The Phantom Heiress Rising From The Shadows

Chapter 245 Being Ignored

As noon approached, Ethan's sleek car glided to a halt outside the Harper estate. Clad in his signature tailored black suit with artfully tousled hair, Ethan cut a striking figure, embodying effortless style with a touch of sophistication.

To everyone's astonishment, Ethan emerged with an uncharacteristic smile, his usual icy demeanor visibly softened. The tension that typically coiled around his broad shoulders had evaporated.

Rosie's eyes were glued to Ethan. Months had slipped by since she had last seen him, and now here he was, beaming-surely that smile was meant for her. Her heart fluttered with hope.

"Ethan!" she called out eagerly, maneuvering her wheelchair toward him with unseemly haste.

Brenna set her salad fork down with deliberate calm. She had intended to greet Ethan, but Rosie's desperate interception made her pause. Watching the scene with detached amusement, she waited for Rosie to be ignored by Ethan.

Ethan, buoyed by the significance of being included in a Harper family gathering, even offered Rosie a rare courtesy. "How's your recovery coming along?" he asked.

The words were polite, yet his gaze never strayed from Brenna. The warmth in his eyes as he looked at her could have melted glaciers, his expression tender with affection.

Without waiting for a response from Rosie, he strode past her as if she were merely part of the landscaping,

making a beeline for Brenna.

Rosie's face crumpled. The brutal dismissal cut deeper than any physical pain from her injuries. Even Ethan's retreating figure seemed to reject her, his entire being focused solely on Brenna.

Hot tears pricked at the corners of her eyes.

The Harper siblings exchanged knowing glances. They felt no sympathy for Rosie, and Audrey even believed Rosie had brought the humiliation upon herself.

uncharacteristic deference, the

the gifts Ethan had

reached Brenna. From his jacket pocket, he produced a single perfect rose. "For you," he said

it, her smile finally reaching

bloom to her nose,

salvage her pride, Rosie maneuvered closer. The sight of that rose-a symbol of affection-in Brenna's

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her envy and frustration, she forced a brittle smile. "I made your favorite soup," she

nod, the bare minimum of courtesy required in the presence of

was as clear as day. Meanwhile, Brenna, who had just returned to the family, had somehow enchanted everyone

was remarkable for

She was different.

this household, Luther believed only he truly had Rosie's best

overbearing patriarch in this family. While he wouldn't meddle in matters of the heart, witnessing Rosie's suffering

mind-when the moment was right, he would introduce Rosie to

comes straight from the garden. I picked them myself," Rosie declared, sliding a porcelain dish toward Ethan. "Organic produce. You

herself

favorite dish," she murmured, invoking childhood memories like a finely honed weapon. "You Cused to love it during

finesse, she placed some food onto Ethan's plate

hope.

do this. I am Brenna's boyfriend, and it would be inappropriate for me

eyes. "I meant nothing by it!" The protest burst forth from her throat. "You've always been like family-like a brother

to Brenna. "Surely you can appreciate childhood

just shrugged, her demeanor cold.