Not Suitable For Work

Shelter From The Storm

The snapping twig echoed through the trees.

Ethan's grip on Ava's hand tightened immediately.

He raised a finger to his lips.

"Don't move."

Ava held her breath.

The forest, alive with birdsong only moments earlier, had fallen unnaturally quiet.

Somewhere nearby...

Someone was watching.

Ethan slowly scanned the trees.

The fading sunlight cast long shadows across the forest floor, making it impossible to tell what was hiding between the trunks.

Another rustle.

This time to their left.

He instinctively stepped in front of Ava.

Shielding her.

Always shielding her.

Ava noticed.

"You don't have to keep putting yourself in danger for me."

Without taking his eyes off the woods, he answered quietly,

"I know."

A beat passed.

"I choose to."

Her heart skipped.

After several tense minutes, the sounds faded.

Either whoever had been following them had left...

Or they had simply become more careful.

"We need to keep moving," Ethan whispered.

"It's going to be dark soon."

They followed a narrow trail deeper into the forest until a weathered wooden structure appeared through the trees.

An old ranger's cabin.

Its paint had faded years ago, and ivy climbed one side of the porch.

"It'll do," Ethan said.

He tried the door.

Locked.

He checked a flowerpot beside the entrance.

A small brass key was hidden underneath.

Ava couldn't help but smile.

"You've done this before?"

"My grandfather believed every cabin should have a spare key."

He unlocked the door.

"Looks like he never changed his habits."

The cabin was dusty but sturdy.

A stone fireplace stood against one wall.

There was a small kitchen, a couch, and a single bedroom.

Ethan quickly checked every room.

Empty.

He locked the door behind them and closed the curtains.

"We're safe for now."

For the first time all day, Ava allowed herself to exhale.

As evening settled over the forest, Ethan managed to light a fire.

Warm orange light filled the room.

The crackling flames chased away some of the fear that had followed them since the attack.

Ava sat on the rug near the fireplace, wrapping a blanket around her shoulders.

Neither of them spoke for several minutes.

The silence felt different now.

Comfortable.

Earned.

Finally, Ava looked at him.

"Can I ask you something?"

"You can ask me anything."

She hesitated.

"What were you like... before all of this?"

Ethan smiled faintly.

"Before the company?"

She nodded.

He leaned back against the sofa.

"I wanted to design boats."

Ava blinked.

"Boats?"

"My grandfather taught me to sail when I was a kid. I thought I'd spend my life building them."

She laughed softly.

"I never would've guessed that."

"Most people don't."

"What changed?"

His smile faded.

"My mother died. My father handed me responsibilities I wasn't ready for."

He stared into the fire.

"Eventually, work became my entire life."

Ava was quiet for a moment.

"Before today... I thought you only cared about business."

"I know."

"You've surprised me."

He looked at her.

"So have you."

She tilted her head.

"How?"

"You walked into my life carrying a tray of drinks."

Ava groaned.

"Please don't remind me."

"I don't remember the drink."

She raised an eyebrow.

"What do you remember?"

Ethan's expression softened.

"I remember that you apologized even though everyone else was yelling."

He smiled.

"And I remember thinking I'd never met anyone quite like you."

Ava felt warmth spread across her cheeks.

"I was terrified of you."

"I noticed."

"You looked like you wanted to fire me."

"I probably did."

She laughed.

"There he is—the grumpy billionaire."

He chuckled.

A genuine laugh this time.

The sound filled the cabin.

For a little while, the danger outside seemed very far away.

The fire burned lower as the night deepened.

Rain began tapping gently against the roof.

Ava pulled the blanket closer.

"It's strange."

"What is?"

"This morning, I thought my biggest problem was finding a stable career."

She looked at Ethan.

"Now I'm hiding in a cabin with my boss, uncovering family conspiracies."

He smiled.

"I'm sorry your life became so complicated."

She shook her head.

"I don't regret meeting you."

Those words lingered between them.

Neither looked away.

The distance separating them suddenly felt much smaller.

Ethan reached for her hand.

Slowly.

Giving her every chance to pull away.

She didn't.

Their fingers intertwined.

No urgency.

No pressure.

Just quiet reassurance.

He brushed a loose strand of hair away from her face.

"You've become the bravest person I know."

Ava smiled.

"And you've become a very different man from the one I met in that club."

Their foreheads rested gently together for a brief moment.

The fire crackled softly beside them.

Then Ethan whispered,

"When this is over... I'd like to take you somewhere that isn't running for our lives."

Ava laughed through happy tears.

"I'd like that."

Just as he leaned in, intending to kiss her—

A loud creak came from the cabin porch.

Both of them froze.

Three slow knocks echoed against the front door.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

A familiar pattern.

Someone had found them.

The three knocks echoed through the cabin.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

Ethan and Ava exchanged a look.

Neither of them spoke.

Outside, the rain continued to fall, drumming steadily against the roof.

The fire crackled behind them, but the warmth it gave suddenly felt very far away.

Someone had found them.

Ethan quietly released Ava's hand.

He reached into the drawer beside the fireplace and pulled out an old hunting rifle. It looked like it hadn't been used in years, but he checked it anyway.

Ava watched him with concern.

"You know how to use that?"

"My grandfather made sure I did."

He glanced toward her.

"If anything happens, you stay behind me."

She folded her arms.

"I'm getting tired of hearing that."

A faint smile crossed his face despite the tension.

"I'm getting tired of saying it."

Another knock.

This time louder.

Then a familiar voice called from outside.

"Ethan!"

Both of them froze.

Ava frowned.

"Do you know that voice?"

Ethan stepped closer to the window, carefully lifting the curtain just enough to look outside.

His eyes widened.

"It can't be..."

"What?"

"It's Oliver."

Ava blinked.

"Oliver?"

"My grandfather's lawyer."

Ethan unlocked the door but kept one hand on the rifle.

The door creaked open.

Standing on the porch was a man in his early sixties, soaked by the rain and breathing heavily.

He carried a weathered leather briefcase clutched tightly to his chest.

"Thank God I found you," Oliver said between breaths.

"I've been looking for you all day."

Ethan quickly ushered him inside.

"What are you doing here?"

Oliver looked over his shoulder before Ethan locked the door again.

"They know I took it."

"Took what?"

Oliver slowly placed the briefcase on the dining table.

"This."

He opened the locks.

Inside were several folders, a flash drive, and an old leather journal.

Everything had been carefully preserved.

Oliver looked directly at Ethan.

"Your grandfather left these with me before he died."

Ethan frowned.

"Why didn't you give them to me sooner?"

"Because he told me not to."

The room fell silent.

"He said I wasn't to hand them over until I knew your life was in danger."

Oliver looked around the cabin.

"I'd say we've reached that point."

Ava stepped closer as Ethan picked up the journal.

Its leather cover was cracked with age.

Embossed on the front were the initials...

H.B.

"Harold Blackwood," Ethan whispered.

"My grandfather."

He slowly opened the first page.

A handwritten note stared back at him.

If you're reading this, then I've failed to protect our family.

Ethan's heartbeat quickened.

Trust your heart, not your father's version of the truth.

The journal detailed secret meetings, financial records, and handwritten observations spanning nearly two decades.

Each page painted a picture of a family divided by greed, power, and fear.

Then Ethan stopped turning the pages.

A folded document slipped onto the table.

Oliver looked away.

"I hoped you'd never have to read that."

Ethan unfolded it carefully.

His eyes scanned the first few lines.

Then his breathing stopped.

Ava noticed immediately.

"Ethan?"

He couldn't answer.

The paper trembled in his hands.

Finally, he whispered,

"My father..."

He swallowed hard.

"My father isn't the one who built Blackwood Holdings."

Ava frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Ethan looked up, disbelief filling his eyes.

"My grandfather legally removed him from the inheritance... years before my mother's disappearance."

Silence filled the cabin.

"If that's true..."

Ava said slowly,

"...then why did Richard become CEO?"

Oliver closed the briefcase.

"Because someone changed the will."

The room went completely still.

Someone hadn't just hidden a murder.

They had stolen an empire.

And suddenly, Ethan realized the fight ahead wasn't just for justice.

It was for the truth about his family—and everything that had been taken from them.