The Man From His Past
1426 Words
Chapter -Three
Ava stared at Ethan.
The tension in the executive lounge was suffocating.
Only moments ago, they had been sharing sandwiches and having what felt like their first normal conversation.
Now it was gone.
The warmth in his eyes had disappeared.
His shoulders had stiffened.
His entire expression had turned to stone.
Whoever had called him clearly wasn't someone he wanted to hear from.
Ava knew she should mind her business.
She barely knew the man.
But curiosity got the better of her.
"Who is he?"
The question slipped out before she could stop herself.
Ethan's gaze snapped toward her.
Cold.
Guarded.
Dangerous.
For a moment she thought he wouldn't answer.
Then he looked away.
"The one person I hoped I'd never see again."
Ava frowned.
His answer only created more questions.
Before she could ask another, Ethan pushed himself away from the counter.
The walls were already going back up.
Conversation over.
"Finish your food."
His tone was businesslike again.
"We're leaving."
Ava sighed internally.
So much for getting to know the real Ethan.
Twenty minutes later, they stepped out of the company building.
The evening air was cool against Ava's skin.
She expected Ethan to head toward the parking garage.
Instead, he stood motionless on the sidewalk.
His gaze fixed across the street.
Ava followed his line of sight.
A black luxury SUV was parked near the entrance.
Leaning casually against it was a man.
He looked to be in his late fifties.
Tall.
Distinguished.
Expensively dressed.
At first glance, he appeared perfectly respectable.
But the moment Ethan saw him, his expression darkened.
The older man smiled.
A slow smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Ethan."
Ava felt the hostility immediately.
The two men looked at each other like enemies.
Not family.
Enemies.
The older man's gaze shifted to Ava.
"And who is this beautiful young lady?"
Ava instantly felt uncomfortable.
Ethan stepped slightly in front of her.
Protectively.
The gesture surprised both of them.
"Leave her out of this."
The man's smile widened.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
"You never did like sharing."
"Ethan."
The warning in Ethan's voice was sharp.
The older man lifted his hands in mock surrender.
"Relax."
Ava looked between them.
The resemblance suddenly became obvious.
The eyes.
The jawline.
The height.
Her stomach dropped.
No way.
This wasn't just someone from Ethan's past.
This was family.
"You didn't tell her?" the older man asked.
Ethan's silence was answer enough.
The man extended a hand toward Ava.
"Richard Blackwood."
Ava's eyes widened.
Blackwood.
The same surname.
The same face.
The realization hit instantly.
Ethan's father.
The ride home was painfully quiet.
After Richard finally left, Ethan insisted on dropping Ava home.
She sat in the passenger seat staring out the window.
Neither spoke.
The tension was unbearable.
Eventually, Ava broke.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
Ethan kept his eyes on the road.
"Tell you what?"
"Why you hate him."
His grip tightened on the steering wheel.
For several seconds, silence filled the car.
Then he laughed.
A humorless laugh.
"Hate is a weak word."
Ava swallowed.
Whatever happened between father and son was serious.
Very serious.
"He walked out when I was twelve."
Ethan's voice was calm.
Too calm.
"He left my mother."
Ava listened quietly.
"He left me."
The pain beneath those words was impossible to miss.
"My mother spent years waiting for him to come back."
His jaw tightened.
"He never did."
The streetlights flashed across his face.
For the first time, Ava saw something she'd never seen before.
Not arrogance.
Not confidence.
Not power.
Hurt.
Deep hurt.
And suddenly Ethan didn't seem like an untouchable billionaire CEO.
He seemed human.
Broken in ways nobody else could see.
"I'm sorry," Ava whispered.
Ethan glanced at her.
Their eyes met briefly.
Then he looked back at the road.
"So am I."
A few minutes later, they arrived at Ava's apartment building.
Ethan parked the car.
Neither moved.
Neither seemed eager to end the conversation.
Which was strange.
Because just days ago they couldn't stand each other.
Now sitting in silence somehow felt comfortable.
Dangerously comfortable.
Ava finally reached for the door handle.
"Thank you for dinner."
Ethan nodded.
"Get some sleep."
She smiled.
"You too."
As Ava stepped out of the car, Ethan called her name.
She turned.
Their eyes met under the glow of the streetlights.
For a second neither spoke.
Then Ethan said quietly,
"You're different from everyone else here."
Ava's heart skipped.
"What does that mean?"
A small smile touched his lips.
The kind she rarely saw.
"I haven't figured that out yet."
Before she could respond, he drove away.
Leaving Ava standing there.
Confused.
Flustered.
And thinking about her boss far more than she should have.
The next morning, Ava arrived at the office fifteen minutes early.
After yesterday's events, she wasn't taking any chances.
Not with Ethan Blackwood as her boss.
The memory of their conversation in the car lingered in her mind.
The vulnerability he'd shown.
The pain in his eyes when he spoke about his father.
It was difficult to reconcile that version of Ethan with the cold, demanding CEO everyone feared.
As she stepped out of the elevator onto the executive floor, she immediately sensed something was different.
The atmosphere felt tense.
Employees whispered among themselves.
Several heads turned toward Ethan's office.
Curious.
Interested.
Nervous.
Ava frowned.
What happened now?
She approached her desk.
Sophie appeared moments later carrying a cup of coffee.
"Good morning."
"Morning."
Sophie leaned closer.
"Brace yourself."
Ava blinked.
"For what?"
Before Sophie could answer, the office door opened.
A stunning woman stepped out.
Tall.
Elegant.
Perfectly styled blonde hair.
Designer heels.
A fitted cream-colored dress that probably cost more than Ava's monthly salary.
Ava immediately recognized her.
Vanessa.
The woman from the nightclub.
The woman she'd seen hanging onto Ethan's arm.
The woman everyone in the office seemed to know.
Vanessa's sharp eyes landed on Ava instantly.
Slowly.
Carefully.
As though assessing competition.
Ava didn't like the feeling.
Not one bit.
Vanessa smiled.
The gesture looked friendly.
But something about it felt rehearsed.
Artificial.
"You must be the new assistant."
Ava stood.
"Yes."
Vanessa extended a hand.
"I'm Vanessa Montgomery."
Ava shook it politely.
The woman's grip was surprisingly firm.
Then Vanessa tilted her head.
Her smile widening.
"I'm Ethan's fiancée."
The words hit harder than they should have.
Ava immediately hated herself for noticing.
Why did that bother her?
She barely knew Ethan.
He was her boss.
Nothing more.
Still...
Something unpleasant twisted inside her chest.
"Oh."
Vanessa's eyes narrowed slightly.
As though she had expected a different reaction.
"Aren't you going to congratulate me?"
Ava forced a smile.
"Congratulations."
"Thank you."
An awkward silence followed.
Thankfully, Sophie appeared beside Ava.
Saving her.
"Ethan is expecting the quarterly reports."
Vanessa's smile disappeared for a fraction of a second.
Just long enough for Ava to notice.
Interesting.
The woman clearly wasn't happy about being interrupted.
Vanessa smoothed her dress.
"Well, it was nice meeting you, Ava."
Something about the way she said her name felt like a warning.
Not a greeting.
A warning.
Then she turned and walked back into Ethan's office without knocking.
Without asking permission.
As if she belonged there.
Ava watched the door close behind her.
The strange feeling in her stomach returned.
"You okay?"
Sophie's voice pulled her back.
"Fine."
"You don't look fine."
Ava sighed.
"I don't know."
Sophie lowered her voice.
"Word of advice?"
Ava nodded.
"Stay away from Vanessa."
Ava blinked.
"What?"
Sophie glanced toward Ethan's office before speaking.
"She's beautiful."
Ava nodded.
"Rich."
Another nod.
"Connected."
Yet another nod.
Sophie leaned closer.
"And she knows it."
Ava frowned.
"Meaning?"
"Meaning she doesn't like sharing attention."
Before Ava could ask more questions, Ethan's office door opened.
Vanessa emerged.
A satisfied smile on her face.
She walked away without another glance.
Seconds later, Ethan appeared.
His gaze immediately landed on Ava.
And lingered.
Longer than necessary.
Long enough for Sophie to notice.
Long enough for Ava's pulse to quicken.
Then his expression returned to normal.
"Miss Williams."
"Yes, Mr. Blackwood?"
"Inside. Now."
Ava grabbed her notebook and followed him.
The moment she entered the office, Ethan closed the door behind her.
She turned around.
Only to find him studying her carefully.
Almost suspiciously.
"What?"
Ava asked.
Ethan crossed his arms.
"What did Vanessa say to you?"
Ava froze.
The question caught her completely off guard.
And suddenly she realized something.
Ethan wasn't asking out of curiosity.
He was asking because he was worried.
- Writer
