Enemies everywhere
919 Words
By Thursday morning, the scandal surrounding Ethan Sinclair and Naomi Blake had spread far beyond Sinclair Group.
Business blogs.
Corporate news pages.
Social media gossip accounts.
Everyone suddenly had an opinion.
Some people defended them.
Most didn’t.
Naomi stared at her phone in disbelief while sitting alone in the break room.
“Another billionaire CEO abusing power?”
“Did she earn the promotion fairly?”
“Office affair turns into corporate disaster.”
Each headline felt worse than the last.
The comments were cruel.
Strangers who knew nothing about her suddenly spoke like they understood her entire life.
Naomi locked her phone quickly, nausea twisting in her stomach.
This was exactly what she feared.
Not just embarrassment.
Humiliation.
Public humiliation.
“You shouldn’t read those.”
Naomi looked up tiredly.
Mia Thompson stood in the doorway holding two coffees and enough concern in her expression to make Naomi emotional immediately.
“You came here?”
“You sounded like you were two seconds away from emotionally collapsing over the phone.”
Fair.
Mia sat beside her and handed over a coffee.
Naomi accepted it quietly. “Everything’s a mess.”
“I noticed.”
Naomi leaned back against the chair tiredly. “People think I manipulated Ethan.”
Mia looked unimpressed. “People online also think the earth is flat.”
That earned the smallest laugh from Naomi.
But it disappeared quickly.
“I never wanted attention like this,” she whispered.
Mia’s expression softened instantly.
“Hey,” she said gently, “falling in love with someone isn’t something you should be ashamed of.”
The word love hit Naomi again.
Still terrifying.
Still true.
Before Naomi could respond, her phone buzzed loudly.
A message from Ethan.
Ethan: Board meeting. Stay in your office until I come get you.
Naomi frowned immediately.
That sounded bad.
Very bad.
An hour later, Naomi realized just how bad things had become.
Voices echoed sharply through the executive hallway while several board members stormed out of the conference room looking furious.
Employees instantly pretended not to stare.
Naomi stood slowly from her desk the second Ethan appeared.
One look at his face told her everything.
Something had gone wrong.
Badly.
“Inside,” Ethan said quietly.
Naomi followed him into his office immediately.
The moment the doors closed, Ethan loosened his tie sharply in frustration.
“They want you transferred.”
Naomi froze.
“What?”
“To another branch office overseas.”
Her stomach dropped instantly.
“They can’t do that.”
“They’re trying.”
Naomi stared at him in disbelief. “Why?”
Ethan laughed quietly without humor. “Because separating us publicly would calm investors.”
The words felt like a punch to the chest.
So that was their solution.
Remove her.
Silence her.
Make the problem disappear neatly.
Naomi crossed her arms tightly. “And what did you say?”
Ethan looked at her directly.
“I said no.”
Her chest tightened painfully again.
“Ethan”
“I’m not letting them force you out.”
“You could lose everything fighting them.”
The quiet anger in Ethan’s eyes darkened immediately.
“I’m getting very tired of people threatening what matters to me.”
The honesty in his voice stole her breath briefly.
Before Naomi could answer, a knock hit the office door.
Neither moved.
Another knock came louder this time.
Ethan exhaled sharply. “Come in.”
The door opened.
And unfortunately, Vanessa Cole walked in.
Naomi immediately felt emotionally exhausted.
Vanessa glanced between both of them before sighing dramatically.
“You two look like you’re planning a murder.”
“Depends on the board meeting,” Ethan muttered.
Vanessa walked farther inside before tossing a folder onto his desk.
“I found something interesting.”
Ethan frowned slightly while opening it.
Naomi moved closer carefully.
Inside were printed financial reports and email screenshots.
Her confusion deepened immediately.
“What is this?”
Vanessa’s expression sharpened.
“Proof someone inside the company has been leaking information intentionally.”
The room went silent instantly.
Ethan’s eyes narrowed while reading the documents.
“These numbers were altered,” he said quietly.
Vanessa nodded. “Someone’s manipulating company records and using your scandal as distraction.”
Naomi’s heartbeat quickened.
“So this isn’t just about us?”
“No,” Vanessa replied seriously. “Someone wants Ethan removed as CEO.”
The realization hit heavily.
Everything suddenly made more sense.
The anonymous photos.
The leaks.
The pressure from the board.
Someone had been orchestrating this deliberately.
And Naomi and Ethan’s relationship simply became the perfect weapon.
Ethan’s expression darkened dangerously while flipping through the documents.
“Who has access to these records?”
Vanessa hesitated briefly.
Then answered quietly.
“Board member Richard Hale.”
Silence.
Naomi frowned slightly. “The same man pushing hardest to remove Ethan?”
“Yes.”
Ethan closed the folder slowly.
For the first time in days, his anger looked focused instead of exhausted.
Cold.
Controlled.
Dangerous.
“He’s planning a takeover,” Ethan said quietly.
Vanessa nodded once. “And if the scandal keeps growing, the board might hand him exactly what he wants.”
Naomi looked between both of them carefully.
“So what do we do?”
Ethan lifted his eyes toward her.
And despite everything happening around them, his voice remained calm.
“We stop hiding.”
Naomi’s pulse quickened instantly.
Because somehow…
That sounded less like a strategy
And more like a declaration of war.
- Writer
