My Ex-Husband And My Sister

Chapter 7 Sophia's Pov

“Are you out of your goddamn mind?”

Rebecca Hayes—the woman who had given me my big break in the business world—stood across from me in her office with her arms folded and her manicured nails digging into her tailored red blazer as she spoke to me in a high pitched angry voice.

Her sleek black hair was pulled into a tight bun and it made the sharp angles of her face even more intimidating.

I swallowed hard as I looked at her.

She wasn’t just mad. She was furious.

I told myself not to panic while I straightened my shoulders and made sure my voice was calm as I began. “Rebecca, I—”

“No.” She cut me off with a raised hand while her hazel eyes blazed. “You begged for this deal, Sophia. You fought for it. You wanted it more than anything.” Her voice turned incredulous as she continued. “And now, you’re running from it?”

I clenched my jaw while I gripped hard the edge of the chair that was close to me. “I just—I can’t work with him.”

Rebecca scoffed at that. “Can’t? Can’t?” She snatched the contract that was in front of her and flipped through the pages with barely controlled fury. “You do realize who we’re dealing with here, right? Alex Grayson doesn’t entertain nonsense. You humiliated me and my company because I am trying to help you, Sophia. How dare you?”

Guilt coiled in my stomach but what was I supposed to do? I asked myself.

How could I tell her the truth? That two months ago, I got drunk, met a stranger and slept with him. That the stranger turned out to be Alex Grayson. That I walked away that night thinking it was just a mistake and distraction that I needed to forget only to later find out I was carrying his child.

That I was now stuck between keeping my promise to myself and avoiding the father of my baby.

So I did what I had no choice but to do. I lied.

“I don’t think this partnership is right for me,” I said to her and nervously waited for her reaction.

Rebecca’s face turned to stone at my words Then, in one swift motion, she flung the contract in her right hand at me. The papers scattered across the desk and onto the floor.

“You might want to read the fine print before making any rash decisions,” she spat in a voice that dripped with contempt while she glared at me.

Something in her tone sent a sliver of ice down my spine.

With trembling hands, I reached for the document and as my stomach twisted nervously inside of me, my eyes darted over the legal jargon in front of me.

My stomach twisted even more as I skimmed the lines.

Then it dropped to the floor.

No. Oh God, no.

I sank into the nearby chair and read the particular section that had gripped my interest again. And again.

The investment my company had received—the one that had allowed me to scale my production, expand my brand and finally step into the big leagues in the past one month—had come from a subsidiary of Grayson Enterprises.

A company Alex Grayson owned.

And if I backed out now? I would be in breach of contract and forced to repay the entire investment.

It was a sum I certainly did not have right now.

Rebecca crossed her arms just then as she watched me. “Did you really think a deal this good came without strings?”

I shot up from my chair just then while I crushed the contract my grip. My heart pounded and my blood boiled as I grabbed my bag. I wasn't really seeing anything as I said tightly, “I’ll fix this.”

Then, without another word, I stormed out of Rebecca’s office and did not pay attention to her stunned face.

***

Grayson Enterprises was as sleek and intimidating as its owner.

I didn’t bother with the receptionist this time. Nah, I didn’t care about formalities.

I was just focused on where I was going.

Security barely had time to react before I slammed the door open to Alex Grayson’s private office that I had intuitively found on my own.

He was sitting behind his massive desk that was made of fine mahogany and was exuding effortless power in his navy-blue suit as he focused on what he was doing. Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows around him and casted sharp angles on his chiseled face.

He didn’t even look surprised when he looked up and saw me.

That infuriated me even more and I threw the contract that I had been holding tightly onto his desk and glared at him.

“You planned this, didn’t you?”

Alex leaned back in his chair while the corners of his mouth curved in the faintest smirk then he said in a husky voice. “I strategized, sweetheart. There’s a difference.”

I wanted to slap him.

“Don’t ‘sweetheart’ me,” I snapped at him. “You manipulated me into this deal. You set me up!”

His piercing green eyes held mine in a steady and unwavering way as he shrugged. “I only made a business decision.”

I let out a bitter laugh. “A business decision? You knew exactly who I was. You knew I’d have no choice but to go through with this deal. And you knew—”

I cut myself off before the words, ‘you knew I was pregnant’ could slip from my lips.

Alex tilted his head and studied me with infuriating calmness. “Knew what?”

I exhaled sharply and shook my head in frustration. “You trapped me, Alex. You’re forcing me to work with you.”

He leaned forward and placed his elbows on his desk while his smirk finally faded. Then he said in a somber voice, “No one’s forcing you to do anything, Sophia. You agreed to this deal”

I clenched my fists at my sides even as I responded tightly. “You should have told me who you were before I agreed to anything.”

His lips curled at that. “Would that have changed anything?”

I hated how my stomach fluttered at his deep voice. How, even now, after everything, I still felt something.

I shoved the thought away as I managed to say,. “I won’t let you control my life, Alex. Never.”

Alex’s gaze darkened in response and and something flickered in his eyes. Was it amusement? Or was it Challenge? I wondered.

“You might not have a choice,” he said ruefully to me as he studied me calmly.

I sucked in a sharp breath while fury rose again inside of me. “We’ll see about that.”

And with that, I turned on my heel and walked out from him and his office even as I knew for certain that the battle was far from over.