Chapter 15 - Ethan
Ethan Tran confronted Thomas outside Walker Meridian’s office.
“You're destroying my father.”
Thomas stopped.
Ethan had known him since childhood.
He used to call Thomas Uncle Tom.
“Your father made decisions.”
“You're using your money to crush him.”
“I'm using contracts.”
“Same thing.”
Thomas looked at the young man.
“Did you know you owned twenty percent of IL Management?”
Ethan froze.
“What?”
Thomas realized immediately.
David had put shares in Ethan's name without fully explaining.
“Ask your father.”
Ethan did.
The confrontation at the Tran house lasted hours.
Linda later told Sarah Ethan screamed:
“You made me part of this without telling me?”
David answered:
“I was protecting your future.”
Ethan replied:
“No. You were hiding money behind me.”
The words devastated David.
He had become the kind of father who made decisions for his child because he believed he knew best.
The same behavior he accused Thomas of.
Ethan hired independent counsel.
He offered to surrender the disputed interest.
That weakened David's position further.
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But more importantly, David lost his son's trust.
For the first time, control no longer felt like victory.
