35. Ethan

thirty-five

Three days left to release the truth video.

On days like this, I’d rather stay at home. Immerse myself in the gloom of my study.

But that would mean staying in the same space with Evie. My days at work during her off days had become my only solace.

It was becoming difficult to cope with the immense guilt that came with seeing her.

Alcohol had become my only solace. It was also why I drank yesterday. I drank after recording the confession video.

I overdid it— got drunk and started to spill rubbish. I wasn”t a lightweight. It took more than a few sips of strong whiskey to get me drunk.

Thankfully, I remembered almost all of what I said.

I didn”t spill anything regarding her situation and mine. She’d just take my words as drunken words.

Today was the third day since Judy made the request. Philip still hadn”t found her.

I had less than seventy-two hours to send the video. I was scared, especially for Evie– for James.

It made me want to release the video.

I just couldn”t risk her career, and I couldn’t hurt her like that. But there had to be some other way, some solution.

I glanced at my laptop, unable to do any work. The Chief Military Officer would be coming around in a few days.

The final touches to the project were being made. The drones were already built in the testing facility. All that was left was to keep testing the drones— codes— for any defects.

For a moment, I contemplated visiting the testing facility. The ride to Nassau County would be a good distraction.

Or it’d only remind me of how all I’d built would crumble if I didn”t acquiesce to Judy’s request.

Fuck.

If, by any chance, she released the photos, it would leave a lasting impact on my reputation and the company’s. But if the truth behind the CCTV footage was revealed, it would be a disaster for both.

Either way, I was fucked. I couldn”t be. Being fucked would nullify the reasons for taking the actions that night.

It could potentially land me in jail…

My worst fear now seemed like it would come to pass.

It fucking couldn”t.

When I raised my head, it was to a frame. A tall, burly frame.

The little shock was nothing compared to the fear in my mind. I glanced at him again before clearing my throat.

“When did you get here?” Similar icy blue eyes stared back at me before folding his arms on his chest.

His muscles bulged through his white T-shirt. Thirty-eight certainly looked good on him.

Sometimes, I thought he was in the wrong profession. A boxer would be a more befitting title rather than a fashion designer.

“You didn”t hear me knock. You also didn”t hear me walk until I got here.” He tilted his head.

“Very unlike you, brother.”

I really didn”t. Running a hand through my hair, I gestured to the seat across me.

“Sit. Don”t want to have you standing like you”re in a boxing ring.”

Henry’s head tipped back in laughter. “Brother, you haven”t stopped being intimidated by my physique.”

I narrowed my eyes on him. “I never was.”

“Yeah, right,” he replied with a bored expression.

“It”s good to see you though. It”s been what. Eight months?”

“Sounds about right.”

He shook his head. “How’s Sophie?”

He knew her condition. “Better.”

My heart did a little leap at my own word. For the first time in a long time, I could proudly say my daughter was doing better.

She’d even spoken to me— said Dad when I went to check on her this morning. Her hugs were tighter and much longer. She gestured with a little more vigor when I asked her questions.

“Good to hear,” he nodded.

“How are you?” he asked.

Shit. I was like, shit.

“Good. How is the family?”

He raised a brow. “They”re good. But you aren”t, and it”s obvious. Cut the bullshit.”

The look in his eyes almost forced the words out of my lips—almost— but I could handle my own business.

“Why have you come to New York?”

He pressed his lips into a thin line. “To see you isn’t a valid reason?”

“No,” I pressed my lips into a thin line.

He scoffed in amusement, trailing eyes over my face. “Is that a white hair in your beard I see?”

He even lowered his head to check my chin.

“Cut the bullshit,” I deadpanned. “I don”t have white hair.”

I hadn’t shaved in a while so I had a stubble, but a while wasn’t enough to grow white beards. Was it?

“Whatever floats your bubbles.”

We engaged in a stare-down after his words. His eyes held mine in an intruding stare. The silence slowly became thick.

Fuck. Henry had his way of getting things out of me.

“James and I had a fight,” I muttered.

He raised a brow. “Why?”

I hesitated. I didn”t know what he’d think about fucking a twenty-two-year-old.

“It was because of his daughter, Sophie’s nanny.”

“What about her?” He relaxed in the chair.

“I—”

“You fucked her.” He didn”t let me complete my statement. I was grateful.

Running a hand through my hair, I sighed. “I did.”

“Have you tried to talk to him?”

“He”s still mad.”

He adjusted in his seat. “I”d be mad too if my forty-two-year-old friend fucked my twenty-something-year-old daughter,” he deadpanned.

That was the harsh truth.

“I know.” I clenched my jaw.

“Do you have feelings for her?” he asked.

I held my breath. “No.”

It was nothing beyond lust. My heart skipped a beat at the lie. But it wasn’t a lie, right? It’s what should be.

“So, what”s stopping you from getting rid of her?”

I hesitated. “She”s my daughter’s nanny.”

“And?”

I narrowed my eyes. “Sophie hasn”t improved in years. She did with Evie, Henry.”

“I don”t think you understand the situation you”re in, Ethan,” he leaned forward. “It”s one for one here.”

Shutting my eyes, I inhaled sharply.

I didn”t want to hear those words. I thought about it, but didn”t need to hear it. It couldn”t be one for one.

“The loss of friendship is obviously taking its toll on you,” he sighed.

“Paint the scenario for me, Ethan. How exactly did it happen?”

My breath hitched. “We were… making out, and he saw us.”

“What was his reaction?”

I furrowed my brows. “Angry, of course. I don”t think I”ve ever seen him throw a punch, but he did that night.”

“And the girl?”

My heart shook when I recalled Evie’s teary face. “She...”

“She’s still in the mansion?” He asked.

I nodded. He shook his head.

“That night you lost something, and the girl did too. I”m pretty sure her relationship with her father isn”t the same anymore. You have to do away with her to have a chance in restoring your friendship and her relationship with her father. It”s bros before hoes, brother.”

“She’s not a—” I started, but he interrupted.

“The friendship is worth more than the girl.”

No.

He didn’t see the full picture. He wasn”t seeing Sophie.

“You”re not... You”re not seeing the full picture.”

He clasped his palm. “She contributes to Sophie’s improvement, and that”s good. But beyond that, what else?”

What else? There was nothing else, right?

“Sophie is everything to–”

“I care about Sophie; you and I know that. I”ve wanted nothing more than to see your daughter be herself again. But who says someone else can”t pick up from where she stopped?”

He shook his head.

“Don”t you think the girl also needs to mend her relationship with her father? Life is a grand orchestration, and the people we meet are instruments playing their parts. Some melodies linger, forming the soundtrack of our lives, while others are fleeting flourishes, their purpose served in a single movement.”

I gritted my teeth. Those were the words of Father.

He sighed, holding my gaze in an intense stare. “I think it’s time to let the girl go. She has played her part in Sophie’s life.”

I didn’t want to hear that.

“Like I said, it”s one for one,” he continued. “If there’s even a slight chance you”ll regain this relationship, it won”t be while she’s still with you…”

He trailed, making little gestures with his fingers on the table.

“You keep her and lose the relationship with her father or you lose her, and stand a chance of getting things right with him. The choice is yours... and I know you”re logical.”

Abruptly, he pushed the chair back with his weight. The chair relinquished a screeching sound as he stood.

“I’m in New York for a meeting with a new client. It’s almost time for my meeting.”

Like he came, he disappeared, and I was left with my thoughts. I never wanted to think about the possibility that Evie could leave.

Was her part in my— our— life really over? Would I get someone else for Sophie?

Fuck.

These were questions I’d avoided. I didn’t want answers to them... at least not now.

I moved to resume my work on the laptop when the door swung open.

Dark hair, dark eyes, and average height, Philip strode into the room.

“Good day, Sir.”

My heart tugged. Philip was here. It meant he found something solid.

“Philip.” I acknowledged his greeting with a nod. He took his seat on the chair opposite my table.

“I found something.” His dark eyes focused on me before sliding a folder to my side of the table.

I let go of any prior thoughts.

“Tell me.” I opened the folder. It revealed printouts and scribbled notes.

“Judy Hayes, the woman we’ve been looking for, doesn”t exist.”

I paused to glance at him. “What do you mean? I”ve seen her around.”

He cleared his throat. “There is no Ms. Hayes, sir.”

I furrowed my eyes.

He tapped the folder. “Meaning, the woman we’ve been searching for is just a meticulously crafted persona….”

“…We started with the basics. Social security number – nonexistent. Employment history – a web of fabricated companies and references. Even the university degree she claimed – a dead end.”

“Impossible,” I gritted. “She would have never been hired if her credentials were a lie.”

“Even the most impeccable HR can have oversights. Plus, this lady is highly skilled in creating fake documents and identity theft. She used genuine-looking social security numbers, diplomas, and references.”

“So, she couldn”t have had help from someone in HR?”

At this point, I wasn”t sure I could trust any employee. If Judy could infiltrate, then anyone could.

“That”s very unlikely, sir. However, I’ve looked into each member’s profile, and there isn”t any trace of connection between them and this lady.”

I nodded. “So, Judy isn”t her real name then?”

He shook his head. “No.”

“Her face, too?” Maybe that”s why I couldn”t recognize her.

“It appears there were also some changes to her appearance.” He gestured to the folder.

I turned to the second page to see a full picture of her. It didn”t take long before I recognized her.

Fuck.

Her long hair was pulled into a ponytail. The braces on her teeth peeked through her wide smile, and her white coat was a little too fitted for her chubby body.

“Her hair has become shorter— a bob framing the side of her face hindering easy recognition. She now wears glasses. She doesn”t wear braces and overall, she lost a good amount of weight. Her real name is...”

“Laura Nova.” I completed.

Philip nodded. “I see you’ve recognized her.”

“She’s my late wife’s best friend,” I breathed, still in shock.

I wouldn”t lie; she did an incredible job of changing herself.

As a marine microbiologist, she was always at sea—barely around. I never really got to know her.

Shit.

Now that I knew her true identity, it all started to make sense. She didn”t believe her best friend’s death was natural.

“Why would she blackmail you?”

I told Philip about Laura’s request, but I didn”t tell him the whole thing yet. I couldn’t.

“Revenge,” I answered.

“If I may ask, sir. What for?”

“She thinks I killed her best friend.”

I noticed the slight expression of shock that crossed his face before he maintained a neutral facade. “Did you?”

“No,” I shook my head. “I did something much worse.”