The words hung in the quiet living room, a wrecking ball that had just demolished the very foundations of their family.
I got fired.
For a moment, the only sound was the gentle ticking of the clock on the mantelpiece, a steady, indifferent rhythm in a world that had just ground to a halt. Ethan stared at his sister, at her tear-streaked, exhausted face, and felt a surge of white-hot, protective fury.
His father was the first to speak, his voice a low, dangerous rumble that Ethan had never heard before.
"They what?" He got to his feet, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.
"After everything? The all-nighters? The weekends she gave them? The deals she saved? They have the nerve to fire her over one missed deadline?"
