Ethan sat in his spacious office, his face a mask of controlled anger as he answered the ringing phone.
"Hello, this is Ethan Sterling speaking," he said, his voice steady.
On the other end of the line, a voice erupted like a thunderstorm. "Brat, you dare hit my wife, your stepmother, because of that bitch of a woman you married?"
The anger in the voice was unmistakable, and Ethan's jaw clenched as he recognized the voice of his father, Anthony Dante.
As soon as the word "bitch" was uttered, Ethan's expression grew colder, and his voice turned icy. "Old man, do you need me to remind you who you're talking to? You're speaking to the CEO of Sterling Company Worldwide, and I won't have you talk down or disrespect my wife."
There was a pause on the other end as Anthony Dante processed his son's words. The tension hung in the air, but Ethan stood his ground, unyielding.
"You! You! You!" Anthony sputtered, clearly taken aback by Ethan's defiance. "Brat, you have surely grown to talk back at your father. Wait, I'm coming back today. I'm about to board the airplane."
Ethan sighed, exasperation mixing with his anger. "Okay, safe journey," he replied curtly, ending the call.
As he sat there in his office, Ethan couldn't help but feel a surge of frustration. His marriage had already brought enough complications into his life, and now, it seemed like his father's return would only add to the chaos. Emily, he realized, would have to navigate the storm of family drama that was about to unfold.