eaking project, a venture he highlighted with grandiosity. He avoided any mention of Ava or "Echoes of Eternity," a deliberate act of erasure. Ava watched from the back of the room, a guest a

watching her brother bask in the spot

side, her presence a silent reinforcement of his power. Ava saw her lean in, whisper something in Liam's ear. He glanced in Ava's direction, a brief, almost imperceptible smirk on

oid of the earlier pleasantries. "What were you thinking, Ava?" he hissed, his voice low and dangerous. "Appea

was attending an industry event, Liam. I'm part of t

opportunity, and he takes it. You, Ava, are his current opportunity. A way to get to me." His voice grew louder, his cont

ysical contact, his aggressive posture, brought back a flood of memories. Liam had always been physically dominant, his size

I've done for you? I raised you! I gave you everything! After Mom and Dad died, I became your entire world. I sacrificed everything for you! Do you know how hard it was? I

botaging my work? By humiliating me in front of the entire industry? Is that your idea of protection?" The bitterness was overwhelming. She remembered the early days after their parents' death, Liam, just a teenager himsel

dden behind a mask of anger. He released her arm abruptly, as if burned. "You just don't

held so much power over her, twisting her emotions, pulling her back into his orbit. But now, it was different. She saw the manipulation, the self-serving narrative. He wasn't protecting her; he was

as so consumed by his own warped sense of duty and reputation that he failed to see the irreparable damage he inflicted on the one person he claimed to protect. He was blind to her