CHAPTER TWO

Ethan Hatton stepped into the world of opulence and grandeur as he approached the towering gates of his father’s magnificent mansion. The sprawling estate boasts exquisite architecture, with its elegant columns, intricate carvings, and a majestic entrance that screams wealth. He breezed into the house in slow strides as the motion sensor sliding doors gave way for him, his sleek Johnston and Murphy shoes hitting the marble floors in rhythmic motions. He didn’t necessarily live here but going back to his penthouse was a bit of a hassle for him especially when everywhere in his house smelled like her, reminded him of her.

Stepping into the foyer, he approached the sweeping staircase, adorned with a lavish chandelier that cast a warm, golden glow around the house. Each room was a masterpiece, from the luxurious ballroom with its sparkling crystal chandeliers to the cozy library lined with shelves upon shelves of leather-bound books that he never once bothered to read. Still, Ethan wasn’t in the mood to behold the glory that was his father’s house. His head thrummed with a dull ache while he went over the events of the day and it surprised him how well he was taking it. He found his way to his younger brother’s room and he could hear the booming music from three rooms away and without knocking he twisted the door handle, surprised at how easily the door gave way, Jackson Hatton was not known to leave his door unlocked.

The strong smell of booze hit his nose instantly, strobe lights dancing from the ceiling and rap music booming from the speakers with his brother nowhere in sight in his suite room. He walked further into the adjoining bedroom not surprised to find Jackson making out with a petite blonde girl on his king-size bed. Without warning, he turned on the lights causing the girl to jump in surprise while Jackson remained calm, a streak of surprise across his eyes but there was no shame, no regret, only a bit of a smirk playing on his lips.

“Running a brothel here now, are we?” Ethan smirked, moving to sit on the ottoman at one end of the room as the blonde girl struggled to put herself together whom Ethan noticed was actually Asian. 

“Not knocking on doors now, are we?” Jackson replied before whispering something to the girl and watching her walk away before turning to face his brother with a playful frown on his face.

“The door was open” Ethan offered defensively “I doubt you’d have heard with all these noises and your pretty distraction, that one is new”

“Well what can I say” Jackson jumped down from the bed, pouring his brother a glass of whiskey before turning the music down 

“Well you’re here, brooding as usual so I guess the proposal went well and she said yes,” Jackson asked taking a sip from his glass, and when he got no response his eyes went wide

“No way!” he yelled in mock surprise before bursting into fits of laughter.

“She said she didn’t want to be a company wife, what does that even mean?” Ethan said with a defeated look

“Our engagement was my redemption, seal the deal and get me on father’s good books again. You know what he’s going to think when he learns about this, I can’t keep a woman, how the bloody hell am I going to keep the company”

Jackson smiled, slicking his ginger hair backward while he enjoyed his brother’s rant “That’s a pretty valid conclusion, judging from the fact that you lost the company a 30 billion dollar deal”

“Shut up” Ethan flashed suddenly getting up “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“She broke my heart,” Ethan he said again, suddenly pacing the room

“You don’t have a heart” Jackson reminded him “You’re not exactly an easy person to be with Ethan. You should go to therapy and do it fast before Father starts focusing on me because trust me I have no interest in the company or getting married”

“What did I do wrong, why can’t Anita be with me?” Ethan went on, ignoring his brother

“Do you love her?” 

“I took her on vacations around the world, bought her freaking Chanel bags and shoes and she could have had a lot more if she freaking agreed to get married to me”

“I could do all that for a random girl I meet at the club because money is not a problem for us, but did you love her, did you care about her?”

“We’d been together for three years, how could I not?”

“Did you care about her the way she needed you to care about or did you fly her around the world and neglect her emotional needs”

“What the hell is an emotional need, who needs that when you’re lying bareback on a beach in Hawaii” 

“Therapy Ethan, seriously consider therapy” Jackson sighed

“Fuck that” Ethan retorted back

“So what are you going to do now that you’re back on the hot bachelor list, go wild or go home” Jackson asked.

Ethan stood pensive for a moment, then like a bright bulb clicking on his head he smiled, wriggling his eyebrows at his brother.

“That’s the look of a stupid idea Ethan” Jackson said

“Well it is indeed stupid but I am going to find someone to marry me for sport and once the deal closes and I’m back on father’s good books and the will, we create a scenario for a messy divorce”

“God, Ethan” Jackson massaged his temple in frustration “How are you the elder one, you’re 28 for God’s sake and with that look on your face, I’m pretty sure this is a solid idea for you”

“I just need my inheritance back brother; I don’t care how it happens”

"Either by crook or by hook"