The truth about Ethan
1032 Words
For the rest of the week, Naomi Blake couldn’t stop thinking about what Vanessa Cole said.
This company destroys people who get too close to Ethan.
The warning lingered in her mind constantly.
Because despite Vanessa’s sharp attitude and complicated history with Ethan Sinclair, one thing was becoming clear:
She genuinely seemed worried.
And Naomi didn’t know whether that should comfort her or terrify her.
Friday night arrived with another long workday.
At this point, Naomi suspected Sinclair Group survived entirely on stress and caffeine.
Most employees had already gone home when Naomi finally gathered enough courage to knock softly on Ethan’s office door.
“Come in.”
She stepped inside carefully.
Ethan sat behind his desk reviewing documents, though the tiredness in his face was impossible to miss now.
He looked up immediately when he saw her.
“You’re still here.”
“So are you.”
“That’s different.”
Naomi crossed her arms lightly. “Because you’re the boss?”
“Because I’m responsible for keeping this company alive.”
The quiet exhaustion in his voice made something ache inside her chest again.
Naomi walked closer slowly. “Can I ask you something?”
Ethan watched her carefully. “Depends.”
“Vanessa said people close to you get hurt.”
The moment the words left her mouth, Ethan’s expression changed instantly.
Not anger.
Something heavier.
Older.
Silence filled the office for several seconds.
Then Ethan stood slowly and walked toward the windows overlooking the city lights.
Naomi waited quietly.
Finally, he spoke.
“My father built Sinclair Group from nothing,” he said calmly.
Naomi blinked slightly.
This wasn’t the answer she expected.
“He cared about power more than people,” Ethan continued. “Including family.”
His voice remained controlled, but Naomi noticed the tension hidden underneath every word.
“When I was younger, he decided emotions were weaknesses.” Ethan laughed quietly without humor. “He spent years teaching me how not to care.”
Naomi’s chest tightened painfully.
Suddenly, so many things about Ethan made sense.
The walls around him.
The constant control.
The way he hid exhaustion behind coldness.
“He wanted a perfect heir,” Ethan said softly. “Not a son.”
Naomi stayed silent, letting him continue.
“My mother hated the company,” he admitted after a pause. “She used to say this building swallowed happiness.”
The sadness hidden in his voice caught Naomi completely off guard.
“What happened to her?” she asked carefully.
Ethan looked away toward the dark city skyline.
“She got sick when I was twenty-two.”
Naomi’s breath caught slightly.
“She died six months later.”
Silence crashed heavily between them.
Oh.
Suddenly the loneliness Naomi always sensed around him felt painfully clear.
Ethan swallowed once before continuing quietly.
“The day after her funeral, my father handed me company files and told me grief was a distraction.”
Naomi felt anger rise instantly.
“That’s horrible.”
Ethan gave a faint shrug like he’d convinced himself long ago it didn’t matter.
But Naomi could see the truth in his eyes.
It still hurt.
Maybe it always would.
“My father died two years later,” Ethan continued. “And suddenly everything became my responsibility.”
The entire company.
The pressure.
The expectations.
All of it.
Alone.
Naomi slowly realized Ethan had probably spent years carrying burdens no one ever helped him with.
No wonder he looked exhausted all the time.
No wonder he struggled letting people close.
“You don’t have to handle everything by yourself,” she said softly.
Ethan looked at her then.
Really looked at her.
And for the first time since meeting him, Naomi saw something dangerously vulnerable beneath all his control.
“You make me want to,” he admitted quietly.
Her heart nearly broke.
Without thinking, Naomi stepped closer to him.
Ethan didn’t move away.
“You know what scares me most?” he asked softly.
Naomi shook her head slightly.
“You.”
The answer stunned her completely.
“Why?”
Ethan’s jaw tightened slightly before he answered.
“Because I’m starting to care about you enough for it to destroy me if something happens to you.”
The honesty in his voice hit harder than anything else ever had.
This wasn’t attraction anymore.
Wasn’t tension.
Wasn’t temporary.
It was real.
And suddenly Naomi understood why Ethan kept trying to create distance between them.
Not because he didn’t feel anything.
Because he felt too much.
Slowly, Naomi reached for his hand.
Ethan looked down at their fingers briefly like the gesture itself surprised him.
Then he held her hand back tightly.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The city lights glowed softly around them while silence settled between them again.
But this silence felt different.
Safe.
Then Ethan lifted his free hand gently against her cheek.
“You should stay away from me,” he murmured quietly.
Naomi’s heartbeat quickened instantly.
“That sounds like terrible advice coming from someone holding my hand.”
A small real smile appeared on Ethan’s face.
Rare.
Beautiful.
Dangerously unfair.
“You’re making this very difficult,” he admitted softly.
Naomi stepped closer until barely any space remained between them.
“Good.”
Ethan stared at her for half a second before kissing her again.
This time there was no hesitation.
No fear.
Just emotion neither of them could hide anymore.
The kiss felt deeper than before not rushed or desperate, but honest.
Like two people finally stopping pretending.
When they finally pulled apart, Ethan rested his forehead lightly against hers again.
Then suddenly
A loud knock hit the office door.
Both of them froze instantly.
“Mr. Sinclair?”
Vivian’s voice.
Oh no.
Naomi jumped backward immediately while Ethan closed his eyes briefly like the universe personally hated him.
“Come in,” he said calmly.
The door opened.
Vivian Reed stepped inside holding a folder.
Then stopped completely.
Her eyes moved from Ethan…
To Naomi…
To the suspiciously small distance between them.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Vivian slowly raised one eyebrow.
“Well,” she said calmly, “this explains a lot.”
- Writer
