethan had been plagued by the same recurring nightmare: both of his sisters being kidnapped at the same time. The family chose to save Mara first, and Mira was killed by the hostage-takers p>
It had never actually happened, so why did the dream keep haunting him?
Was it a warning from some higher power?
Given his family’s twisted priorities, he had no doubt they would make that exact choice if it ever came down to it.
No wonder Mira had walked away and cut them off entirely.
Had she been having the same nightmares?
Despite Lacey’s hysterical crying, Ethan had no energy left to comfort her. He settled the hospital bills, paid the deposits, and headed straight back to the office.
Just as Lacey was drowning in her misery, Norman appeared, offering the perfect shoulder to cry on.
Playing the sympathetic listener, Norman smoothly extracted every detail of the confrontation.
“I’m so sorry, ma’am. Please, take care of yourself. If you collapse, who will look after Mara p>
Even as he offered the comforting words, he was pulling out his phone.
“Excuse me for just a second, ma’am. Let me fire off a quick text for work p>
Without missing a beat, Norman
typed out a detailed, word-for-word
summary of the fight. Lacey had just described and sent it straight to. Shane.
He slipped the phone back into his pocket and turned to lacey. “Malam,
have an urgent matter hea Bet
Please, take care of your health p>
Before leaving, he even reached out and gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
He had gotten the intel he needed; he certainly wasn’t going to stick around to play therapist.
Lacey watched Norman walk away, staring down the corridor for a long time.
Why couldn’t her own husband and sons be this considerate?
Meanwhile, back at the office, Shane and Allen were staring at the incoming texts, deep in thought.
How was Mira getting so dangerous?
She was just a young girl who had been kicked out of her house. Where was she finding these elite fighters?
And where did she get her hands on such a high-grade knockout drug?
Allen, however, was silently praying that his son had just been drugged and locked
in a basement somewhere.
If that were true, at least he wasn’t dead.
“Hold off on any moves for now,” Shane ordered. “Put more eyes on Mira p>
Allen snapped out of his daze. “Right away, boss p>