Chapter 4: Ethan’s Secret

After Julian left the Hamilton Hotel, the tense energy of the confrontation still buzzing in my veins, I tried to focus on anything else, but my thoughts kept circling back to that cryptic invitation.Midnight. The rooftop. The place where it all began, and maybe, the place where everything would unravel.

I needed to get a grip. I had hours to kill before midnight, and I didn’t plan on spending them obsessing over Julian’s veiled threats.

I left Lydia and Ethan outside the hotel and headed back to the office, needing the familiarity of my workspace to ground me.

Ethan followed me back, his silence palpable. He’d been unusually quiet since Julian’s outburst, a stark contrast to his usual talkative self.

Normally, Ethan would have been firing off a dozen theories about Julian’s motives, but now he just sat across from me, lost in thought.

I glanced up from my laptop, catching Ethan’s eye. “What’s on your mind?”

Ethan hesitated, his gaze shifting away from mine. “I was just thinking about what Rachel said. About Julian’s plans.”

I nodded slowly. “Yeah, me too. I don’t trust her, but I can’t afford to ignore her, either.”

Ethan ran a hand through his hair, looking more agitated than I’d ever seen him. “Do you really think she’s telling the truth? That Julian’s gone off the deep end?”

I shrugged, trying to play it cool. “With Julian, anything’s possible. But it’s not just about him anymore. It’s about protecting Hartfield Technologies. That’s all I care about.”

Ethan nodded, but there was something off in his expression, something that didn’t sit right. I opened my mouth to press him, but his phone rang, cutting me off.

He glanced at the screen, and for a split second, I saw a flash of something—panic, maybe, or guilt. Ethan turned his back to me and answered the call, his voice low and hurried.

“Yes, I’m alone. What’s going on?” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “No, it’s not a good time. I’ll call you back.”

He hung up quickly, slipping his phone into his pocket as if he couldn’t get rid of it fast enough.

When he turned back to me, his face was a mask of calm, but I wasn’t fooled. Something was up.

“Who was that?” I asked, trying to keep my tone casual.

Ethan shrugged, avoiding my gaze. “Just a client. Nothing important.”

I wanted to press him, but something told me to hold back. Instead, I nodded and went back to my laptop, pretending to focus on the spreadsheet in front of me.

But in reality, I was watching Ethan out of the corner of my eye, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

Later that afternoon, Lydia dropped by my office. She looked as rattled as I felt, her usually vibrant energy dampened by worry.

“Hey, Lyds,” I said, trying to muster a smile. “What’s up?”

She plopped down in the chair across from me, her brow furrowed. “Isobel, I’ve been thinking about Ethan.”

I blinked, surprised. “What about him?”

Lydia bit her lip, glancing around as if someone might overhear. “I don’t know. Something feels…off. Have you noticed how he’s been acting lately?”

I hesitated, my mind flashing back to the secretive phone call, the way Ethan had been dodging my questions. “Yeah, actually. He’s been pretty quiet, especially after the whole thing with Julian.”

Lydia leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. “I don’t want to sound paranoid, but I think Ethan’s hiding something.

I mean, he’s been taking all these private calls, leaving the office at weird times. It’s not like him.”

I frowned, my stomach knotting with unease. “You think he’s involved with Julian?”

Lydia shrugged, her expression conflicted. “I don’t know. I’d like to think Ethan wouldn’t betray you like that.

But we can’t afford to take any chances, not with everything that’s at stake.”

I nodded, my mind racing. Could Ethan really be working with Julian? It seemed impossible, but then again, Julian had a way of getting under people’s skin, manipulating them to his advantage.

“I’ll keep an eye on him,” I said finally, trying to sound more confident than I felt. “If he’s up to something, we’ll find out.”

Lydia nodded, squeezing my hand. “Be careful, Isobel. I don’t trust Julian, and I’m starting to think we shouldn’t trust Ethan, either.”

The rest of the day passed in a blur of meetings and phone calls, but my mind kept drifting back to Ethan and the strange phone call.

I watched him carefully, looking for any sign that he was hiding something, but he seemed like his usual self—calm, composed, and focused on work.

It wasn’t until late that evening, when most of the office had cleared out, that I decided to take matters into my own hands. I couldn’t shake the feeling that Ethan was up to something, and I needed to know what.

I waited until Ethan left the office, slipping out a few minutes behind him. I trailed him through the streets of New York, keeping a safe distance but staying close enough to see where he was going.

To my surprise, Ethan didn’t head home. Instead, he made his way to a nondescript building in a quieter part of town. I watched from a distance as he glanced around, then slipped inside.

My heart pounded in my chest as I crept closer, peering through one of the windows. Inside, I could see Ethan talking to someone—someone tall, with dark hair and a familiar, imposing stance.

Julian.

I felt my breath catch in my throat, a cold wave of dread washing over me. Ethan was meeting with Julian. In secret.

I pressed myself against the wall, straining to hear their conversation, but all I could catch were fragments.

“…can’t keep doing this,” Ethan was saying, his voice tense and low.

Julian’s reply was calm, almost mocking. “You knew what you were getting into, Ethan. There’s no backing out now.”

I clenched my fists, anger and betrayal twisting in my gut. How could Ethan do this? After everything we’d been through, after everything Julian had done to us—to me.

I wanted to burst in there, confront them both, demand answers. But I knew I had to be smart. If Ethan was working with Julian, then I needed to know why. And I needed to know what their plan was.

So I forced myself to stay hidden, watching as Ethan and Julian continued their hushed conversation. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they shook hands, and Julian slipped out the back door.

Ethan lingered for a moment, running a hand through his hair, looking more conflicted than I’d ever seen him. Then he turned and left the building, heading back the way he’d come.

I waited until he was out of sight, then slipped away, my mind racing with a thousand questions.

What the hell was Ethan doing with Julian? Were they planning something together? And most importantly, why hadn’t Ethan told me?

I needed answers, and I needed them now.

As I stood there, hidden in the shadows, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out, my breath hitching when I saw the message on the screen.

“Meet me. Midnight. The rooftop.” It was Julian again, and this time, I knew I had no choice but to confront him—about Ethan, about everything.