Chapter 4

Adrian nodded, still in shock of what had just happened.

“Now get out of the car.” Ethan ordered, leaving Adrian on the side of the road before him and Dave drove off.

By the time Adrian returned to the mansion, he was still shaking, his hands quivering.

The image of that man's body—inside his head—wouldn't go away, and Ethan's cold command echoed in his ears.

He had to say something—to someone—but who would believe him? A nobody in this family, a lowly pawn used whenever it suited them?

How could Ethan just walk away from what he had done? The thought chilled him to the bone.

Adrian pushed the heavy oak door of the Sinclair mansion open and was immediately met by Evelyn.

She stood in the foyer, arms crossed across her chest, her foot tapping impatiently upon the marble floor.

"Where's Ethan? Why didn't you bring him back with the car?

"I—he took the car," Adrian said, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"I…I don't know where he went after that." You could hear the nervousness in his voice.

Evelyn's eyes flashed suspiciously, and she walked closer, circling him like a predator sizing up its prey. "Is that so? You're hiding something."

"No, I'm not," was the quick response from Adrian, but immediately, the lie tasted bitter on his tongue.

He was too tired to argue. "He and Dave wanted to go somewhere, that's all.

She pursed her lip but did not push further.

"Well, you're just as useless as I thought. Go find something worthwhile to do before Jane sees you standing around like an idiot.”

His heart was racing in his chest as beads of sweat formed on his head. The guilt was eating away at him.

As he made his way toward the kitchen, he heard someone coming into the house.

Turning around, he watched as Ethan and Dave walked in through the front door, their faces pale and visibly shaken.

Where did you two go?" Evelyn demanded, her arms crossed as they entered. Her eyes darted suspiciously between the two of them.

"None of your business," Ethan mumbled, pushing past her.

Their dishevelled appearance and the haunted look in Ethan's eyes told Adrian everything he needed to know: they were just as shaken by the accident as he was.

As the day went on, Adrian couldn't help but become increasingly worried about the man they had hit.

And where was the car? they didn't return to the mansion with it.

He wanted to scream at Ethan, to get him to take some responsibility for what they had done, but he knew that would only go bad for him.

The Sinclairs were those who always managed to twist things in their favor, and he was no match for their influence.

The hours went by, and suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door.

Ethan jerked slightly, and Adrian froze as Evelyn went to see who was at the door.

In the doorway, two detectives met her with serious, professional faces.

Had they found out about the accident?

The taller, darker man in his early forties with grey hair, stepped forward showing his badge.

“We're looking for Ethan Sinclair," he said, deep-voiced and authoritative.

"His car was spotted at the scene of a hit-and-run earlier this morning."

Evelyn's eyes widened in shock, but she quickly masked her surprise with a cool, calculated expression.

"There must be some mistake," she said smoothly. "My brother would never-

"We need to speak with him," the second detective interjected, a woman in her thirties. Leave no room for argument.

Evelyn turned toward the living room as her face turned unyieldingly hard, having realized there was no talking their way out of this one.

"He is in the living room," she said as she stood aside to let the detectives in.

Adrian watched in fear as the detectives came into the living room.

Ethan and Dave stood up from the sofa, equally scared out of their minds.

“Mr Ethan Sinclair?”

“Yes?”

“You're a suspect in a hit and run Incident that happened earlier this morning at Windbury drive. You're under arrest”

“What? What do you mean. I don't know anything about that!” Ethan denied any knowledge of the accident but was quickly put in cuffs and read his rights.

"What's going on! Where are you taking my son?" Gregory Sinclair thundered as he came down the stairs.

"Your son is the prime suspect of a hit and run case that happened earlier today. we are taking him in for questioning"