Carter paced the confines of his bedroom, fingers twitching agitatedly as he fought to process the disastrous turn of events downstairs. The cruel taunts from the Warrens still rang in his ears, stoking the simmering rage always lurking below the surface.
How dare they speak of Ella like that, as if she were some sort of debased harlot? His sweet baby sister, who had always been so gentle and kind. Sure, what happened with Liam Johnson had been an embarrassing mistake, but one borne of naivete rather than any malicious intent.
His jaw clenched as Roger Warren's dismissive sneer replayed in his mind. The self-righteous prick acted as if his own family's hands were spotlessly clean, their fortune not built on the backs of exploited labor like so many of the entrenched elite. As if their son Caleb was some paragon of virtue to which Ella could never hope to attain.
