Chapter Fifteen: The Confession That Changed Everything
955 Words
Midnight.
The clock on Ethan’s office wall ticked louder than usual.
11:58 p.m.
The entire executive floor was still occupied.
Lawyers refreshed news websites every few seconds.
The cybersecurity team monitored social media.
Noah stood beside the large screen, phone in hand.
Everyone waited.
11:59.
Ava’s palms were damp.
She had never been so afraid of a single minute.
Then…
Midnight.
Noah refreshed the page.
Nothing.
He refreshed again.
Still nothing.
The room remained silent.
One minute passed.
Then another.
The promised leak never appeared.
A collective breath escaped the room.
“Did they change their minds?” Ava whispered.
“No,” Ethan said quietly.
“They’re playing with us.”
Five minutes later, Ethan’s phone rang.
Unknown number.
Noah immediately shook his head.
“Don’t answer.”
Ethan answered anyway.
“Blake.”
A distorted voice laughed softly.
“You seem disappointed.”
Ethan’s expression hardened.
“What do you want?”
“I already have what I wanted.”
“The contract?”
“No.”
“A reaction.”
The call ended.
The room erupted into activity.
“Trace it!”
Noah shouted.
A technician looked up seconds later.
“Disposable satellite connection.”
“No trace.”
Ethan slipped the phone back into his pocket.
“They’re enjoying this.”
An hour later…
Most of the staff had finally gone home.
Only Ethan and Ava remained.
Neither wanted to leave.
The silence between them was unusually heavy.
“I should go.”
Ava picked up her handbag.
“You should.”
Neither moved.
She looked at him.
“You’ve been protecting me since this started.”
“I made a promise.”
“You didn’t have to.”
“I did.”
She smiled sadly.
“I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone like you.”
Ethan laughed quietly.
“I’ve been called many things.”
“I doubt ‘easy to understand’ is one of them.”
“It isn’t.”
For a moment…
They simply looked at each other.
The city lights reflected through the floor-to-ceiling windows behind him.
Everything else faded away.
Ava broke the silence first.
“Can I ask you something?”
“You can.”
“Why didn’t you just hire an actress?”
He frowned.
“What?”
“For the engagement.”
“There are people who do that professionally.”
“You could’ve paid someone.”
“You chose me.”
“Why?”
Ethan didn’t answer immediately.
Instead…
He walked toward the window.
“When I met you…”
“You argued with me.”
She smiled.
“I remember.”
“You weren’t afraid.”
“You didn’t care who I was.”
“You treated me…”
He searched for the word.
“…normally.”
Ava listened quietly.
“I’d forgotten what that felt like.”
Her heart tightened.
“I have a question.”
She nodded.
“When you signed the contract…”
“Did you ever regret it?”
She thought for a long moment.
“At first…”
“Yes.”
“And now?”
She smiled faintly.
“No.”
His eyes met hers.
“Neither do I.”
The office suddenly felt very small.
Very quiet.
Very real.
Ava took a hesitant step closer.
“So…”
“We’re friends now?”
He almost smiled.
“I believe we are.”
“And after this is over?”
His gaze lingered on her.
“I don’t know.”
She looked down at the engagement ring sparkling on her finger.
“I don’t want things to go back to how they were.”
The words escaped before she could stop them.
Silence.
Ethan slowly closed the distance between them.
He stood only inches away.
Neither spoke.
Neither needed to.
Very gently…
He reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
His fingertips brushed her cheek.
Warm.
Careful.
Almost reverent.
“Ava…”
His voice was barely above a whisper.
“I’ve negotiated billion-dollar mergers.”
“I’ve faced hostile takeovers.”
“I’ve stared down people far more dangerous than me.”
She looked into his eyes.
“So?”
“So…”
A slow breath escaped him.
“…I’ve never been this terrified.”
Her heart pounded.
“Terrified of what?”
He smiled—a real smile.
“That this stopped being fake a long time ago.”
A tear slipped down her cheek before she could stop it.
“I was hoping…”
She whispered.
“…I wasn’t the only one.”
Without thinking…
She closed the distance between them.
This time…
There were no cameras.
No reporters.
No audience.
No contract.
Just Ethan.
And Ava.
Their lips met softly.
Tenderly.
Neither hurried the moment.
When they finally pulled apart, Ethan rested his forehead against hers.
“So much for one rule.”
Ava laughed through her tears.
“The ‘don’t fall in love’ rule?”
He nodded.
“I think we failed.”
Before either of them could say another word—
Noah burst through the office door, breathing hard.
“Ethan!”
They stepped apart instantly.
Noah looked from one to the other, realizing what he’d interrupted, but forced himself to focus.
“I’m sorry…”
“But you need to see this.”
He held up his tablet.
The homepage of every major news outlet displayed the same breaking headline.
BLAKE CAPITAL UNDER FEDERAL INVESTIGATION
Ava frowned.
“What?”
Ethan took the tablet.
His expression darkened.
“This has nothing to do with the contract.”
Noah nodded grimly.
“They’ve started a new attack.”
“And this one…”
“…could destroy your company before the wedding ever happens.”
- Writer
