Chapter 14

• Ethan's POV
• After dropping Adeline off at her home, I knew what task awaited me. She was right, I didn't try at all to stop my father from building an industrial fertilizer plant. I knew I had to go to the mayor. My father had commanded me to devise a corrupt deal so we could get his permission to proceed with the project. I gave it some serious thought before I left Adeline. Am I doing this to show that I am a good person? Not really. It wasn't my plan, but seeing her upset about something I was a part of gave me an intense heaviness.
• I needed to do something. How could I get the mayor to wait to sign the documents, at least until I could reason with my father? My father wanted to make sure he was able to say yes without even thinking about the consequences for everyone involved. If I did something to change the direction of my life, my father's influence and reputation would no longer affect me or my decisions. But it was too late and I felt my body go cold at the thought that I had done what he always wanted.