<b>Chapter </b><b>102 </b>


    <b>62 </b>


    I stood frozen at my front door, watching Linda’s face contort with rage the moment she saw me. The porch light cast harsh shadows across her features, making her look almost monstrous.


    “You!” she screamed, jabbing a finger in my direction. “You ungrateful little bitch! How dare you show your face here. after what you’ve done!”


    Linda lunged forward, her hand raised to p me. I caught her wrist mid–air without even thinking about it. With minimal effort, I pushed her away, causing her to stumble backward andnd on her ass on our cracked concrete walkway.


    “Don’t touch me,” I said, my voice deadly calm.


    Linda’s face crumpled, and she burst into theatrical sobs that echoed through the quiet neighborhood. “Look what she did to me! She pushed me! After everything I’ve done for her!”


    I noticed curtains twitching and doors cracking open as neighbors emerged to witness the drama unfolding in our front yard. Mrs. Young from across the street didn’t even try to hide her interest, standing on her porch with arms


    crossed over her bathrobe.


    “She ruined Emily’s life!” Linda wailed, ying to her audience. “She got my baby kicked out of Princeton! Emily had a full schrship, and this–this monster destroyed everything!”


    Max appeared in the doorway behind Frank, his face pale and drawn. His knuckles were white where they gripped his crutch, and I could see fresh bruises forming on his cheek where Linda had struck him.


    I stepped around Linda, who was still sobbing dramatically on the ground, and approached my brother.


    “You okay?” I asked softly.


    Max nodded slightly, his eyes darting nervously between me and Linda.


    “This isn’t your fault,‘ I told him firmly. “It’s theirs. They made their choices.”


    I nced back at Linda, who was now being helped up by one of the neighbors, still putting on her victim act.


    ‘Pack your things,” I said to Max. “You’reing with me to Princeton.”


    Max’s eyes widened, “What?”


    “You heard me. Go get your stuff. Whatever you need. We’re leaving.”


    Max hesitated, looking uncertainly at Linda, who had abruptly stopped crying and was now staring at us in shock.


    “But… I can’t just leave,” he whispered.


    ?


    “Why not? There’s nothing for you here except more of this.” I gestured to the scene around us. “I’m not saying cut them offpletely. I’m saying you’reing to Princeton early. To study there.”


    “He is NOT going anywhere with you!” Linda shrieked, scrambling to her feet. Her mascara had run down her cheeks in ck rivulets, but her eyes burned with fury. “Max, if you walk out that door with her, don’t you ever call me Mom again! Do you hear me?”


    I turned to face her, my patience evaporating. “Let’s think about what happens if I call the police right now, Linda. Theft of intellectual property for financial gain. Fraud on a university schrship application. Physical assault of a minor.” I nodded toward Max’s bruised face. “False imprisonment when you kept Max from school to prevent him from contacting me. Should I continue?”


    Linda’s face paled, but she quickly recovered. “Go ahead! Call them! Everyone in this neighborhood will know what you did. They’ll know you destroyed your sister’s future! They’ll-”


    “Enough.” Frank’s quiet voice cut through Linda’s tirade. He stepped forward, cing himself between us. “We’re family. We don’t need to involve the police. We can work this out.”


    I looked at him with genuine disappointment. “I thought you were just weak, Frank. Now I see you can’t even tell


    right from wrong.”


    “Jade, please-”


    “No.” I cut him off. “The money I gave you for fixing the yard and buying new appliances? Consider that payment for whatever you think you’ve done for me. From now on, I don’t owe you anything.”


    The sound of a car door closing made us all turn. The sleek ck Maybach had pulled up to the curb, and Ethan Haxton was emerging from the back seat, his tailored suit a stark contrast to our shabby neighborhood.


    “Is everything alright?” he asked, his deep voice carrying easily across the yard as he walked toward us. Every movement was graceful, controlled, exuding wealth and power without effort.


    The neighbors<b>‘ </b>whispers grew louder. I could hear them specting about who this stranger in the expensive suit


    might be and what business he had with the Morgans.


    Linda stopped mid–scream, her eyes widening as she took in Ethan and the luxury vehicle behind him. Her entire demeanor changed in an instant.


    “Oh my goodness,<b>” </b>she said, hurriedly wiping at her tear–stained cheeks. “I’m so sorry about this scene. We’re just having a little family disagreement.”


    Ethan’s eyes flicked from Linda to me, one eyebrow slightly raised in question.


    “Max ising with me,” I said simply, “Linda doesn’t approve.”


    :..


    62


    Ethan nodded, understanding immediately. He turned to his driver, who was standing by the car. ‘Connor, would you mind helping Max with his belongings?”


    Connor nodded and moved toward the house. Linda stepped aside, suddenly powerless in the face of Ethan’s quiet authority.


    As Connor and Max disappeared inside, Linda sidled closer to me, her voice dropping to a whisper. “Who is he? Is he your… boyfriend? Her eyes gleamed with calction. “You could have told me you were dating someone important, Jade. I would have understood.”


    “Don’t, I warned, my voice ice cold. “Drop the act. It’s pathetic.”


    Linda flinched but quickly recovered, stering on a fake smile as Max and Connor emerged from the house. Max had a duffel bag slung over his shoulder and hisptop case in hand. Connor carried a small suitcase.


    “Is that everything?” I asked Max.


    He nodded. “Just some clothes, books, my medication, and myputer.”


    Connor loaded the bags into the Maybach’s trunk while Linda hovered nearby, her expression fluctuating between rage and calction.


    I turned to face her onest time. “Listen carefully. I’m taking Max to Princeton so he can focus on his studies without your bullshit. He’s still your son, and if he wants to visit or call you, that’s his choice. But if I hear that you’ve shown up at Princeton causing problems or something again, I will make sure you and Emily face legal consequences for what you’ve done. Understand?”


    Linda’s face hardened, but she nodded stiffly.


    Max climbed into the backseat of the Maybach, and I slid in beside him. Ethan joined us on the other side, leaving Connor to close the door and take his ce behind the wheel.


    As we pulled away, I saw Frank standing on the sidewalk, one hand half–raised as if he wanted to stop us. But he remained where he was, silent and unmoving, growing smaller in the rear window.


    Max stared out the window at the only home he’d ever known, his expression unreadable. The silence in the car was heavy until Ethan broke it.


    “Respecting one’s parents is important,‘ he said quietly to Max. “But blind obedience to injustice, even from family, <b>is </b>not respect. It’s surrender.”


    Max looked at him with surprise, then nodded slowly, understanding dawning in his eyes.


    I turned to Ethan, a small smirk ying on my lips. “Enjoyed the show, Mr. Haxton?”