70| A Revelation at Work

There was one thing Ethan hadn't been able to get out of his mind since last night.

"I just wanted you to know that I love every part of you."

Her words echoed in his head—louder than anything else.

He had been staring blankly at the door since she left.

He wanted to go after her.

No—he would.

Because he couldn't live without her.

But it wasn't just that.

Sophie had told him she loved him.

The depth of her confession shook him to his core.

He had never imagined that someone could love him the way Sophie did—

So purely. So unconditionally.

The realization brought him to his knees.

Almost literally.

He almost couldn't believe it.

She loves me.

The thought was both exhilarating and terrifying.

He felt unworthy of such affection, undeserving of someone as good and kind as Sophie.

But no—he wouldn't do this again.

Wouldn't let his own self-loathing push him further away.

Because that was exactly what had brought him to this place in the first place.

His emotions were a mess.

Bliss. Guilt. Fear.

They swirled inside him, pulling him in every direction.

He exhaled sharply, then stood.

He needed to clear his head.

He wandered passing through room to room, each step echoing in the silence of the empty house.

Everything felt lifeless. Dull.

Just like his life before Sophie.

This house was supposed to be his fortress.

A place where he could escape his father.

Escape the Sinclair's.

Escape the history that felt more like a curse than a legacy.

He had built this home to be safe.

But he never felt safe here.

Not from himself.

Not from the panic attacks that had followed him even after he left his father's house.

And then, Sophie had come along.

And everything changed.

She made breakfast and dinner feel special.

She made him watch silly TV shows.

She dragged him into her garden, made him plant flowers even though he had no idea what he was doing.

She filled the house with warmth. With life.

With love.

And now—

He had ruined it.

Eventually, he found himself standing at the back door, looking out into the backyard.

He hesitated.

Then, slowly, he stepped outside.

The crisp morning air hit his face, snapping him out of his thoughts.

He still remembered the first time Sophie had laughed at him for never using his own backyard.

"You have this beautiful space, and you don't even use it?" she had said, shaking her head in disbelief.

At the time, he hadn't understood what she meant. Sure, it was nice, but to him, it was just a backyard—nothing special.

But now, standing here alone, he saw it differently.

Now, it was beautiful because it reminded him of her.

Because when he looked out at this space, he didn't just see flowers and greenery.

He saw Sunday mornings.

He saw her, standing in the garden with the gardener, talking, laughing, planting more flowers—as if the world needed more color.

Back then, he had watched her from his bedroom window, not fully understanding why she loved it so much.

But now?

Now, it felt like seeing the world for the first time.

Ethan knelt down, brushing his fingers against the soft petals of her newest creation—

Sunflowers.

Tall. Bright. Beautiful.

Just like her.

Just like what she had done for him.

She had brought color into his life. Warmth. Light.

And he had almost thrown it all away.

Fuck.

He had screwed up.

He should have told her the truth sooner.

It was Sophie—she would have listened.

Maybe she would have even forgiven him for the terrible thing he did.

Maybe she would have said, "What's done is done, Ethan. What matters is what you do now."

And damn it—he wanted to be the man who deserved her.

He wanted to accept her love for him.

He couldn't leave her.

Wouldn't.

No more hesitation.

Ethan turned and strode back into the house.

He was going to her.

Now.

As he drove, his phone rang.

Jessica.

He ignored it. Not today.

But then she kept calling.

Odd.

And then—a text.

"It's urgent."

His jaw clenched. What now?

He picked up the call. "Jessica, whatever it is—it can wait."

Her voice was sharp. "It's about those loan sharks, Ethan. Something came up. I can't tell you over the phone."

Ethan's grip tightened on the steering wheel.

Damn it.

"What happened?"

"Just come to the office," Jessica said. "I'll explain everything there. You need to hear this in person."

He exhaled harshly.

He needed to go to Sophie.

But if this was about those men—

He couldn't ignore it.

"Fine," he bit out. "One hour. That's all you have."

"It's enough," Jessica said.

Reluctantly, Ethan turned the car around, his frustration burning in his chest.

When he arrived, Jessica was already waiting for him in the parking lot.

Whatever this was—

It was serious.

Jessica led him into the office, shutting the door behind them.

She turned to face him, hesitation flickering in her eyes.

"Ethan."

Even the way she said his name made him feel uneasy.

"I found something," she said, her voice steady but laced with unease.

"It's about the loan sharks who went after Sophie. It's... it's important you know the truth."

She handed him a folder.

Her fingers trembled just slightly.

Ethan took it, flipping it open—

And froze.

"I did some digging, like you asked."

Jessica took a deep breath. "We paid off all the loans and debts—everything. The bank. The loan sharks. There was no mistake or oversight."

She hesitated, then—

"It was a personal favor.

From your father."

Ethan’s blood ran cold.

His voice came out before he could stop it—"Why would he do this?"

But was that even a question Jessica could answer?

Jessica looked down. She couldn't even meet his gaze.

"It happened right after you called off the Benton Holdings deal."

Her voice was careful.

"I think he wanted payback."

Ethan's mind flashed back to the argument with his father. Robert had yelled at him for canceling the deal, blaming Sophie and claiming she was making him weak and clouding his judgment.

But it wasn't just the Benton Holdings deal. They had been fighting for months.

And Robert had finally struck back.

The idea that his father would stoop so low—would use Sophie as a pawn in his twisted games—

It was almost too much to bear.

Ethan had worked himself to the bone back then.

Long hours. Late nights.

Pushing himself past exhaustion.

All so Robert wouldn't have another excuse to call him weak.

All so his father wouldn't have another reason to go after Sophie.

And yet—he still did.

No wonder Robert hadn't seemed surprised when Ethan told him about Damon Blackwell's ties to the loan sharks.

Because he already knew.

Because he had orchestrated it.

A fresh wave of betrayal crashed over him.

His father hadn't just hurt him.

He had gone after the one person in the world Ethan loved the most.

And Ethan—he had let it happen.

He had let Robert's mind games push him away from Sophie.

Almost let him win.

No more.

Ethan exhaled sharply, forcing himself to focus.

His voice was low, controlled. Dangerous.

"Thank you for bringing this to me, Jessica."

He barely recognized the sound of his own voice.

"Keep digging. Make sure we didn't miss anything. My father's been silent since I called off the deal with Blackwell.

I don't know what he's planning."

Jessica nodded, her expression gentler than usual.

"I'll keep looking into it, Ethan."

She hesitated for a second, then said, "Ethan... I'm sorry."

He didn't respond.

He couldn't.

His mind was already elsewhere.

On Sophie.

On Robert.

On the war that had just begun.

His gaze hardened, his rage settling into something deadly.

"Get as many people on board as you need, but make sure there are no prying eyes. Especially from my father's people."

Jessica straightened. "Understood. What are you going to do about your father?"

His voice was like steel.

"I'll handle him myself."

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