She had dismissed his warning at the time, but now, in the cold light of day, she found herself wondering what he had meant. What did he know that she didn't? Was he trying to protect her, or was it just another tactic, another way to manipulate her?
The thought made her grit her teeth in frustration. She couldn't afford to second-guess herself, not now.
As the hours passed, the negotiations grew more intense. There were moments when the tension in the room was palpable, the stakes of the merger hanging in the balance.
At one point, Oliver Hale leaned back in his chair, his eyes sparkling with amusement as he glanced between Sophia and Ethan. "You know, I've seen a lot of corporate strategists come through these doors over the years," he said, his tone light. "But I have to say, Ms. Grey, you're one of the most impressive."
Sophia met his gaze evenly, refusing to be swayed by his charm. "Thank you, Mr. Hale. I've worked hard to get where I am."
"I can see that," Oliver replied, his smile widening.
"And I'm sure this merger will benefit greatly from your expertise."
Ethan said nothing, his expression unreadable as he continued to watch Sophia with those intense, piercing eyes.
As the meeting drew to a close, the room began to empty, executives and lawyers gathering their materials and exchanging final words before heading out. Sophia took her time packing up, knowing that Ethan would wait for her.
Sure enough, as the last of the attendees filed out of the room, Ethan remained seated, his gaze still fixed on her. The door clicked shut behind the last executive, leaving them alone in the spacious, sunlit boardroom.
"Sophia," Ethan began, his voice softer now that they were alone. "You handled yourself well in there."
She glanced at him, her expression carefully controlled. "Thank you. I've had a lot of practice."
Ethan leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowing slightly as he studied her. "I'm sure you have. But there's more to this than just business, isn't there?"
He stood up and took a step over her, looking in her eyes with this close distance.
Sophia felt a flicker of irritation at his probing question. She had expected this—knew it would come eventually—but that didn't make it any less infuriating.
He was so close, that she could feel goosebumps all over her hands and her body naturally tilted towards him.
"You're right," she said, her voice cool. "This isn't just about business. It's about what's right, about correcting the wrongs of the past."
Ethan's expression darkened, his gaze growing sharper. "And you think merging with Blackwood Enterprises is the way to do that?" He said keeping his both hands over the table caging her in.
Sophia met his gaze, unflinching. "I think it's a start," she said. Without her consent, her hands rested over his chest. She could feel the same radiating heat from his body, she used to feel it years ago.
For a long moment, they stared at each other, the tension between them thick and charged. Sophia's heartbeats were rising hard as fast as Ethan's heart was beating under her palm.
Sophia could feel her pulse quicken, her heart pounding in her chest. This was the moment she had been waiting for—the moment when she would confront Ethan Blackwood, the man she held responsible for so much pain.
But before she could speak, before she could lay out the full extent of her plan, Ethan surprised her. Ethan pulled her towards him tightening his hands over her waist. Sophia's breath hitched as she was resting over his firm abs.
"I know what you're trying to do," he whispered in her ear touching his lower lip, his voice laced with a mixture of regret and something else she couldn't quite identify.
"But you don't have all the pieces."
Sophia's breath caught in her throat. "What do you mean?" She was angry and tried to push him away.
Ethan leaned forward, his eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that made her skin prickle.
"You think you know everything that happened, but you don't. There are things you don't understand, things you couldn't have known."
Sophia's mind raced, a thousand questions flooding her thoughts. What was he talking about? What didn't she know? She had spent years digging into the past, uncovering every detail she could find. How could there be anything left that she hadn't already discovered?
But before she could ask, Ethan held her wrist.
"I want to show you something," he said, his voice low and urgent.
"Something that might change everything."