DONG…DONG!The entrance door of the Acosta family mansion vibrated under the force of the doorbell.Inside, Willie sat in the living room, flipping through his daily newspaper—which had arrived much later than usual—when the sound echoed again. He paused mid-read, lifting his head as his attention shifted toward the door.“Ethan! Ethan!” he called out.From the kitchen, where he had been busy washing dishes, Ethan responded immediately. He stepped out, wiping his wet hands against his clothes as he walked into the living room.Willie didn’t say much. He simply pointed toward the entrance.“Someone’s at the door. Go and see who it is.”Ethan gave a slight nod, offering no resistance. He turned and headed for the door. Reaching it, he leaned slightly and peered through the small opening.The moment his eyes landed on the figure outside, his expression darkened."Joshua Wong?!" A surge of anger flared within him instantly.For a brief second, Ethan considered ignoring him—pretending no

Without wasting another second, Caro rushed to Willie’s side and helped him up from the floor.He quickly reached for his medicated glasses, which had been knocked off by Ethan’s push. The moment he put them back on, Caro turned toward Ethan, her face twisted in fury.“You animal!” she snarled, her voice trembling with rage. “How dare you push the patriarch of this family? Where did you get that nerve from?And what if you had seriously injured him? What would you have said then? Huh?!”Her voice rose to a piercing scream as she glared furiously at Ethan.As her voice echoed with so much rage, Ethan stood there, his expression hardened. He had watched Willie grab Micheala’s hair with such brutal force that it seemed like her scalp would tear. The sight alone had ignited something uncontrollable within him. Before he could restrain himself, he had shoved Willie so hard that he crashed to the ground, and his head hitting the floor with a sickening impact.Seeing that Ethan remained sil

The words had barely left Joshua’s lips when Darlington stepped forward hastily.“You don’t have to worry about whether he’ll accept the offer or not, Mr. Wong. Ethan will definitely work for you!”He paused, turning to Ethan with a pointed look.“Am I right, Ethan?”Without wasting any time, Ethan nodded. “Of course. I’ll do it. I’ll work as a janitor for him.”The moment those words left Ethan’s mouth, Michaela was stunned to the core.It wasn’t just her—Joshua was equally taken aback.They had both expected Ethan to refuse at first. Michaela, especially, had been certain he WOULD never agree to work under Joshua Wong. Yet, to her utter disbelief, he accepted without hesitation.As for Joshua, he knew the kind of person Ethan was.Ethan was not someone who allowed his ego to be trampled on. Joshua was certain of that. He had expected Ethan to reject the offer outright, giving Willie the chance to pressure or force him into accepting it later.But no.Ethan said yes—directly, bluntly

Hearing Micheala’s request, Ethan let out a soft, quiet chuckle.She wanted him to forget the party. To walk away from the janitor job under Darlington. And in exchange, she was offering him five times the pay Joshua was supposed to earn? It almost sounded tempting—if money was the reason he had taken the job in the first place.But that was the problem.This had never been about money.How was he supposed to make her understand that?One thousand dollars? That was nothing to him. Even five thousand Dollars meant just as little as a PENNY!. To Ethan, those figures were as insignificant as LOOSE CHANGE carelessly left behind.He studied her face, wishing, just for a moment, that she could see beyond what he had shown her. Wishing she could understand that his reason for going to that event ran far deeper than any paycheck.Because if he didn’t go… everything would fall apart.If he accepted her offer and stayed back, how would he expose the truth? How would he tear apart the carefully

5:40 PMEvery member of the Murfers family was already dressed in their finest outfits, fully prepared for the grand event—the Welcome Back celebration of Thai Wong.They stood together, ready… waiting for one person—“Ethan?!” Caro snapped, her voice sharp with irritation.“Where is that stupid man? And why on earth is he keeping us waiting?” she demanded, turning to Willie with an annoyed glare.“Don’t you think it’s a better idea to just leave him here and let him come by himself? After all, he wasn’t even invited. He was only called to serve as a janitor!”"Why did you sound like that, Auntie?" Michaela's voice came up after hers. “The same way we waited for you to get here is the same way we’re waiting for him. We are going there as one family.”Caro scoffed under her breath, folding her arms tightly.“One big family? Please. I can never be part of the same ‘big family’ with someone like Ethan Loner. What do you take me for… poor?”Before Micheala could respond, Benjie’s voice s