Billionaire's Redemption: Forced Love

Chapter5 : Unforgiven

Sophia looked up at him, her features empty, nearly bored. “You think this is some kind of trick to get close to you? she said, her voice firm but low. "You've got it all wrong. I’ve been working with this company long before you decided to buy this company. In fact, the way you just barged into my life makes me think that you’re the one who is trying to get close to me. Or are you simply nostalgic for the pass?”

Her blackened Ethan’s eyes, his jaw tighten. Before she could respond, he stepped closer, taking her arm in a firm but not painful hold. “Never forget your place,” his voice was low and dangerous. “You need me now.”

Sophia didn't flinch. Instead, she had a soft, mocking laugh, the sound cutting counterpoint to the tension that stretched between them. “ I’m confident my work will satisfy Luxura. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a show to prepare for."

And just like that, she pulled her arm from his grip and turned, marching out of his office, decisive. The door closed behind her and Ethan stared after her, sitting on the chair and a rumbling started in his chest as he felt his body expand. That was who she had always been — brazen, unrepentant and completely unpredictable. She had a way of bursting into his life, wreaking havoc wherever she went and disappearing without a trace.

He had chased after her all those years ago when she had walked away from him and there had been no trace left of her. He’d have kept busy, dove into work, tried to move on. He’d even gotten engaged, as if opening a fresh chapter would exorcise the spirits of the past. But none of it worked. Years of donning the mask that he didn’t care a bit about Sophia.

And now she was back, his fallen angel in his life, sending sharp words like arrows in his direction as if no time had passed. She was still the one who could rattle him, who could strike chords he’d long tried to deaden. Now, even confronted with her, he could feel the rage and the urge to fight inside. She had been the tempest, a gale he didn’t know how to suss out, and while he resented her for how she had put him down, he couldn’t help longing for her company.

But the bravado crumbled as soon as the door closed behind Sophia when she left the office. She leaned against the wall, her shoulders sagging as she took a shuddering breath. Maintaining the charade in his presence had nearly drained her, but it had been necessary. The same arrogant, dominating force he was. Nope, he was still Ethan Carter. And yet, here now, he felt different. He was different, and she wasn’t sure whether that change was for the better or for the worse.

She closed her eyes and liberated herself, however fleetingly, from the heavy clang of the past and the hard-fought interest of the present. But the mirage was momentary. The truth was, despite all her bravado, she had never truly gotten over him. She had spent years convincing herself that she was fine and that she did not need him, but every time they ran into each other — old pain rushed back.

She was strong enough. She had built herself from nothing, had endured trials that would have broken a weaker spirit, she had become someone who could navigate the cutthroat world of fashion without losing herself somewhere in the middle. But after all the distance she had created between them, a small part of her still wondered about the man she had loved.

The memory of him — of them — washed over her like a ghost. She inhaled, trying to clear her mind. She didn’t have time for this. Ethan was as much a distraction to succumb to. No matter what he thought, no matter how he tried to belittle her, she was going to prove her worth. Luxura had hired her for a reason, and she would not let anyone - least of all Ethan - diminish that.

Sophia straightened, tugged at her blazer and took a deep breath. She learned long ago that in this world, only one thing mattered: control. She had to perform her emotions and her actions at the best.

She was on her way outside when she heard someone call out her name. "Sophia?" Clara, her assistant, ran at her with clipboard in hand. Sophia forced a smile, wanting nothing more than to return to her career woman self. "What is it?"

“The models are ready, and the first round of outfits is lined up. "We are only waiting for you to fix those arrangements,” Clara exclaimed, staring at her with a frown. “Things are running fine, but yes, they are still running...”

Sophia waved her off in midsentence, "I'll be there in a minute. Anyway, it has to be perfect tonight.’ ”

Clara nodded as she felt the tension and said, "Of course."

Ethan Carter may have influenced Sophia's past, but he would not be her present. And she sure as hell planned to keep it that way. Sophia recognized that familiar adrenaline, as backstage doors opened around her, and she heard the sounds of all the seeing. This was her comfort zone, this was her homeland. She had worked damned hard for anyone — him particularly — to try to distract her now.

Ethan could play his game of vanity, but long ago, Sophia had learned that the only game worth playing was her own.