The drive from the airport was seamless in the luxury car. I slid on my sunglasses, enjoying the the feel of the sun as the sight of the ocean that sparkled like I was in a movie. palm trees lined the road swaying gently in the breeze, and the salty air carried was almost intoxicating, a girl could get use to this kind of treatment.It should have been breathtaking, but I could barely appreciate it—because of the man sitting next to me.Ethan Blackwood.He lounged in his seat, scrolling through his phone like he didn’t have a single worry in the world, while I sat stiffly beside him, still trying to wrap my head around the reality of this trip.A full week in the Philippines. With him.I crossed my arms and shot him a glare. “Are you finally going to tell me what these ‘special plans’ of yours are?”He didn’t even glance up. “No.” he said in a monotone.I clenched my jaw. “Seriously?”Only then did he look at me, his lips curving into that his usually infuriating smirk. “Patience, li
I loudly said every curse word I could think of as I dragged my suitcase inside—something that Ethan should be doing instead of standing there, all relaxed, leaning against the doorframe like this was some kind of luxury vacation.Which it was!"You're being dramatic, Sophie," he said, finally setting his phone down on the nightstand. "It’s just a bed."I turned around to glare at him. "Just a bed?" My voice came out in an annoyingly high pitch. "It’s the only bed!"He just shrugged my tantrum off. "It’s big enough for the both of us," he said, as if it were the simplest thing in the world."I am not sharing a bed with you.""Suit yourself." He casually unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt and rolled them up, revealing his forearms in that effortless way that only made him more infuriating and... annoyingly hot.Then, to make things worse, he walked over and sprawled onto the bed like he owned the damn thing."You are an absolute prick."He only stretched his arms over his head, smirking
When I woke up, I was warm, cozy and extremely comfortable and most then I wasn’t on my side of the bed anymore.My leg was tangled with Ethan’s, my head rested against his hard chest, and worst of all—his arm was firmly wrapped around my waist.What the hell—My breath hitched as my sluggish brain pieced together the situation. I wasn’t just curled into Ethan—I was tangled with him. His leg was draped over mine, his hand resting on my stomach, his entire body pressed against me.I was spooning with the devil.I was panicking, not knowing what to do next, finally an idea clicked I carefully tried to shift out of his hold without waking him up, that was until I felt it.Oh. My. God.I went rigid as I realized that his very 'solid situation' was pressed against my lower back.My body locked up instantly. Nope. Nope. Nope, I didn't want to feel his hard on against me, and why did it make me feel this way?"Ethan," I hissed, trying to wriggle away.The arm around me only tightened as he
I was dressed to Kill I couldn't help but smile at my own reflection feeling more than satisfied as I adjusted the bust area of the red dress that clung to every inch of me like a second skin, it had a slit that was dangerously high and an off shoulder neckline. Since Ethan had decided to pack my bags, I might as well wear the most tempting dress in the pile after all. If he wanted to drag me into this game, I would play. I could already imagine his reaction when he saw me, the way his jaw would tighten, and the look eyes before he forced himself to act unaffected. He thought he was untouchable, tonight I would make sure he wasn’t. When I stepped out of the bedroom, I was not disappointed, he was standing near the suite’s minibar, fixing his cufflinks. The moment his eyes landed on me, I saw the way his jaw drilled, his eyes accessed my entire outfit as I knew he was more than pleased. I tried to stop myself from grinning Gotcha! “Something wrong, Mr. Blackwood?” I asked, feigni
Finally Ethan looked at me ready to speak, my breathing calmed as I assumed that he going to defend me, but boy was I wrong."She’s ambitious, but she still has a lot to learn about how these deals work and besides I don't expect her to speak for me.” His words were like the finally blow, the room felt too small as I was in the hot seat and he was the one who put me there.I clenched my fists under the table, my nails digging into my palms to keep my expression neutral. But Ethan just kept looking at me like he was waiting for me to crack.Camille’s smirk widened, as I could see everyone silently waiting for me to embarrass myself.I exhaled slowly If they wanted to test me, then fine. I would pass.I turned to Mr. Ventura, straightening my shoulders.“Blackwood Corp isn’t just another corporation throwing money at expansion.” My voice was steady giving the illusion that I wasn't about to shit my pants “It’s a powerhouse that’s mastered the balance between calculated risk and strateg
My lips were swollen from his brutal kiss, my body still pinned between him and the elevator wall and all I could think about was how much I wanted and needed him.I grabbed his jacket, fisting the fabric to pull him closer. My body arched into his as Ieaned into his lips again. I needed more of him “Ethan…” I whispered, sounding so very desperate.He groaned, his grip on my waist tightening, I could sense how his restraint was slipping, but he was still holding back.He shook his head. "Not like this."I blinked, confused. "Then how?"His fingers brushed over my cheek, his gaze locking onto mine. “I want you, but if you give yourself to me, it won’t be in a moment of anger or desperation.”I didn't know what to do to make him see that my body was longing for him."Then take me, Please" I murmured, pressing my body closer, letting him feel exactly how much I wanted him.His jaw clenched, his breathing was becoming uneven. Then he leaned in, his lips almost kissing me.“Be mine,” he
One moment, I was tangled in sheets that smelled like him, my body sore from the amazing sex and then the next, Ethan was effortlessly lifting me from the bed. I blinked as I still sounded tried. “What… are you doing?” He didn’t answer or even look at me. He just carried me as if I weighed nothing, his grip firm but still shockingly gentle. I could hear the sound of running water and the scent of steam and lavender, my breathe tightened. Was he… running me a bath? I panicked instantly as I thought of another possibly thing he was doing... was he going to bathe me? “Ethan, I can do it myself.” Still, he said nothing. He stepped into the bathroom and set me down on the cool marble counter. I watched as he turned toward the tub, rolling up his sleeves. This wasn’t the ruthless businessman who had wrecked me, the one who took everything I gave and then demanded more. This was different. And that terrified me more than anything. He reached into the water, testing the temperature w
The sheets were a tangled mess, my whole body still smelling like him. Fuck. I was still sore.I stretched instinctively, reaching for warmth—for him—but the space beside me was empty.A strange unease settled in my chest. I pushed myself up onto my elbows, scanning the room.He was near the window, already dressed, a folder resting in his lap. His sleeves were rolled up, his hair slightly tousled, but his posture was all business. Cold. Detached. A complete contrast to the man who had done unspeakable things to me just hours ago.Something was wrong."You’re up early," I murmured, my voice still thick with sleep.Ethan didn’t immediately respond. He flipped a page, scanning whatever document had his attention, then finally looked at me. Blue. Icy."We have something to discuss."That cool, unreadable tone—so different from last night. I frowned, trying to shake off the unease creeping up my spine."What’s so important that it couldn’t wait?"He didn’t answer. Instead, he tossed the f
As we left the hospital, I took in a deep breath, but it didn’t help.Ethan walked in front without waiting for me, his shoulders tight, his head down like he, I hurried after him.We pulled out of the hospital lot as we drove in silence, there was a lot I wanted to ask but I couldn't find the right words to say them.But then finally, I couldn’t take it anymore."So," I said carefully trying to keep my tone neutral, "What’s the plan? What exactly do you want to do now?"He stared straight ahead as his eyes were locked on the road. His knuckles were so tight on the steering wheel, they looked almost white and bloodless."What else? We will visit Rose Callahan," he said without hesitation.I studied him quietly, feeling his uneasy he was, there was more to this, so much more he wasn't willing to share."Ethan," I said slowly, "I’m not dumb. Something’s going on between you and your ex-stepmother, I am not dumb not to notice and that whole thing back there? That wasn’t nothing."His re
The second she said his name, it was like an electric shock shot straight through Ethan. His body tensed, his usual composed exterior cracking as his eyes locked onto the nurse with an intensity that almost startled me. His reaction wasn’t subtle in any way it was as if someone had just tossed a bucket of ice-cold water over him, and he was struggling to process it.He looked both relieved and scared at the same time, and it was understandable. I could practically feel his anxiety pressing on my chest.“You worked with Dr. Callahan?” Ethan asked, his voice desperate. The nurse blinked at him, a little startled by his intensity. “Yeah. Unfortunately,” she muttered as she didn't try to hide her bitterness. “For a long time.”“Can I—” Ethan paused, swallowing the words as though they were fighting their way out of him. “Can I ask you some questions about him?”He asked it like she was offering something precious, like every word she could give him was the missing piece to a puzzle tha
Ethan turned from the receptionist table and ran his finger through his hair, I thought this was the end and we would go back to his villa and think of another plan. Because obviously a normal person would have given up, thanked the not so kind receptionist and walked away from this whole mess. But like I have said before, Ethan Blackwood was not a normal person, he has never been and will never be. Because he didn't just walk away, if anything he looked more determined in getting the answer from the lady. He whirled back around toward the front desk so fast the receptionist actually jolted in her seat. “This is bullshit,” he snapped out of the blue in a very low voice. “He’s real, I fucking know it.” His hand slammed against the counter hard enough to make the pens in their tiny little holder rattle. I flinched instinctively and stepped closer as my fingers grazed his arm as I was trying to reason with him. “Ethan,” I said under my breath, “please. Not here. Let’s just—” “No,
Ethan’s jaw clenched so hard I heard his teeth grind as he focused on her bruise, the sound of him breathing even made the hair on my arms rise.My mother tried to cover the bruises with her hair as if it would solve anything, but Ethan had already seen it.He stepped closer, towering over her even though he wasn't meaning to."Did he do it?" he asked in a low and deep voice that even made me feel fear.And of course, my darling mother flinched."He didn’t mean it," she whispered as if it made any better.From Ethan's expression I could see the way he was picturing during dirty things to his father, abuse whoever hits a woman doesn't deserve to live.Especially a woman like Veronica Carter he would never fight back.Ethan laughed "Right," he said "Men who don't 'mean it' always seem to find the exact place that will leave a pretty little bruise."My mother’s face crumpled in shame just for a milli second, before she masked it again."You need to report him," he said firmly as his jaw
After the call I sat down next to her, my heart racing as I stared at her, trying to make sense of what had just happened.Her voice was soft but trembled as she spoke. "When you and Ethan left the mansion yesterday… He took it out on me."This was my fault.I felt my throat tighten. A cold lump formed at the base of my chest, and I couldn’t breathe for a moment. I knew something wasn’t right, but hearing her say it out loud made it worse. I wanted to ask more, but I couldn’t. I needed to know.“Is this the first time?” I asked, and as soon as I did, I regretted it. I immediately remembered when she frantically came here in a crying mess but I didn't do anything because I was overwhelmed with my own shit.I remembered how broken she was and how she covered it up immediately when her darling husband came to ‘pick' her up.I had a lot of questions and I wanted to stop myself from pushing, but I couldn’t, I had to know."Why wouldn’t you leave him, Mom?" The words slipped out before I c
The next morning arrived without mercy, I guess toke moved really fast when you hadn't slept at all After finding the business card, sleep became secondary because we knew who Drm Callahan was, was going to be a huge lead. So we spent the entire night at Ethan’s kitchen island, with a shut load of ccold coffee, our open laptops and half-torn sticky notes.At this point the name Dr..Callahan wasn't a lead, it was an obsession. We searched medical directories, university alumni pages, old oncology conferences, and even dark places in the internet that I wouldn't never think of goung to But a new click opened a new rabbit hole with each search result ending in a wall.No hospital.No city.And no fucking clue.Ethan sat on the counter at one point, head in his hands, while I stared blankly at the glowing screen. Neither of us said it aloud, but the truth was there, and that this was a lost cause. Whoever this doctor was, they didn’t want to be found.“This is hopeless,” he said.But I
Rachel ran forward screaming in a high pitched voice I didn't know she had. “Daddy? Daddy, are you okay? I heard glass break, what did Ethan do?” I blinked. What! The! Actual! Fuck! The way she rushed to him, like a little girl desperate to protect her hero, had my breath catching in my throat. She didn’t even glance at Ethan, she just went straight to Richard like he was the one who had been hurt when he might have been the one to shatter the glass. When did all this happen? When did Rachel start calling him Daddy with such tenderness? When did the girl who once side-eyed his every move become this… concerned? I barely had time to process it before Ethan spoke. “What I did?” he said, his tone flat. “You mean existed?” Rachel’s body stiffened. Her hand, which had just touched Richard’s shoulder, dropped like it had been scorched. She turned to look at Ethan, but the words she had died on her lips. Maybe it was the look in his eyes. I stood there, in the middle of this st
I took.l one last look at Sophie as I followed my father, he didn't say a word but it was obvious that knew what was coming; he had to. I strode down the hallway, my footsteps heavy on the floor but my father's pace was steady, but I could sense the tension building between us as I trailed behind him. My eyes fixed on the back of his head as so many thoughts ran through my head, He didn't look back, didn't acknowledge my presence. I continued to follow him as we went past the portraits of a family that barely existed, past the polished antiques that felt more like props than memories. He stepped into his office like a king returning to his throne. I had to admit that his office does look with a throne with the hgh ceilings, heavy mahogany desk, lather and gold and of course it reeked of his ego that soaked into the fucking walls. But now I know that none of this belongs to him, except his ego He didn’t look back when I entered, he just walked straight to the far end of the ro
Rachel's condescending voice cut me short. “Sophia, will you let my father talk to my brother or not?” I couldn't help but roll my eyes while Ethan had his usual unreadable expression, he looked regal and detached, like he had practiced that mask in front of a mirror. But I knew him too well, I know how much work it took him to keep everything in control, I couldn't see that there was a twitch at the corner of his mouth, I noticed the way he was tightening his jaw and I could sense that he was anything but calm.Mr Blackwood just cleared his throat as his eyes went straight to me. “Come with me Ethan,” his tone was flat and commanding, as he was leaving no room for argument. Everyone was silent looking between Ethan and I waiting to see what would happen.Ethan walked towards me with a silent plea in his eyes.“Please, Sophie. Just this once… stay out of it.”His words hurt, but I gave him a look that told him that I wasn't comfortable with him being alone with his father, for all