Chapter 10 Chapter 10 The First Time He Lost Control

Sophia stormed out of Lucas's office without looking back. Her heels clicked sharply against the marble floor, echoing through the silent hallway like gunshots.

Behind her, Ethan finally set down the financial magazine he had been pretending to read. His eyes, usually calm and reserved, darkened with a storm of emotion.

Lucas, still seated behind his desk, caught the subtle shift in Ethan's expression. He leaned back in his chair, a cold smile tugging at his lips.

"This game," he said slowly, "just keeps getting more interesting."

Ethan stood, his voice low and steady but laced with warning. "Be careful, Lucas. Playing with fire doesn't end well."

Lucas looked up at him, unbothered. "If it's for you, Ethan, I don't mind getting burned."

Ethan paused, his expression unreadable. For a moment, it seemed like he might say something-but in the end, he simply turned and walked out.

Only after the door closed did Lucas's smirk fade. He stood in silence, staring out the floor-to-ceiling windows of his office. The city lights gleamed below, but his gaze was distant. His back, so straight and proud, carried a kind of loneliness that made him look like a statue-flawless, cold, and hollow inside.

"Don't involve others in what's between us."

Ethan's words echoed in his mind.

Lucas let out a bitter laugh. Why was it that Ethan got to live a clean, untroubled life-while he, Lucas, had to wade through the mud and blood of the past?

Back at Elyra's office, Isabella practically ran to Sophia's desk, breathless with gossip.

"Breaking news-SUN's acquisition of Elyra is being fast-tracked!"

Sophia's brows drew together in a frown. Elyra was working to partner with Brighten, and now SUN, Ethan's company, was accelerating its acquisition of Elyra. Lucas and Ethan. everything was starting to feel like an intricate net tightening around her.

The timing was too perfect to be a coincidence. The moment Ethan met with Lucas, the acquisition plan sped up. And now Lucas was suddenly hesitating to seal the deal with Brighten? It all pointed to something bigger-something calculated.

Was Brighten backing away because they didn't want to work with SUN?

That didn't make sense. SUN had the reputation, the resources, the reach. They were the logical choice.

She couldn't let Elyra, her team, or the lives depending on that contract fall apart because of this. Not without a fight.

That night, she arrived at the hotel suite Lucas had texted her. It was on the top floor-lavishly furnished, quiet, and far too intimate for a business meeting.

She sat on the edge of the sofa, back ramrod straight, like a small animal braced for either flight or attack.

Lucas stepped out of the bathroom wearing a light gray sweater, his hair still damp. The soft fabric contrasted with the usual sharpness of his suits, making him look less like a CEO and more like. a man. A very dangerous man.

He said nothing. Just walked over and sat across from her, eyes cold and unreadable.

She couldn't show weakness.

"Mr. Marshall, about the contract." she finally said, forcing her voice not to shake.

Lucas slowly reached to the side table and picked up the contract. He held it between two fingers and twirled it slowly.

"It's all stamped. You can have it," he said.

Sophia's eyes lit up. "Really?"

He leaned forward slightly, voice smooth. "On one condition."

Her stomach dropped. "What condition?"

"Spend the night," he said evenly.

Her face went pale. But before she could react, he added with a smirk, "Just to talk."

Sophia stared at the contract, then at Lucas.

She clenched her fists in her lap, forcing herself to breathe, to think. She couldn't afford to break down-not now. Not when they were so close.

"Fine," she said through gritted teeth. "Let's talk."

Lucas smiled but said nothing.

He made no move toward the contract. No gesture of goodwill. He just sat there, watching her, like a predator studying its prey.

Sophia tried to engage him in polite conversation-about the campaign, the brand vision, the timeline-but he barely responded. He just kept looking at her, like he was waiting for her to crack.

Then, his phone rang.

He turned to answer it.

That was her moment.

Without hesitation, she lunged forward, grabbed the contract, and bolted for the door.

She didn't stop running until she was in the hotel lobby.

The night air hit her like a slap. She stood there, trembling, clutching the stamped contract in her hands. Her heart pounded. Her cheeks were flushed.

She texted Ethan: I'm outside the hotel.

She didn't expect him to come. Not really.

But not five minutes later, a black Audi came screeching to a halt in front of the hotel, tires smoking from the sudden stop.

The passenger window rolled down.

James looked like he'd seen a ghost.

"Sophia! Thank God you got out!" he said, clutching his chest. "Another minute and Ethan would've shattered my transmission!"

Sophia blinked, stunned. She turned toward the driver's seat.

Ethan sat there, cold and silent, hands gripping the wheel so tightly his knuckles were white.

She climbed into the backseat without a word.

The car was dead silent. The tension was suffocating.

"You know how many red lights he ran to get here?" James said, still shaken. "He was in the middle of a dinner with a client worth over ten million. One text from you, and he stood up and walked out. Didn't even say goodbye."

Sophia's heart clenched.

He'd left a multimillion-dollar deal. for her?

She stared at the back of Ethan's head-at that familiar, composed profile.

This was Ethan, the man who never raised his voice, never lost control, never made impulsive decisions. And yet tonight, he had thrown all of that away-just to come find her.

It was the first time she had seen him lose control.

And though it was subtle, fleeting-it was real.

And in that moment, it was like a single spark of light had pierced through the dark, heavy fog that had clouded her heart for so long.

"Your big boss isn't going to give Ethan a hard time, is he?" Sophia asked, starting to feel that things were more serious than she thought.