Chapter 61

Jack and Ben returned to the room, their faces changing as they noticed how I responded-or didn't-to Ethan's abrupt admission. Ben looked at me, his expression a mixture of astonishment and hesitancy.

Ethan had a look at them and then left us alone.

Ben began by saying, "Emily," as though he was surprised that I hadn't exploded yet. "I know this is... a lot." His tone grew softer. "But I'm actually kind of relieved that you're taking this well."

"Taking this well?" My jaw tightened. I just gazed at him for a while, calculating the wrath that had begun to well up when I realized how many people had been keeping me in the dark. I spoke carefully so he could hear me all the way through, "Ben, I thought you were my friend. You were aware of everything, and you never considered telling me?"

He flinched, his eyes dropping to the ground, obviously uneasy. "I didn't make the decision, Emily. Ethan well, he thought it was best. And I didn't. I didn't think it was my place to interfere."

My breath came out sharply. "Not your place to interfere? You witnessed everything, Ben, so how could you even-? You were aware of my confusion and disorientation. You saw me struggle with each clue, and you simply allowed it to happen?"

Ben's shoulders slumped in defeat as he opened his mouth to speak but was only able to sigh. "I know I let you down. But Ethan he thought this would pass. that he was capable of handling things on his own. And I"

"That is the issue, isn't it?" I interrupted, raising my voice. "You prioritized Ethan before all else. Above what's right, even above me. I tried to put my trust in you both during this chaos, but I discovered that you were keeping important details from me the whole time."

With a practiced lack of interest, Jack had been sitting behind Ethan's desk, using one hand to browse through his laptop's emails while using the other to tap a pen on the desk. He was obviously trying to avoid getting involved and appeared more irritated than worried.

Ben cried out, losing his concentration, "Jack. Come up here and back me up. You know I didn't have a choice."

Jack gently raised his head, glancing from me to Ben and back. Then he sighed deeply and snapped the laptop shut. He said, picking his words carefully, "Look, Emily. I've known Ben a long time. And believe me when I say that Ben is incredibly loyal. I can't blame him for following Ethan's instructions, even when they might not have been the best call."

With a mix of disbelief and betrayal, I went to Jack. "What are you saying, then? That loyalty makes it all acceptable?"

Jack leaned forward, his eyes keen, and shook his head. "I'm saying Ethan has a way of dragging people along on his terms, and Ben's loyalty to him is unwavering. It's not a justification. Emily, I understand why you're furious." After running a hand through his hair, he folded his arms and leaned back.

"But," he continued, "if Ben didn't tell you, it's not because he wanted to deceive you. He is simply, like the rest of us, trapped in the middle."

Ben ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Emily, I sincerely apologize. I know I messed up. I didn't wish to cause you any harm. Ethan has been in a challenging situation. We both believed that keeping you out of it would keep you safe."

"Keep me safe?" I said it again, my tone brimming with irony. "You believed that keeping me in the dark would protect me? How did that ever make sense?"

He flinched. "It's not logical, I know. But it felt like less of a risk at the time."

I crossed my arms and sighed in frustration. "You and Ethan are so preoccupied with defending one another that you fail to consider the people you are genuinely harming."

As though he had heard enough, Jack leaned back and took out his phone, looking partly bored as he browsed through his emails. Ben gave him a helpless look as he attempted to get Jack to rejoin the conversation in the hopes that he would say something to defuse the situation.

Ben begged, "Help me out here, Jack."

Jack tapped his phone lightly against the desk and looked up. "Emily, believe me, if you think it's hard dealing with Ethan now, you should've known him back when he started running Monroe Enterprises with Henry. The secrets, the back-door deals Ethan was never considered a son by Henry, but rather a business partner. Ethan believes that he is acting in the same way as his father would have."

"So that justifies deceiving me?" I fired back.

Jack scowled, obviously annoyed by the whole thing. "No, that doesn't justify it. I also informed Ethan that he needed to be open and honest with you. But he's not going to change overnight. Ever since he took over Monroe Enterprises, he has been living in survival mode. He isn't accustomed to letting people in, particularly those he cares about." Jack's tone became more serious as his voice grew a little softer.

Ben gave me a serious look as he glanced at me. "If I could go back in time and change anything, I would, Emily. It wasn't until now that I realized how incorrect it was."

"And, honestly, Emily, we're running out of time to fight over it," Jack continued. We're all in the middle of this investigation. The shadow of Victor Alvarez hangs over everything, and the FBI isn't giving up either."

I let out a breath and felt my shoulders sink. "And Richards?"

Jack smiled just a little. " Remember I filed a restraining order against him on your behalf. He won't be able to harass you directly for a while. But we still need to be careful about what we say and do. He is unrelenting."

I looked from Jack to Ben and arched an eyebrow. "So, you two don't mind getting sucked into whatever Ethan is doing right now? Whatever plan he has?"

Ben looked at him and shrugged. "We're all in too deep to turn back now, Emily."

The door opened before I could reply, and Ethan returned with a confident but enigmatic smile.

He looked from me to Ben and Jack and said, "Are we done?" as though he was challenging us to ask him more questions.

There was silence in the room. Jack and Ben were waiting, just as eager as I was for a response, but I wasn't sure whether he would provide it.

Jack said, his voice harsh but controlled, "Ethan, you can't just walk out in the middle of a conversation like that."

Ethan answered, avoiding eye contact, "I know. But I needed to make sure of something."

Ben's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"

Ethan's face became stern. He turned to Jack and Ben after giving me another look. "You don't need to worry about Richards for now."

His speech carried a finality that left us all silent and staring at each other with obvious bewilderment as the words lingered in the air.

Jack and I exchanged a glance of instant worry, and Ben, who had just become motionless, jerked to his feet. "Ethan, what did you do?"