Chapter 4

Ethan' s head snapped towards Molly. His eyes narrowed.

"Molly? What are you doing here?"

He recognized her. She did part-time administrative work for one of his smaller, independent contracting projects. She knew him only as her blue-collar boss, not as the heir to the Lester construction empire.

The connection was made. The lie was exposed.

Molly's father, still on the floor, grunted in confusion. "Boss? What is she talking about? This is the rich punk who attacked my daughter!"

Ethan let out a short, harsh laugh. He released the man, who scrambled away. Ethan stood tall, his presence suddenly filling the entire room.

"There seems to be a misunderstanding," Ethan said, his voice dangerously calm. He looked at Molly, then at my mother. "My name is Ethan Lester. My family owns Lester Construction. And I've been with Gabrielle all evening. We went to a concert."

The name hit them like a physical blow. Molly' s jaw dropped. Debra' s face turned ashen. The "rebellious contractor" was the golden ticket himself.

Debra recovered first, her mind racing to spin a new web of lies.

"Gabrielle, you liar!" she shrieked, pointing at me. "You hired this man to pose as your date to make us look bad! You've always been jealous of Molly!"

It was a pathetic attempt. Ethan' s authority was undeniable. He just shook his head in disgust.

"I've heard enough," he said, pulling out his own phone. "I'm calling the police."

"No!" Debra and Molly screamed in unison.

But it was too late.