Chapter 5 The confrontation

Ethan Cole's office was wide, about three times the size of the apartment she lived in in school, but the furniture that decorated it were sparse, which left much room to move around in. Floor-to-ceiling windows offered an amazing view of Boston Harbor. The atmosphere felt different like she had been thrown into another planet. She was even more surprised when she saw Cole himself.

Standing at an imposing 6'2 inches, his tall, athletic frame commands attention. He had high, perfectly sculpted cheekbones that give him a regal air. His lips were full, with a natural curve set in a firm expression, but capable of breaking into a roguish grin that melts the heart of anyone lucky enough to witness it.

His eyes, which were a penetrating shade of gray, seemed to hold the secrets of his success. They reflected a mind always in motion, calculating and discerning. They were framed by thick lashes that softened his imposing gaze. His thick dark hair was swept back and slightly tousled, giving a hint that he'd ran his hands through them.

Every aspect of his appearance, from his cologne to the gator of his shirt, screamed wealth and power, and Anna couldn't get the image of his undeniable handsomeness out of her mind. She felt a sudden pull of attraction that for some time, she forgot why she was in his office. She caught herself but not before her cheeks flushed pink.

Merely staring at him, her confidence reduced by 40%.

He bent over a drafting table, examining official documents, his shirtsleeves rolled up to reveal forearms tanned from sun.

He spoke without taking his eyes away from the table. "Will you state why you are here or keep staring?" His voice shook Anna from her train of thoughts.

"Dr. Cole," she fought to keep her voice steady. "Thank you for seeing me."

He looked up, and Anna felt the full effect of those steel-gray eyes as she took a seat.

'Wait, this is Ethan Cole! The man who helped her get revenge on her cheating ex at the award party. She had forgotten his name but could never forget that face. No wonder he looked familiar in the video she saw.'

"Ms. Bennett. I was told you have concerns about our new cardiac imaging device." He said.

"Con...concerns?" Anna stuttered. She regained herself and decided it was best not to mention that incident. It will only complicate the current issue.

Ethan also felt a jolt of recognition but he didn't show it, he wanted to gauge her reaction to him first. He could tell from how she initially lost her composure that she remembered something. How much does she remember, and was she going to use it as a leverage to get what she wants? He'd wait to see.

"Concerns!" She raised her brows as if he'd cracked a wild joke and pulled out her sketch pad. "You stole my work."

That got his attention. He straightened, and Anna noticed how easily he dominated the room without effort. "You do understand that's a serious accusation?"

"These are my illustrations." She placed the sketch pad on his desk, flipping through the cardiac image sequence. "I created them for submission to medical textbooks about three months ago. I don't know how they ended up in the design of your company's new device."

He moved closer to study the images. His nearness brought the scent of cologne mixed with coffee and something uniquely him that was distracting. "These are impressive," he said. "But our in-house development team designed all images."

"Really?" Anna pointed to a particular detail, a special shading technique she formed. "This is my signature style. I can show it to you on my other files."

"I remember hearing you are from MB Digitals' legal team. How are these your illustrations?"

"Oh, that!" She stared at her feet. "I'm sorry, I said it so she would let me see you. I didn't have an appointment but I was desperate." She looked up again. "I did submit it to BM Digitals though."

Something flickered in his expression. "Why haven't you published these before now?"

"I tried, but I got twelve rejections." The words tasted bitter. "I was working on the thirteenth submission when..." She stopped herself. She didn't need to feed him with boring details about the accident and hospital bills.

But he saw the hesitation. Those gray eyes of his studied her with the same intensity he'd given the illustrations. "When what?"

"That's another story." She rubbed her neck. "The issue now is that your company is using my intellectual property without my consent."

He moved to his desk and pressed an intercom button. "Clara, bring all development files for Project Heartbeat. And inform legal to come up here." He turned back to Anna. "If your claim is true, someone on my team has some explaining to do."

"I don't need explanations," Anna said. "What I want is compensation for my work."

"Of course," his tone was professional. "Though I can't help but wonder why you came directly to me instead of sending your lawyer to handle this."

'Because I'm desperate and I'm overwhelmed with hospital bills.' She thought.

"I just saw the news on TV and couldn't wait for a lawyer. Besides, I'm not sure anyone else will understand how it feels to have your sweat and blood snatched by a tech giant." She said instead.

"What did you say your name was again?" He quizzed

"Anna." She said. "Annabelle Bennett."

Ethan quickly typed a message to his private investigator. 'Get me everything you can find on Annabelle Bennett. It's urgent!' He wanted to know if she had an ulterior motive and was just using the copyright as an excuse to get close to him.

A knock interrupted them. A middle-aged woman in a pink blazer and black pants entered with some files, and two men in formal suits followed closely behind her.

"Here are the Project Heartbeat files, Dr. Cole," the woman said.

Ethan straightened in his seat, his brows knitted in concentration. From the language they used when they started talking, Anna guessed they were lawyers. They spread documents on the conference table in his office, comparing timestamps and development logs.

Anna watched as her illustrations were analyzed and traced through the company's development pipeline.

Ethan switched his attention to his phone for a while, scanning through the professional section of Anna's information that the investigator sent to him.

"Here," said the older lawyer, pointing to a date. "The design was gotten through the FreeMed Database."

"That's impossible," Anna said, her voice sharp. "I've never uploaded my work to FreeMed."

Ethan looked up from his phone and his eyes narrowed. "Show me the purchase record."

More papers shuffled. Anna's throat tightened as she saw her work, hours of sweat and painstaking strokes, being discussed in legal terms. The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the office, reminding her that in three hours, she had another meeting with the hospital's finance department for the initial deposit. Whatever compensation she got from here should be able to settle that.

"There's no record of the original upload," the younger lawyer said. "Just the download by our development team."

"Which means?" Ethan's voice took on an edge that made his employees shift uncomfortably in their seats.

"Someone must have uploaded Ms. Bennett's work without permission," one of the lawyers said carefully.

Anna's hands clenched in her lap. Her work had been stolen, then sold, then bought legitimately by Cole Med-tech.

Ethan turned to his lawyers. "Draft a settlement and full compensation agreement for Ms. Bennett.

They left, and Anna found herself alone with Ethan again, her pulse was doing strange things as he moved to the window.

"I apologize," he said, looking at the bustling city below. "This should have never happened. I guess I will have to be more careful with our verification process now."

"Not at all." She said with dismissal. "You handled it better than I expected, more than most CEOs would."

He turned and flashed her a sad smile. "I was first a doctor before I became a CEO. The ultimate rule is to not hurt anyone who has caused me no harm." His lips quirked and her stomach flipped.

"Thank you for taking this seriously."

The head of legal appeared with files in hand, and Ethan retook his seat at the conference table. He and Anna were each given a copy of the settlement document to sign. A slight tremor ran through her hand as she opened to the last page.

Her hand flew to her mouth in shock. "This is more than generous, Dr. Cole."

He gazed at her intently. "You deserve it."

She rumbled through her purse for a pen before the lawyer offered her a black ballpoint.

"Thank you," she collected it and signed her name. Ethan did the same; they exchanged and signed again. He extended his hand, and she shook it, finally making eye contact with him for the first time since their meeting.

"Thank you very much for the generous offer, I really appreciate it." She kept her copy in her bag while the lawyer left with Ethan's.

"You can collect the check from Clara on your way out. Let me know if you have any issues cashing it."

"I will." As she stood to take her leave, a sharp pain shot through her, and she felt lightheaded. She sat back instantly, her right hand bracing the side of her head.

The skin on Ethan's forehead crinkled. "Are you alright?"

"I'm okay, I think I'm just dehydrated. Can I have water?"

He moved to his desk and pressed the intercom, "Bring a glass of water for Ms Bennett."

She glanced at the clock for what seemed like the hundredth time before the door opened.

A young lady (Helen) came in with the glass of water, setting it on the table before her.

She whispered thanks and reached for the glass of water, the tremble in her hands was very obvious.

After a few gulps, she returned the cup and took deep breaths. Satisfied she'll be able to make it out in one piece, she stood up again. This time, it was as if her thoughts were wrapped in a fog and her temples throbbed with a dull ache. She blinked rapidly, trying to clear the fog, but it only seemed to clouden more before she blanked out.

Helen froze in shock. Ethan, who had been watching her every movement but hadn't predicted she would faint like that was at her side in an instant.

"I'll call 911," Helen said, recovering from the shock.

"No, tell Thomas to bring the car out front," he lifted her effortlessly, the lady following closely with a phone to her ear and Anna's purse in hand.