Chapter 14:A Game of Shadows

Ethan paced his penthouse, his fingers tightening into fists. He could feel Lena’s gaze on him, unwavering, challenging. Her words echoed in his mind.

“She’s using you, Ethan. And someone just threatened me to keep quiet about it.”

His gut twisted. He had built an empire on knowing who to trust, on seeing through people’s lies. Yet, he had been blindsided by the woman he had chosen to marry.

Or had he?

Ethan turned back to Lena, who stood in the middle of his living room, arms crossed. She was waiting for his reaction, but more than that—she was waiting to see if he would dismiss her.

He wasn’t going to.

“Tell me everything,” he said finally, his voice quieter than usual, but firm.

Lena exhaled, shoulders dropping slightly. “Victoria has a pattern. I found records of her ex-husband—a man who went bankrupt right before their divorce. And he’s not the only one. She’s left a trail of destruction, and now, she’s set her sights on you.”

Ethan listened, his expression unreadable, but his pulse thrummed with an unsettling realization.

Lena reached into her bag and pulled out the note she had received at the coffee shop. “And then there’s this.”

Ethan took the note, his jaw tightening as he read the words. "Stay away from Ethan Montgomery.This is your only warning".

Rage curled through his veins. This wasn’t just a power play anymore—someone had made Lena a target.

And he didn’t like that.

Not one damn bit.

Ethan folded the note in his palm, his voice dangerously calm. “Did you see the man who gave you this?”

Lena nodded. “He was in a suit. Blue eyes. Confident. Like he didn’t care if I knew he was watching me.”

Ethan’s mouth pressed into a thin line. That description fit too many men in his world—corporate sharks, hired muscle, people who worked behind the scenes of billion-dollar deals.

Or worse—Victoria’s people.

“She’s onto you,” Ethan muttered, rubbing his temples. “And she’s not the type to let threats hang in the air without follow-through.”

Lena’s stomach tightened. “I can handle myself.”

Ethan’s eyes snapped to hers, something sharp flashing in them. “That’s not the point, Lena.” He stepped closer, his presence towering over her. “You’re not just exposing a scandal—you’re exposing someone who is willing to destroy people to get what she wants.”

Lena swallowed, but she didn’t look away. “Then help me stop her.”

The words hung between them, heavy and dangerous.

Ethan should have said no.

He should have pushed her out of his life before she got pulled even deeper into his mess.

But instead, he found himself making a different choice.

“I’ll handle this,” he murmured.

Lena’s brows furrowed. “That’s not what I—”

“I said I’ll handle it.” His voice was clipped, his control razor-thin. “And you’re going to keep your head down until I do.”

A muscle in Lena’s jaw twitched. “I don’t take orders from you, Ethan.”

His lips curled into something that wasn’t quite a smirk. “You’re reckless.”

“And you’re impossible.”

The silence between them was charged, the pull undeniable.

Neither of them moved. Neither of them backed down.

And that was the problem.

Across the city, Victoria Caldwell sat in her penthouse, her fingers delicately tracing the rim of her wine glass.

She had just gotten off a call.

A very interesting call.

“You’re sure she got the message?” she asked, her voice cool.

The man on the other end chuckled. “Oh, she got it. But she’s not backing off.”

Victoria’s jaw clenched, but she quickly forced herself to relax.

That little journalist was proving to be more of a nuisance than she had expected.

“Then it’s time we raise the stakes,” Victoria murmured.

She glanced at the framed photo on her desk—a picture of her and Ethan, perfectly curated for the press.

He was hers.

And she would destroy anyone who tried to change that.

Ethan poured himself a drink after Lena left, but it did little to calm his thoughts.

He should have been focusing on his upcoming merger, on his business dealings—on anything other than her.

But all he could think about was the fire in Lena’s eyes when she had stood in front of him, refusing to be intimidated.

She was stubborn. Infuriating. Reckless.

And for the first time in a long time, Ethan felt something he had thought was impossible.

He felt alive.

He didn’t know what to do with that.

So he did what he always did.

He drowned it.

He downed the whiskey in one gulp, gripping the glass so hard he almost shattered it.

Whatever this thing between him and Lena was—whatever was pulling him toward her—it needed to stop.

Because the closer she got to him, the more danger she was in.

And Ethan wasn’t sure he could handle losing someone again.