Chapter 13: Ethan’s Counterattack
815 Words
Ethan had never hated anyone before.
Not really.
But as he stood alone in his office, staring at the termination notices flooding his inbox, hatred curled in his chest like something alive.
Jason Hale hadn’t just taken Zara.
He’d dismantled him.
Partnerships withdrawn. Deals “postponed indefinitely.” Invitations that once arrived daily now vanished into silence. The message was clear and humiliating:
You are small. You always were.
Ethan slammed his fist against the desk.
“No,” he muttered. “I won’t be erased.”
He picked up his phone and made a call he’d sworn he’d never make.
Zara sensed the shift before she saw it.
It started with the looks again. The whispers. Phones tilting in her direction a little too obviously. When she checked social media during lunch, her blood ran cold.
A new article was climbing fast.
BREAKING:
Zara Tyler’s “Tragic Past” Questioned Sources Claim Billionaire Romance Is Built on Lies
Her hands shook as she scrolled.
Anonymous sources. Half-truths. Carefully twisted details.
Not enough to expose her secret.
Just enough to destabilize her.
Jason found her staring at the screen, face drained of color.
“He did this,” she whispered.
Jason read the headline once. His jaw hardened. “Ethan.”
“He’s trying to paint me as a manipulator,” she said, voice cracking. “Like I planned all of this.”
Jason took the phone from her and set it aside. “He wants attention.”
“He wants revenge.”
Jason nodded. “Same thing.”
Ethan didn’t stop there.
By evening, Zara’s phone rang nonstop—old colleagues, distant relatives, even strangers pretending concern while digging for dirt.
Then came the email.
From: Ethan Cole
Subject: We need to talk.
Her chest tightened.
Jason saw her hesitation. “You don’t owe him anything.”
“I owe myself closure,” she replied softly.
Jason studied her for a long moment. “I’ll be there.”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “This one… I need to face alone.”
The café was quiet when Ethan arrived.
He looked thinner. Harder. His eyes held something bitter now.
“You look well,” he said coldly.
Zara sat across from him. “You’re attacking me through the media.”
He didn’t deny it. “I’m defending myself.”
“By destroying my reputation?”
“By correcting the narrative,” he snapped. “You cheated on me with your billionaire ex and let him crush my career. What do you think people will believe?”
Zara leaned forward, eyes blazing. “You proposed to a woman you didn’t fully know.”
His mouth tightened. “I loved you.”
“And I tried to tell you I wasn’t ready.”
“You let me plan a future while you were still in love with him!”
Silence stretched.
Then Ethan lowered his voice. “You think Jason’s doing this because he loves you?”
Zara stilled.
“He’s doing it because he can’t stand losing,” Ethan continued. “You’re a prize to him. A symbol. And once he wins..”
“Stop,” she whispered.
“He’ll control you,” Ethan pressed. “Just like he’s controlling everything else.”
Her hands trembled. “You don’t know him.”
“I know obsession,” Ethan said sharply. “And I know what happens when it turns ugly.”
Zara stood. “This ends now. Take the articles down.”
Ethan’s eyes darkened. “I can’t.”
“What?”
“They’re already out,” he said quietly. “And if I go down alone… I won’t.”
Her heart sank. “What are you saying?”
Ethan leaned back, voice deadly calm.
“There are still truths you haven’t told Jason. And if he keeps coming for me… I’ll make sure he finds out.”
Zara froze.
“You wouldn’t,” she whispered.
Ethan met her gaze. “Try me.”
Jason felt it the moment she walked back into the penthouse.
Her silence. Her stiffness. Fear wrapped tightly around her like armor.
“What did he say?” Jason asked.
Zara swallowed. “He’s not done.”
Jason’s eyes hardened. “Neither am I.”
She looked up at him, panic flickering. “Jason… if he exposes everything”
“Then we survive it,” he said firmly.
“You don’t understand,” she whispered. “Some truths don’t just hurt. They destroy.”
Jason stepped closer. “Whatever it is”
Her phone buzzed.
A message from an unknown number.
UNKNOWN: Tick tock, Zara. Choose carefully.
Her breath hitched.
Jason saw the color drain from her face.
And in that moment, he realized
This war had just crossed into dangerous territory.
Because Ethan wasn’t trying to win Zara back anymore.
He was trying to burn everything down.
- Writer
