Chapter 3 – A Woman Like Me
1019 Words
Sophia Laurent did not believe in coincidence.
By the time Clara reached the break room that afternoon, she already knew she was being watched.
Not openly.
Not obviously.
But deliberately.
She felt it in the way conversations quieted when she passed. In the way two junior analysts whispered near the coffee machine. In the way Ethan’s office door had remained closed for nearly thirty minutes after that phone call.
She poured herself water instead of coffee. She didn’t need caffeine. Her nerves were already alive.
“Smart choice.”
The voice was smooth. Controlled. Polished.
Clara turned slowly.
Sophia leaned casually against the counter, arms folded, expression almost amused.
“I beg your pardon?” Clara asked.
“Water,” Sophia clarified. “Coffee makes you jittery. And when you’re presenting in high-stakes rooms, jittery is… unfortunate.”
Clara held her gaze evenly. “I wasn’t jittery.”
Sophia smiled faintly. “No. You weren’t. That’s what impressed me.”
The compliment felt like a test.
Clara refused to shrink under it.
“Was there something you needed?” she asked.
Sophia tilted her head slightly, studying her in a way that felt less like curiosity and more like evaluation.
“I just wanted to see you up close,” she said honestly. “Ethan doesn’t talk much about his personal life anymore. I was curious.”
There it was.
Personal life.
Clara set her glass down carefully. “And what exactly are you curious about?”
Sophia stepped closer not invading space, but close enough to establish dominance.
“You,” she said simply.
Silence stretched between them.
Clara straightened her posture. “Well, now you’ve seen me.”
Sophia’s lips curved again. “Yes. I have.”
The tone carried layers.
“She seems nice.”
The sudden voice from the doorway made them both turn.
Ethan.
He stood there with his usual calm expression, but Clara noticed something new alertness. Like he had walked in at exactly the right moment.
Sophia didn’t miss it either.
“She is,” Sophia said smoothly. “Very composed.”
“Clara’s one of the best on my team,” Ethan replied.
On my team.
Not with me.
Clara felt the subtle distinction like a paper cut.
Sophia glanced between them and then did something Clara hadn’t expected.
She laughed softly.
“Oh, Ethan,” she said. “You always did choose stability.”
The room went still.
The air shifted.
Clara didn’t move, didn’t blink but inside, something cracked.
Ethan’s jaw tightened. “Sophia.”
“What?” she asked innocently. “It’s not an insult. Stability is valuable. Predictable. Safe.”
Safe.
The word hit harder than Clara wanted to admit.
Sophia looked directly at her now.
“There’s nothing wrong with being the safe choice,” she continued gently. “Some men need that.”
Clara felt the heat rise in her chest, but her voice remained level.
“And some men,” she replied calmly, “grow tired of chaos.”
The silence that followed was sharp.
Sophia’s smile faltered just slightly.
Ethan stepped forward.
“That’s enough,” he said quietly.
But it wasn’t clear who he was defending.
Sophia uncrossed her arms. “Relax. I was only talking.”
“No,” Clara said softly. “You weren’t.”
Their eyes locked.
This wasn’t about business.
This wasn’t about contracts.
This was about history.
And territory.
Sophia exhaled lightly, as if amused again. “You’re stronger than I expected.”
“Thank you,” Clara replied. “I don’t break easily.”
Sophia studied her for one long second more.
Then she turned to Ethan.
“We should finish discussing the proposal over dinner tonight,” she said casually.
Dinner.
Clara’s stomach dropped but she didn’t let it show.
Ethan hesitated.
A small hesitation.
But Clara saw it.
Sophia saw it too.
“It’s business,” Sophia added lightly. “Unless that’s a problem.”
Ethan glanced at Clara.
That glance said everything.
He was calculating.
Considering.
Balancing.
And in that split second, Clara understood something devastating.
He was afraid of making the wrong choice.
“I’ll be there,” Ethan said finally.
The words felt like a quiet verdict.
Sophia nodded once, satisfied.
“I’ll text you the location,” she said before walking past Clara without another glance.
The door swung shut behind her.
The break room suddenly felt too small.
Too quiet.
Clara picked up her glass again, though her hand felt colder now.
“It’s just dinner,” Ethan said carefully.
“Of course,” Clara replied.
“You know that.”
“Yes.”
Silence.
He stepped closer. “Clara.”
She looked up at him.
Not with tears.
Not with accusation.
Just clarity.
“You don’t have to explain,” she said quietly. “You’re free to have dinner with whoever you want.”
“That’s not what this is.”
“Then what is it?” she asked.
He didn’t answer immediately.
And that silence told her more than words ever could.
Clara gave him a small, almost peaceful smile.
“Enjoy your dinner,” she said softly.
Then she walked out.
Not rushed.
Not dramatic.
But with dignity.
As she reached her desk, her phone buzzed.
A message from an unknown number.
She opened it.
Sophia Laurent:
You seem like a smart woman. So let me give you advice from someone who knows him better than anyone else.
Ethan doesn’t settle.
He returns.
Clara stared at the message.
Her heart didn’t race this time.
It steadied.
Because for the first time since meeting Ethan Cole, she understood something clearly.
If he returned to Sophia
She would not wait for him.
She would not beg.
She would not be second.
And if that meant walking away first…
So be it.
Across town, Ethan stared at his phone long after Clara left the office.
He had told himself he was making “different choices.”
But tonight, over dinner with a woman who once knew him better than anyone
He wasn’t sure who he was choosing at all.
- Writer
