Chapter 5 - THE KISS ETHAN HID
“One kiss,” Ethan said.
I almost admired the predictability.
Men have been using those two words as if quantity changes betrayal since language began.
“Did you kiss her back?”
He looked at the floor.
“For a few seconds.”
My chest hurt.
Not dramatically.
Quietly.
Like something tearing where no one could see.
“And then?”
“I stopped it.”
“Immediately?”
“Clara.”
“That means no.”
He stood.
“I made a mistake.”
“You made several.”
“I never slept with her.”
“How generous.”
His face tightened.
“I’m telling you the truth.”
“After I discovered everything else.”
“I was going to tell you.”
“When?”
He had no answer.
I nodded.
“Exactly.”
He followed me into the kitchen.
“Nothing has happened since.”
“Except she sits beside you on your jet, feeds you fruit, wraps herself in my blanket, accesses my trust records, witnesses documents designed to weaken my rights, and apparently advises you on restructuring the company my money rescued.”
“That sounded worse when you said it.”
I stared at him.
“You should probably think about why.”
He sat.
For once, Ethan Sterling had nothing clever to say.
Then his phone rang.
Chloe.
He looked at the screen.
I waited.
He declined it.
“Answer her.”
“No.”
“Answer it.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to hear what she thinks happened.”
Ethan put the call on speaker.
Chloe spoke immediately.
“Ethan, thank God. Margaret is blaming me for everything.”
Ethan’s expression changed.
“Where are you?”
“Hotel.”
“Why did my mother access your laptop?”
Silence.
“What?”
“Don’t.”
His voice hardened.
“I have the log.”
Chloe began crying.
I might have believed it if I hadn’t seen the smile on the jet.
“She told me to prepare the documents.”
“Which documents?”
“The recapitalization.”
“Did she tell you to copy Clara’s signature?”
Silence.
Ethan closed his eyes.
“Chloe.”
“Yes.”
He looked sick.
“Why?”
“Because Margaret said Clara would block everything.”
I said nothing.
Chloe heard the silence.
“Is she there?”
“Yes.”
Her tone changed.
Not much.
Enough.
“Clara, I’m sorry.”
“No, you’re not.”
Silence.
“You enjoyed humiliating me this morning.”
“That wasn’t—”
“You were sitting in my seat feeding my husband oranges.”
Ethan winced.
I continued.
“Don’t insult me by pretending the corporate fraud is the first boundary you crossed.”
Chloe’s voice hardened.
“You think you own everything because your family has money.”
There it was.
The real person.
“Interesting accusation from someone forging my signature to transfer assets.”
She hung up.
Ethan rubbed both hands over his face.
“I’m firing her.”
“No.”
He looked up.
“You’re not?”
“Not yet.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to know who she really works for.”
That evening, Helen called.
Her forensic investigators had traced unusual trading activity around Sterling shares.
Someone had begun taking massive short positions against the company three weeks earlier.
Before the recapitalization documents existed publicly.
Before my signature was forged.
The accounts were hidden behind offshore entities.
But one beneficial owner had been identified.
Martin Vale.
I did not know the name.
Ethan did.
His face went completely white.
“Who is he?”
Ethan looked at me.
“Chloe’s father.”
May you like
Then he said the part that changed everything.
“Twenty-one years ago, my family sent him to prison.”
