8
After that argument, Ethan and I didn’t speak for a week. He moved out and rented a small place near campus with Maddie.
Since we went to the same university, it wasn’t long before we ran into each other. Ethan would sometimes come up and say hi, but I’d always catch Maddie glaring at me from behind him. I had no interest in talking to them.
It became clear that Maddie had some kind of hold over Ethan. She had him completely wrapped around her finger.
I hired a private investigator to look into Maddie’s background. She came from a family where the son was valued over the daughter. Her father was a gambler and an alcoholic who barely worked, leaving her mother to scrape by on odd jobs. They were deep in debt, and Maddie had a younger brother who, despite failing high school, had dreams of studying abroad. Ethan’s one hundred thousand dollars had been used to pay off their debts and send her brother overseas.
She was nothing more than a manipulative gold digger.
When my parents found out that Ethan had moved out, they didn’t think much of it at first. They figured it was a typical young love story and wanted to see how long it would last.
But I was worried Ethan was in too deep, so I told my parents everything–the missing money and Maddie’s family situation.
That was when they panicked. The very next day, they drove to campus and told Ethan to bring Maddie for a family lunch.
Maddie was thrilled, thinking she’d finally won. She even threw a fit, demanding that I personally invite her to the lunch.
I didn’t bother. “Come if you want. Don’t come if you don’t. I couldn’t care less,” I told Ethan.
In the end, Maddie showed up.
At lunch, she was all smiles, calling my parents “Uncle” and “Aunt” sweetly. Gone was the entitled brat who had trashed my house.
During the meal, my dad casually mentioned that the family was buying another house and would need to sign the paperwork over the
weekend.
“Wow, Ethan, your parents are so good to you! They’re even buying you a house!” Maddie’s eyes practically sparkled at the thought.
Having grown up in a household where everything went to the son, she assumed the house would be for Ethan.
1:03 PM
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In her mind, as his girlfriend, what was his was hers.
Then my mom dropped the bomb. “You’re almost done with school, so having a car will be more convenient. Your father and I bought you one,”
she said, placing a set of Mercedes keys on the table.
Maddie’s face lit up, and she practically lunged for the keys.
But my mom was quicker, sliding the keys over to me instead.
“Thanks, Mom! I’ll sign the papers on Saturday!” I said sweetly, watching Maddie’s expression sour.
Still desperate, Maddie asked, “Uncle, Aunt, aren’t the car and house for Ethan?”
“Boys should learn to earn things on their own,” my mom said with a cutting smile. “I heard Ethan loaned you one hundred thousand dollars. That was careless of him. He transferred it from our company’s account. I assumed the funds had been stolen and already reported it. The case is being processed in court. If the money isn’t returned within three months, the house your family lives in will be seized to cover the debt.”
Maddie went pale, realizing what my mom was implying. She threw a fit, yelling at Ethan before storming out.
“Mom, why did you have to do that to her? I’ll pay back the hundred grand myself, Ethan protested, trying to chase after her.
But my dad and I pulled him back.
“You idiot, you’re being scammed, and you don’t even realize it!”
My dad laid a stack of photos in front of Ethan–private investigator photos.
“You’ve been working late shifts at the 24/7 Corner Store, and while you’re out, she’s bringing other guys into your apartment.”
The more photos Ethan saw, the more his face fell.
Maddie was nothing more than a gold digger. When she realized she couldn’t milk any more money from Ethan, she found someone else. Meanwhile, my poor, love–blinded brother was working his butt off for her.
