EpisodeThree
1537 Words
By the time Sophie stepped out of Blackwood Tower, the crowd had filled the entire compound.
Camera flashes dominated the scene.. Reporters were asking questions over one another. Security was trying to control the crowd, but it kept failing.
She stood still, and couldn’t move. This wasn't a rumor anymore, it’s now news.
Her phone kept vibrating, notifications had filled her screen— news alerts, crazy headlines, text messages from numbers she didn’t even recognize.
Ethan stepped out of the tower as well and stood behind her, with an intent gaze. He was accompanied by two members of his security team. He looked composed and controlled.
She felt the opposite, she felt exposed, like everything she was scared of happening is now happening.
As the media caught them stepping out together, the noise increased.
“Mr. Blackwood, is it true you have a ten-year-old daughter?”
“Was the child kept secret?”
“Miss Bennett, did you hide this from him?”
The questions hit like stones.
Sophie’s breath shortened. She had protected Lily for ten years from exactly this — from strangers using her existence as a headline.
Ethan stepped slightly in front of her. Not dramatically. Just enough that his presence absorbed the first wave of attention.
“No comment,” he said calmly.
“Is the child yours?” another reporter shouted.
Ethan did not hesitate this time.
“My personal life will not be discussed outside proper channels,” he replied, voice even. “And I expect privacy for the minor involved.”
Minor.
Not an asset. Not a situation.
Minor.
She was surprised he acted that way. Security opened the car door, and Ethan turned slightly toward her. “Get in.” he said, not a request.
It wasn’t an order. It was practical.
For once, she didn’t argue.
As they got in the car, the noise reduced immediately. Sophie exhaled. She was relieved a bit.
“This is exactly what I was afraid of,” she said.
Ethan’s jaw tightened. “I didn’t release anything.”
“I know.” she replied. That was the part that scared her.
He looked at her then said,. “This wasn’t random. The leak was timed.”
“You think someone planned it?” Sophie asked curiously.
“Yes.” Ethan responded.
The single word carried weight. She thought of Camille immediately.
“Does Camille know?” Sophie asked quietly. He didn’t respond immediately.
“I don’t know, but trust me, I’ll find out,” he said instead.
The car began moving. “I need to get home,” Sophie said suddenly. “Lily gets out of school in an hour.”
Ethan nodded once. “I’ll have security—”
“No,” she cut in. “She doesn’t need men in suits waiting outside her classroom.”
He accepted that without argument.
“I’ll drop you off myself,” Ethan said.
She looked at him carefully and said, “That will only make things worse.”
“They already know the story,” he replied calmly. “If you go alone, they’ll come after you.”
He wasn’t wrong, actually. They both went silent for a second.
After a moment, he spoke again, more quietly. “I should have moved faster.”
She frowned. “On what?”
“Control.”
The word made her flinch slightly. He noticed.
“I don’t mean control over you,” he said carefully. “Control over the narrative.”
“This isn’t a press release, Ethan.”
“I’m aware.”
“That’s why it’s risky,” Ethan said with a low voice.
They got to Sophie’s apartment and some media vans were already parked outside. Her stomach growled.
“This is insane,” she whispered.
Ethan’s expression was tense too. He stepped out first, scanning the area quickly before opening her door. Security had arrived ahead of them somehow, forming a loose barrier to prevent reporters from rushing forward to them.
Sophie stepped out, with her heart pounding.
“Miss Bennett, did you hide the child from him intentionally?”
“Are you seeking child support?” “Was the relationship abusive?”
The last question annoyed her so much. Abusive? The word felt ugly.
Ethan heard it too. His expression changed immediately.
“That’s enough,” he said, firmly and with a tone of authority. “Any defamatory speculation will be addressed legally.”
The reporters went quiet instantly, they dared not to move when the CEO of Blackwood speaks.
He turned towards her direction, and she saw anger in his eyes. Not at her, but at them
“Go inside,” he said quietly.
She wanted to resist, but she nodded and walked past the media confidently.
When she got inside, she slid herself until she was sitting on the floor. This was real now, she wasn’t expecting any of this so soon.
Her phone rang again, she thought it was the headlines from the media but this time it was Ava, her best friend.
She answered immediately. “Are you okay,” Ava asked curiously.
“I don’t think I am right now,” Sophie said, with tears gathered around her eyes.
“I saw the news. It’s everywhere. They’re saying you kept a billionaire’s child a secret.”
Sophie closed her eyes. “I was protecting her.”
“I know,” Ava said softly. “But they don’t know your story.”
“I have to go get Lily, she will close from school in a few minutes.”
“I’ll meet you there, I'll come over" Ava said immediately. “You shouldn’t go there alone.”
Sophie hesitated. “Ethan’s here.”
There was a pause.
“Oh.”
That single syllable held years of context.
“Is he… being him?” Ava asked carefully.
“He’s being controlled,” Sophie said. “Which is somehow worse.”
The call ended.
The school parking lot made Sophie more tense. Parents were whispering. A few had their phones out. They had clearly seen the headlines.
Lily came out of the school building, and started smiling when she sighted her mom.The smile faded when she saw the massive cars, and the guards behind Sophie.
Then she saw him- Ethan.
He had stepped back slightly, giving Sophie space, but he was visible.
Lily slowed.
“Mama?” she called quietly.
Sophie knelt in front of her, dressing her hair backwards, “Hey, baby.”
“Why are there cameras pointing at us? Are we in trouble?” Lily asked fearfully.
The direct question made her mind spiral, she didn’t know what to say. Ethan moved towards Lily’s direction.
“They’re interested in me,” he said gently.
Lily looked at him. “Because you’re important?”
“Yes maybe,” he replied.
“Have I done something?” she asked, with a trembling voice.
Sophie’s heart broke immediately. She hated that Lily felt that way.
“No,” she said quickly, pulling her into a hug. “You did nothing wrong. This isn’t about you doing anything.”
Ethan bent down so he was at Lily’s eye level. “Sometimes, adults make complicated situations,” he said calmly. “And other adults get curious.”
Lily studied him for a long moment.
“Will you keep coming?” she asked.
Sophie held her breath, uncertain of what Ethan would say.
Ethan didn’t look at Sophie when he answered. “Yes,” he said, with no hesitation.
Lily accepted and Sophie did not argue either.
As they walked back to the car together, Sophie realized something, this didn’t seem temporal, the conversation was not ending any time soon.
Ethan took them to his own apartment that night.
One headline on the television made Sophie restless.
“BLACKWOOD HEIR KEPT SECRET FOR A DECADE.”
Heir? They were turning Lily into a storyline.
Ethan saw it too. He flared up, clenching his fists.
“This has to end,” he said quietly.
“How?” Sophie asked, almost immediately.
He pulled out his phone from his pocket. “I’m making a statement,” he said with so much fury.
Her heart raced. “About what?”
He looked at her, and his control didn’t seem professional this time, itt was personal.
“I’m acknowledging her,” he said.
The words hit Sophie hard
“You can’t just—”
“Yes, I can,” he interrupted. “And I will.”
Sophie stared at him, and thought within herself that public acknowledgment would protect Lily in one way. But it would also make her part of his world forever.
“There’s no going back after that,” she whispered.
He looked at her and said, “There was no going back the moment I saw her.”
Her chest tightened. Ethan began to type.
Outside, the cameras were still flashing. And inside, Lily sat quietly on the couch, watching both of them with thoughtful eyes.
And as Ethan pressed send on what would become the most talked-about statement in the city by nightfall, Sophie felt something shift in her chest.
It was no longer a secret, it’s known to the world now!
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