Chapter 14
ETHAN
Harper knocked lightly on my open office door just before ten, a stack of papers clutched to her chest and a look on her face that made my stomach clench.
“Do you have a minute?”
Nobody used that tone unless something was wrong. I gestured her in. “What did you find?”
She stepped inside and closed the door behind her before offering me the printout. “I’m not entirely sure how to explain this, so I’ll just show you.”
I took the papers from her and scanned the first sheet. It was a timestamp log—notifications generated and dismissed. Next to each one was the same notation.
User: SThompson
Setting the stack on my desk, I heaved a deep sigh.
Harper continued carefully, “These are reminders that were deleted outright. The system records who takes those actions. Each change to the alerts for your calendar came from Sophie Thompson’s workstation. and every one of them was tied to a personal appointment.”
I scanned the list for the one that mattered the most—my fertility appointment with Callie. The reminder had been deleted only minutes after it was generated.
“This wasn’t a glitch,” Harper added softly. “These were manual edits.”
I gripped the edge of the desk to ground myself, the paper crinkling in my other hand. I believed I’d screwed up because I’d been stretched thin and forgot. But I hadn’t just dropped the ball. Someone had made sure I did—and Callie was the one who paid the price.
Harper hesitated, then murmured, “I thought you should see this immediately.”
“You were right.” My voice came out scratchy. “Thank you, Harper. You did exceptionally well.”
She nodded nervously. “Please let me know if you need anything else.”
When the door closed behind her, I sank deeper into my chair, the report spread across my desk. Evidence of tampering I’d been too blind to see until now.
This was sabotage. And I’d handed Sophie access to the center of my life without ever questioning why things started to slip through the cracks.
A cold clarity settled in my bones. This was bigger than one missed appointment or the confession she’d made the night of the gala.
I stood, gripping the report in my fist, my direction unshakable. Gage needed to see this.
He glanced up when I entered his office, but whatever greeting he’d planned died the second he saw my face. I didn’t bother sitting. I just handed him the report.
“Read it.”
He took the pages, his brow furrowing as he skimmed. Then his expression hardened. “Is this what I think it is?”
“Sophie deleted my alerts,” I confirmed as I dropped onto a chair. “Including the fertility appointment with Callie.”
“Fucking hell.” A muscle jumped in Gage’s jaw. “Vanessa told me this morning that she liked working with Sophie, but this can’t stand.”
He reached for his desk phone and called his soon-to-be ex-wife, briefly explaining the situation to her. Less than two minutes later, Sophie knocked on the door and stepped into the office. She offered Gage a bright smile that faltered when she noticed me sitting across from him.
“I wasn’t expecting to see you, Ethan.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her gaze darting between us. “Is something wrong?”
Gage didn’t return her smile. “Close the door.”
Her throat bobbed as she obeyed.
I held the report out again. “Recognize this?”
She glanced at the paper, then at me, confusion flickering in her eyes. “Um, no? What is it?”
“It’s the audit log Harper pulled this morning.” I barely held back my fury. “The system tracked every alert you deleted on my calendar.”
Color drained from her face. “I—I didn’t! If something got changed, it was probably a glitch. You know how buggy the notifications have been lately.”
“Don’t lie.” My tone cut cleanly through her excuses. “Just don’t.”
Her mouth opened and closed twice before a soft sob broke free. “Ethan, please. I was trying to help you. You’ve been so overwhelmed, and your mom told me you needed someone who could support you and make things easier. I just—”
Gage barked a humorless laugh. “That’s your defense?”
She ignored him and came a step closer to me, tears streaking down her cheeks. “I wasn’t trying to hurt you. I swear. I thought if you weren’t so stressed, things would get better. I only did what I thought was best for you.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “You sabotaged my calendar.”
“No!” Her voice turned desperate. “I edited a few things so you wouldn’t have so much on your plate. That’s all. Your mom said you’d thank me eventually. That you needed someone who actually supported your career. Who understood the world we live in. Not an outsider.”
“What else did my mother say?” I demanded.
Sophie sniffled. “She was the one who told me to adjust things. She said you and Callie were having issues already, and it wasn’t my place to question it.” She bit her bottom lip before adding, “That’s why she called me before she went to the emergency room. To check your calendar.”
The warning signs I hadn’t understood from that night finally made sense, and my blood ran cold.
“That’s enough,” Gage snapped, rising from his chair. “You tampered with confidential systems, compromised a marriage, and interfered with executive scheduling. You’re done.”
“Gage, please,” Sophie whimpered, shaking her head.
“HR is already on the way.” He pressed the intercom. “You’ll be escorted out.”
Her expression hardened, the tears drying instantly. “This is because of her. Callie ruined everything, and Margot—”
“None of this is my wife’s fault,” I corrected as I got to my feet. “And my mother won’t be doing anything else. She’s done, too.”
She flinched when HR appeared in the doorway. Still sputtering excuses, she was led out of the office. The door shut behind her with a quiet click.
I drew in a shaky breath. Gage scrubbed a hand over his face.
“Damn,” he murmured. “What are you going to do about Margot?”
This was targeted sabotage, and I let it happen.
“What I should’ve done long ago.” I headed for the door. “Take away her power.”
I closed myself inside my office door and pulled out the binder I hadn’t cracked open in several years. My father had entrusted me with it when he named me executor of the family trust, months before I received my MBA. And shortly before he died, almost as though he knew it was coming.
I ran a hand over the worn leather cover, feeling the weight of it in a way I never had before.
For years, I’d justified every financial decision I made in my mother’s favor.
She was a widow. She was grieving. She needed stability, structure, and support.
At least that was the story I’d told myself to avoid confronting the truth.
But now I knew better.
She hadn't needed protection. She’d used it. Used me, her own son.
Callie had threatened the status quo, and my mother had moved to protect her hold on me, no matter who she hurt in the process.
I flipped to the section on discretionary allocations—funds my father had left for me to oversee with judgment and restraint. Money my mother had treated like her personal safety net, all while chipping away at my marriage.
I reached for the phone and dialed the family attorney. “Mitchell? It’s Ethan Prescott. I’m exercising executor authority on the family trust effective immediately.”
There was a slight pause on the other end. “Of course. What do you need?”
“Freeze all discretionary distributions to my mother. From now on, every request goes to me through you in writing, with supporting documentation. No exceptions. And no advance payments.”
Mitchell had been my father’s attorney for years, so I wasn’t surprised when he asked, “Are you sure about this?”
“Absolutely.”
“I’ll draft the amendment to the trust protocols today.” He cleared his throat. “Has your mother been informed of the change?”
“I’ll be handling that next.”
“Good luck, son.”
I hung up and pulled up my mother’s contact before I could overthink it. She picked up on the second ring.
“Ethan? What nonsense did that girl feed you now? You sounded ridiculous earlier. I assume she’s still manipulating—”
“This isn’t about Callie,” I interjected, cutting off the flow of her verbal poison. “Not one part of this is about her.”
“Don’t lie to me,” she snapped. “Everything was fine until she started pulling you away from your family.”
“No, it was fine because you were getting exactly what you wanted, but that stops now.”
There was the slightest hint of fear in my mother’s voice when she asked, “What do you mean?”
“Going forward, you will only receive your monthly stipend from the family trust. No extras,” I explained.
“If you run into an expense that you believe should be covered, you will submit a written request to Mitchell, who will pass it along to me for review. I will only approve items which are outlined in the agreement. No exceptions. So be sure to include any required documentation to speed the process along.”
“You’re restricting my funds?” she shrieked. “I knew this would happen. You refuse to see it, but Callie is a gold digger. She’s always wanted your money—”
“Stop.” My voice cracked like a whip. “Sophie confessed today. She admitted you told her to delete my alerts and that she was somehow supporting my career by sabotaging personal appointments on my calendar. She also admitted you called her before your supposed heart attack scare to double-check my schedule.”
“Oh, please,” she scoffed. “You’re going to take the word of that girl over your own mother?”
“It wasn’t just her word, Mother. There were system logs of what she deleted and the holes in your story about when you called her that night.
” I leaned forward, gripping the edge of my desk.
“It’s over. You’ve been caught. The least you can do is admit you’ve been trying to ruin my marriage since before we even walked down the aisle. ”
I’d ignored the signs for too long, but not anymore. Not after what she’d cost me.
A shaky inhale rattled through the line. “You’ll regret this.”
“No, I won’t. I’m finally done protecting the wrong person.”
She started yelling, but I didn’t listen. I hung up.
A strange calm settled over me as I set the phone down. I’d cut out the rot before it spread any further. I just hoped it wasn’t too late to save my marriage.