The tension between the two men was inevitable.
Neither of them looked away. They now stood facing each other, father and son, bound by blood yet divided by something far more fragile. Pride. Control. Betrayal.
Marcus was the first to break the silence.
He let out a humorless laugh, the sound cold and sharp enough to cut through the fragile air between them.
"So this was your plan?" Marcus said, his eyes shifting toward Kathrine. "To humiliate me in front of Ethan."
Kathrine's breath caught.
"I told you to meet me alone," Marcus continued, his voice smooth but laced with accusation. "Yet you chose to involve my son. You wanted him to see this. To make me appear small before him."
Her brows drew together instantly, confusion flooding her expression.
She had done no such thing and had kept her word.
She had not told Ethan. Not a single word.
Her gaze flickered toward him involuntarily. Seeing him here, hearing Marcus's accusation, made doubt creep into her thoughts.
