Chapter 9 Chapter 9 How About Tonight

The next morning, as soon as Sophia arrived at the office, she was immediately summoned to Henry's office. She had barely set down her bag when she was pulled inside.

"Sophia, you've got to help me this time!" Henry exclaimed, grabbing her wrist in a near panic.

"Manager Collins, what's going on?" Sophia asked, startled. It was rare to see her usually composed supervisor in such a state. His face was pale, his forehead slightly shiny with sweat-something was seriously wrong.

Henry let out a long, defeated sigh. "There's a problem with the Brighten contract."

"What?" Sophia's eyes widened in disbelief. "But. but we signed everything, didn't we?"

She had worked so hard for that deal. The countless late nights, the tense negotiations, the emotional balancing act between professionalism and pressure-it had all led to that signed contract. Or so she thought.

"When Lucas's assistant dropped it off," Henry explained, "I was too excited to double-check everything. I didn't even notice."

He ran a hand down his face.

"Brighten forgot to stamp it."

"What?" Sophia gasped. "No stamp? Then it's not even legally binding-it's just a piece of paper!"

"I know. I know." Henry looked like he'd aged five years overnight. "I only realized when I tried to confirm the timeline for campaign execution. I called them, and the assistant told me Lucas wants to 'reconsider' the deal."

Sophia's heart sank. "But that's ridiculous. We agreed-he agreed."

"I don't care what you have to do," Henry interrupted, his tone growing desperate. "If we lose this, forget your commission-kiss your raise goodbye. Honestly, the whole company might not survive the quarter if this falls apart. You need to fix this."

Sophia felt the pressure crash down on her like a collapsing ceiling. Her chest tightened. The walls of the office felt like they were closing in.

She needed this commission-not just for her own career, but to cover her father's medical bills, to keep herself afloat, to survive. She clenched her fists. There was no time for panic.

And she had no one to turn to.

Ethan? At this hour, he was probably still at Chloe's bedside.

She would have to solve this alone.

Without another word, she grabbed the flawed contract and rushed out of the office. She didn't even take her coat.

At Brighten Group, the receptionist tried to stop her, but Sophia, fueled by anxiety and adrenaline, pushed through and stormed into Lucas's office.

And then she froze.

Sitting on the sofa opposite Lucas was Ethan.

He looked completely at ease, lounging like he was in a casual meeting. He glanced up at Sophia, a flicker of surprise crossing his face-but it was gone almost instantly, replaced by his usual calm. He gave her a polite nod, as if they were just acquaintances running into each other at a café.

Lucas, seated behind his massive desk, raised an eyebrow in amusement. He didn't seem even remotely surprised to see her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know you were with a client," Sophia said, suddenly feeling like she'd walked into a trap.

She could feel the heat rising to her face, not from embarrassment, but from frustration-at the situation, at herself, at Ethan's maddening indifference.

She looked at Ethan again. What was he doing here?

Then she remembered-he worked for SUN. This could be business between SUN and Brighten. It made sense. She was the one who had barged in unannounced.

"Come in," Lucas said coolly.

Sophia stepped forward and placed the contract on his desk. "Mr. Marshall, this contract. it's missing your company's stamp."

Lucas barely glanced at it. "Oh? No stamp?"

Sophia frowned. He obviously knew that already. What game was he playing?

"Apologies, Mr. Griffin," Lucas said with a knowing glance at Ethan. "Give us a moment."

Ethan nodded and picked up a magazine from the table, casually flipping through it like nothing in the room interested him.

Still, his presence made Sophia nervous. He had never seen her in this state-flustered, anxious, professionally vulnerable.

Taking a breath, she addressed Lucas again. "Mr. Marshall, I don't understand. We had a verbal agreement."

"Did we?" Lucas lifted a brow. "Remind me, Miss Marshall?"

Sophia's breath caught. "You agreed to this deal. I trust you're not the kind of man who goes back on his word."

Lucas gave a cold chuckle. "You're quite naive, aren't you? In business, only one thing matters-interest. What makes you think your little agency can meet our expectations?"

"Then why agree in the first place?" she snapped.

Lucas leaned back in his chair. "Shouldn't you be the one answering that?"

Sophia's eyes flicked to Ethan, worried he might misinterpret something. But Ethan didn't even look up. His gaze was fixed on the magazine, his expression unreadable.

Not wanting to argue in front of Ethan, Sophia pushed the contract forward. "We're sincere about this partnership. Please don't make things harder than they already are."

Lucas smiled thinly. "I'm sincere too. How about tonight-we find a quiet place to talk it over?"

Sophia's breath hitched. His tone was casual, but the implication was clear.

Her heart pounded as she felt Ethan's gaze finally lift from the magazine.

She could feel it-the heat of his stare on her skin, though she didn't dare look at him. Something wild and reckless twisted inside her. Her pride, her desperation, Ethan's silence-they all pushed her toward the edge.

She turned her eyes on Lucas, meeting his cold, calculating gaze.

"Fine," she said, her voice low but firm. "Tonight it is."