Chapter 4 - THE ARROGANT DISMISSAL
Richard strode forward from the patio bar, his black polo shirt stretched tightly across his self-satisfied stomach.
He pushed his expensive designer sunglasses up onto his head, revealing cold, dismissive blue eyes.
Richard placed a heavy, protective hand on his son Mason’s shoulder, projecting an aura of supreme unconcern.
"He didn't touch her," Richard scoffed, rolling his eyes as if inconvenienced by a minor nuisance. "She's putting on an act."
Mason smirked behind his father, his bright red swim trunks glowing under the harsh afternoon sun.
Muffled gasps rippled through the gathering crowd of neighbors who preferred comforting lies to uncomfortable truths.
Richard waved his hand dismissively toward Ethan and the crying little girl on the concrete.
"Kids fall down all the time, Ethan. Don't be such a dramatic helicopter parent over a scraped knee," Richard sneered.
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Ethan did not immediately yell back, his silence far more terrifying than any outburst could ever be.
His jaw muscles ticked violently as he stared at the man defending unprovoked child violence with arrogant ease.
