The truth was out. Ethan had lied to everyone about his job. The same people who had congratulated him now looked angry and embarrassed.Grandma turned on him first.“Ethan,” she said, using his real name for the first time that night. “You stood here and lied to all of us. You made us look like fools. Apologize.”Ethan’s face went dark. Being called by his first name already felt like a fall. A minute ago he was “Mr. Manager.” Now he was just Ethan.One of the guests spoke up. “You should get on your knees. After what you did, a simple sorry is not enough.”Ethan looked at Grandma. She did not stop the idea. He felt his last bit of pride break. He dropped to his knees in front of everyone.“I’m sorry,” he said, voice low. “I was ashamed to tell you I lost the job. I didn’t want to look weak. Please forgive me.”Grandma nodded once. “Apology accepted. Stand up.”Ethan stood. His legs felt weak.Alex let out a small laugh. Everyone turned to him.“A while ago you called me a loser,” Al

The front door closed behind Alexander Brooks and the two men in dark suits. For a few seconds no one inside the Anderson house moved. The birthday balloons still floated near the ceiling. The cake still sat on the table with candles that had never been lit. The golden ruler lay on the floor where it had fallen earlier.Then the silence broke.Sarah’s legs gave out. She sat down hard on the nearest chair and stared at the empty doorway. Her mouth opened and closed but no words came out. Grandma stayed in her big chair, hands shaking. The color had left her face completely.“Brooks,” Ethan whispered from the floor. He said the name again like it might change if he repeated it enough times. “Alexander Brooks… the real one?”Williams took a step back and almost tripped over a chair. His confident look was gone. He looked at Sarah, then at Grandma, then at the door again.“That cannot be true,” he said, but his voice was weak. “A delivery boy cannot be the Brooks heir. Someone is playing