?Chapter 1696:


    Still, he managed a forced chuckle, muttering, “Yes. Dani, we weren’t in the right state when we harmed your mother. Regret’s been eating at us for years. Now that we’re family, could you possibly spare us?” Brad observed Dani, gauging her reaction.


    Ethan, eyes still on the paper, said tly, “Brad, that’s not how it works. Everyone should face the consequences after making mistakes, or others might follow suit. Dani has a generous spirit, but it’s no excuse to exploit it. Letting the legal system handle this sounds most impartial.”


    With his shares secured in Dani’spany, Ethan felt anchored.


    He added with gravity, “And besides, calling someone ‘family’ shouldn’t justify burdening them unfairly. Once, we leaned on Hamilton for the same excuse—and that was unjust. We should live in peace but not at the expense of fairness. Isn’t that right, Hamilton?”


    Ethan shot Hamilton a warm nce.


    Hamilton gave a grunt in reply, but his eyes never strayed from Brad.


    Brad squeezed out a pained smile. “Exactly… That’s what I meant. I was going to say the same thing.”


    As he spoke, he nearly bit down in frustration.


    Ethan gave a shortugh, sliding thepleted confession over. “Here it is. Review it if you must. Otherwise, just sign, put your fingerprint on it, and give it to Dani.”


    Brad lowered his gaze. A wave of disorientation swept over him.


    Ethan had indeed been exhaustive. Every detail, every phrase, every link to the tragedy that befell Dani’s mother—it was all inscribed like a full-length report, thousands of words in minutes.


    Wordlessly, Brad stared at Ethan, who returned a cheerful grin and asked, “Want to add anything, Brad?” He held out the writing tool and the red ink pad.


    “Just ce your signature and print here.”


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    Brad hovered over the document, then nced up at the circle around him.


    Dani watched silently.


    Cedric remained expressionless, his stare icy.


    Carol had her arms tucked, amusement glinting in her stare.<fn17de> Readplete version only at FindN0vel</fn17de>


    Hamilton’s jaw was tight, eyes fixed on Brad’s every movement.


    Brad felt cornered. He clutched the pen but couldn’t bring it down. “Well… Ethan, your penmanship still hasn’t improved. See? A few spelling ws here and there.” He turned to Dani. “Dani, this won’t do. Let me recover a bit—once my elbow feels better, I’ll draft you something heartfelt myself. A sincere apology should look the part.”


    Ethan nearly retorted about the supposed errors, but Dani had already turned to the television, answering in a distant tone, “Fine. I’ll wait for that document then.”


    Brad took in the detached look on her face and had a strange feeling that he had missed hisst chance.


    Brad and Ethan continued to stay in Dani’s vi.


    The housekeeper asked, “Mr. McCoy, are you looking to fix something in the kitchen? Tell me what you’d like—I’ll prepare it.”


    Brad peered around the vacant sitting area and cleared his throat. “Lunch wasn’t filling. Just a small bowl of noodles, something quick—I wouldn’t want to rouse anyone.” She nodded. “Understood.”


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