41. Call to Ethan

Logan Hamilton stormed into his office at his headquarters, fury written all over his face. He had just been briefed on the full extent of what had happened: his sister, the one person he valued above all, had been cast out of the family home and left to fend for herself. The sheer audacity of it all was mind-boggling. Logan's mind raced, a whirlwind of disbelief, anger, and betrayal swirling within him. "They've all lost their damn minds," he muttered, his voice tight with barely contained rage. "Grandfather, Dad—they've gone completely insane. And my brothers? What the hell were they thinking, agreeing to this and keeping me in the dark?"

Without another moment of hesitation, Logan grabbed his phone, his anger boiling over. He scrolled through his contacts until he found his fourth brother's name: Ethan Hamilton. Logan rarely called Ethan directly; their interactions were usually handled through intermediaries given their differing worlds and complicated relationship. Logan was the powerful, ruthless head of the family's external operations—a kingpin in every sense of the word, feared by enemies and allies alike. Ethan, on the other hand, managed the more discreet aspects of their empire: the shadows, the secrets, and the dirt no one else could touch. Their worlds rarely intersected without friction. But today was different. Today, Logan had no patience for protocol, courtesy, or the layers of secrecy that often defined their dynamic.

Ethan was in his sleek, high-tech office when he saw Logan's name flash on his screen. He had been reviewing some sensitive information when the phone rang, and a sinking feeling hit his gut. He knew something was wrong—Logan never called him like this, not without a damn good reason. The tension in his stomach tightened as he realized the truth: Logan had found out about their sister. Ethan's mind quickly pieced it together. They had tried to keep Logan out of the loop, knowing how volatile his reaction would be, but clearly, that plan had backfired. Ethan cursed under his breath. "Shit, this is bad," he muttered, knowing there was no point in avoiding the inevitable.

He answered the call, bracing himself for the onslaught. Logan's voice erupted on the other end, a torrent of fury that bordered on the edge of violence. "Ethan! You've got some damn nerve, keeping this from me! Who the hell do you think you are, making decisions like that about our sister without telling me? You and the others, you're all out of your minds! Who thought it was a good idea to throw her out? Do you have any idea what you've done?"

Ethan held the phone slightly away from his ear, grimacing at the volume and intensity of Logan's outburst. He had expected anger but not the raw, unfiltered fury that practically burned through the line. Ethan waited for Logan's tirade to slow down, each second feeling like an eternity. When the verbal storm finally abated, Ethan spoke, his voice calm but laced with frustration. "Logan, I get it—you're pissed, and honestly, you have every right to be. But we didn't make this decision lightly. And yeah, trying to keep you in the dark? That was clearly a mistake on our part."

Logan's anger didn't diminish; it only sharpened into a pointed accusation. "You better damn well explain yourself, Ethan. Because right now, it looks like you're neck-deep in this mess, just like the rest of them. Tell me the truth—did you have a hand in this? Did you vote to throw her out too?"

Ethan hesitated, and that split-second pause was enough for Logan. It was as if the truth was written in the silence that hung between them. Logan's voice grew cold, like ice crackling over water. "I knew it. You did, didn't you? You betrayed her—betrayed us."

Ethan's face hardened, but his voice remained steady. "It's not that simple, Logan. There was pressure from every side. Grandfather and Dad—they're obsessed with the family's image, the business, their legacy. They've lost touch with everything else. And as for me, I didn't vote to throw her out. I tried to find a compromise, something that would keep the peace and protect her at the same time, but it all spun out of control. It wasn't a unanimous decision. Some of us fought it. But when Grandfather and Dad pull rank… you know how that goes."

Logan's fury was unrelenting. "Spare me the excuses, Ethan. You had a choice, and you chose wrong. And don't think I didn't notice you trying to dodge the question. Whether you actively voted or stood by, you're complicit. Our sister is out there on her own because none of you had the guts to stand up to those old men. You think this is about the family's reputation? It's about power—plain and simple. They're willing to sacrifice anyone to keep it, and you went right along with them."

Ethan ran a hand through his hair, his frustration bubbling to the surface. "Logan, you have to understand. The situation was volatile. Grandfather's paranoia is off the charts, and Dad's just as bad. The whole family's being ripped apart from the inside, and there's no easy way to fix it. I didn't want this any more than you did, but we were backed into a corner. If I'd fought any harder, I would've been cut off too, and then who would've been left to try and pull her back in?"

Logan's grip on his phone tightened, his knuckles turning white as his temper flared once more. "Cut off? You're worried about your position? About staying in the good graces of a bunch of power-hungry, self-serving old men? She's our sister, Ethan! You can't justify that. You don't get to play both sides and pretend you're the hero."

Ethan's voice dropped, tinged with a bitterness that mirrored Logan's own. "I'm not trying to be a hero, Logan. I'm just trying to navigate this mess without losing everything in the process. You think you're the only one who's angry? You're not. But going in guns blazing isn't going to fix this. We need a plan. We need to figure out what the hell is really going on because if Miriam's involved, then this isn't just about Grandfather and Dad anymore. It's a whole other level of dangerous."

Logan's eyes narrowed at the mention of Miriam. Ethan could hear the suspicion in Logan's silence, the cogs turning in his brother's mind. "Miriam," Logan repeated, his voice low and dangerous. "What does she have to do with this? How deep does this go, Ethan? If she's part of this, then it's not just a power struggle—it's a coup."

Ethan nodded, though Logan couldn't see it. "Exactly. I've been digging, and the more I find, the uglier it gets. Miriam's playing a long game, and she's not the only one. There's a conspiracy brewing under our noses, and it's aimed at tearing this family apart from the inside. Our sister was just the first casualty."

Logan's resolve hardened, his voice steely with determination. "Then we expose them all. I'm done playing nice, Ethan. I don't care who gets in the way—Grandfather, Dad, Miriam, anyone. They've made this personal, and I'm going to tear down everything they've built if that's what it takes to get her back. And you better decide whose side you're on because when this goes down, there's no middle ground. You're either with me or against me."

Ethan closed his eyes, the weight of Logan's words settling heavily on his shoulders. This was no longer a family dispute—it was war. And Logan was right about one thing: there would be no neutral ground when the dust finally settled. "I'm with you, Logan," Ethan said quietly, his voice filled with the gravity of his choice. "But we have to be smart. One wrong move, and we all go down. Let's figure this out, together."

Logan's response was a curt, determined nod, even though Ethan couldn't see it. "Fine. But make no mistake—I'm going to do whatever it takes. And if you're really with me, then you better be ready to cross every line we were taught never to cross."