Page 28 of Goalie's Obsession

No reaction. Just the rigid line of his back, his pace quick and uneven.

I catch up and grab his arm.

He spins so fast I stumble.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” I snap.

His eyes are wild when they lock on mine. His nostrils flare, rage and fury and so many things written across his expression I don't even know where to start.

I take a step back, needing a second to take the sight of my rampaging brother in.

“You have no idea what you just did,” he says. Low. Rough. Like he’s choking on every word.

“It’s a charity auction,” I snap. “You were the one bidding like it was a pissing contest.”

“You think that’s what this was? A joke?” He shakes his head, the laugh that slips out completely humorless. “You think I care that you bid on Connor?”

“You think this was about him?”

I stare at him. “Isn’t it?”

He exhales hard and drags a hand down his face, fingers scraping roughly across his jaw.

I’ve seen Ethan pissed. Seen him tear into people with that cold, surgical calm that makes experienced executives fold in meetings. But this… this is something else. He’s unraveling right before my eyes. Barely holding it together.

His voice drops. “I might’ve expected this shit fromhim.”

My chest tightens.

“But you?” He steps forward, just enough to make me flinch. “Not from you. Not my own damn sister.”

My mouth opens, but nothing comes out.

He laughs. A short, sharp, bitter laugh that makes my skin freeze. “You think you’re immune? You think just because you throw around Dad’s money like confetti and pretend you’re building something for yourself that you’re any different from the rest of them?”

“That’s not fair—”

“No, what’s not fair is watching you fall into the same trap I did. Thinkingfamilymeans something. Thinking it makes you safe.”

I blink hard, heat rising in my throat. “What are you even talking about?”

He shakes his head, jaw flexing, pacing two steps away like he’s afraid of what he’ll say if he stays close. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

My pulse skips. "Who?"

He scoffs and shakes his head. “Connor! And I’ve seen the way you try to pretend you don’t notice.”

“I wasn’t—”

“Don’t lie to me.”

He turns back, eyes sharp, voice rough.

“I saw it, Lucy. The way you froze when he touched you. The way your eyes tracked him like you couldn’t help it.”

I can’t breathe.

“You think this ends with a date and a photo-op?” His mouth twists. “You think he wantsyou? You’re a story to him, Luce. A headline. A quick thrill until the next shiny distraction comes along.”

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