The Phantom Heiress Rising From The Shadows

Chapter 545:

The atmosphere changed the instant Ethan and Brenna entered the private room. They spotted Elsa already inside, seated across from a beautiful young woman in a beige dress. The two were chatting and laughing as if they were old friends.

“Minna?” Ethan froze in place, caught between stepping forward and leaving with Brenna.

Brenna’s intuition was razor-sharp as she caught the tension in the air. “Who is she?” she inquired, her gaze turning cold.

Ethan’s jaw tightened in frustration. He turned to Elsa, his voice low but clearly tinged with anger. “Why didn’t you mention you invited someone, Mom?”

Ethan locked eyes with Elsa’s self-assured smirk, and for a fleeting moment, the overbearing figure from his childhood merged with the woman now seated across from him.

Growing up, his sole ambition had been to dive into finance and carve out a career in business. Yet, his parents, steadfast in their conviction, had insisted he pursue a military path through an academy.

In his mind, his parents loomed as strict enforcers, their iron grip fueling his defiance, which often led to grueling punishments—standing at attention,

altered the military application his parents had prepared, securing a spot at one of the nation’s top universities to study

would have to take the exam for a military track the next year. He had even vowed to cut off all financial

acceptance letter, enrolled independently, and gotten his four-year degree without a cent from his family. He hadn’t even returned home for the holidays. Only in his graduation year did a tentative reconciliation begin to take

surged again. Ethan instinctively fortified his heart, his gaze toward Elsa turning icy

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smile, held his stare in a quiet challenge. She

table, she clasped Minna’s hand,

only deepened her sense

to make her feel welcome.” Ignoring

however, caught the intimate way Brenna’s hand rested on Ethan’s arm and realized that Ethan already had a girlfriend. Moreover, his girlfriend was stunningly beautiful, a hundred times