ManyWriters

Ethan Blake's father was my family's bodyguard. He was brutally stabbed to death while rescuing me from kidnappers.
My father, consumed by guilt, took Ethan into our home and raised him as part of our family. He planned for Ethan to marry me when we grew up, as a way in honor of this debt of gratitude.
I also felt indebted and tried everything to win Ethan's affection, almost to the point of fawning over him.
However, Ethan always treated me with cold indifference, barely acknowledging my existence.
One evening, I was working on my personal statements for university applications, he suddenly came to see me and asked about my preparations for the Science Innovation Award.
I thought he had finally warmed up to me and excitedly shared all the details of my project with him.
One week later, I discovered that Ethan's childhood sweetheart, Olivia, had stolen my idea and submitted it as her own for the competition.
She ended up winning first place in the Science Innovation Award and received an early admission to Stanford University.
Heartbroken, I confronted Ethan about why he had extracted my ideas to help Olivia.
He replied with utter indifference, "Aren't you supposed to be capable? Even without the early admission opportunity, you should be able to get in on your own merit."

My Dear Enemy, My New Beginning

A few days later, my father Richard took time out of his busy schedule to visit Ethan and me at school.


He treated us to dinner at a restaurant, where he suddenly announced, "In a month, it'll be Sophia's birthday. I'm planning to host a grand engagement ceremony for you two, to introduce my future son-in-law to all our business partners."


I was about to stop my father, to tell him that Ethan would never agree to get engaged to me, that he and Olivia were the real couple.


But to my surprise, Ethan readily agreed, "I'll leave everything to  arrangements."


I stared at Ethan in shock, not understanding what game he was playing.


After dinner, I pulled Ethan aside to confront him: "You're inseparable from Olivia at school, everyone knows you're a couple. Now you're agreeing to get engaged to me? How can you do this to Olivia?"


Ethan lowered his eyes to the ground, his eyelashes casting shadows on his face: "I just want to give her a better life, that's why I'm choosing to get engaged to you."


"I don't want to end up like my father, working himself to death for a meager salary. I want to climb the social ladder, and marrying you is my only chance."


"Your family needs a son-in-law who is easy to control, and I happen to be the perfect candidate."


"All these years, you've provided for my food and clothing, but never let me in on the family business secrets."Richard was even more calculating in trying to get me into the athletic scholarship program. It was less about nurturing me and more about limiting my potential."


"You could study business and take over the family enterprise, while I'd be relegated to a muscle-bound simpleton, a mere accessory. Our future children would undoubtedly carry the Williams name."


"But I can accept all that. Isn't a high-society marriage just a business transaction? After the wedding, we can each do our own thing."


I was stunned by Ethan's words. I had no idea he harbored such dark thoughts.


Father kept him away from the business because he showed zero interest, and the athletic scholarship was his only shot at a top school due to his lackluster grades.


My family had paved the way for him, yet he saw it as deliberate suppression. Any guilt I once felt for him vanished in an instant:


"Forget about this engagement. I'll explain everything to Father. You have such a twisted way of thinking. I won't marry someone who views marriage as a mere transaction."


I believe Ethan’s father, watching over him, wouldn’t want to see his son living with such sordid thoughts as well. He’d surely want Ethan to be an honorable man, full of light, and to find a true lover that brings him happiness.


At that moment, I resolved to distance myself from Ethan and stop being an ATM for him and Olivia. I will tell my father everything and ask him to cancel the engagement ceremony.


Chapter 5