Chapter 22
ETHAN
I lean back in my chair, the weight of silence pressing down as the city lights flicker beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows of my office.
It’s past seven, but Jake’s lounging on the leather sofa, his legs crossed at the ankle as he skims through one of the parenting books.
“Never thought you’d ever have this on your reading list. Oh! ” His eyes widen. “It has pictures!”
He rotates the book, delighted as he turns a page.
“It has a step-by-step on how to change a diaper. Aren’t you and Natalie going to take some of those classes on parenting?
I heard there’s one near your building. They show you what to do when a baby has gas and how to swaddle and all that shit.
I even picked up pamphlets. They’re in my office. ”
“Classes?” I ponder over the idea.
“I can go with her, if you can’t.” Jake looks like he’s over the moon. “As the godfather, I should know all these things.”
“You’re not the godfather.”
“Of course I am.” My twin flips through the pages. “Who else are you going to choose? I even got a customized shirt that says ‘ Godfather.’ I plan to wear it to the hospital.” He looks up, beaming. “You know, so that there’s no confusion.”
He frowns thoughtfully. “Should I be in the delivery room? No, no, that’s probably too much. I should just?—”
“Keep talking, and you’ll never see my kid.”
Jake ignores me. “Maybe I should get the kid a shirt, too, with my name on the back. ‘Uncle Jake.’ No, ‘Godfather Jake.’ No! ‘The Godfather!’”
Perhaps if I ignore him, he’ll shut up. My eyes remain fixed on the door.
My silence has my brother following my gaze to the door. “She should be here any minute.”
“Put that book away.”
Jake stuffs the books under the cushions. “You’ve got that look. The I-will-burn-you-down-without-blinking look.” He grins. “I love that look. Moreso when it’s not aimed at me.”
“Don’t make me regret asking you to sit in on this,” I warn him.
Rising from his seat, he stretches. “Let’s just wrap this up. I have places to be.”
I check my watch. “And I have an appointment with Mike at eight.”
“You’re getting furniture?” My brother blinks. “For what?”
“I don’t think Natalie likes my taste in decorating. So I’m going to let her redecorate. And there’s the baby’s room.”
“Can I come along?”
“What the hell for?” I stare at him.
“I’m the baby’s uncle. I want to be involved in picking furniture.”
“Go pick furniture for Nick’s kid.”
“His wife hates me.”
“Natalie isn’t your biggest fan either,” I point out.
“Yeah, but I can win her over. Elisha’s just crazy.” He leans against the edge of my desk. “Let me come. ”
“No.” My answer is short.
“Heartless bastard.”
I sneer at him. “You want a kid, go knock up one of your hundreds of girlfriends. This one’s mine.”
Jake just sighs. “I just want to be an involved godfather.”
“You’re not the godfather!” I snap.
He just grins. “So says you. I bet I can sweet talk Natalie into it. Want to place a wager?”
I narrow my eyes. “Fine. What do you have in mind?”
“If I win, I get to name the kid.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Fine,” he backtracks. “If I win and become the godfather, I get to be the first one to meet the baby. Even before Mom.”
My eyes tighten around the corners. “Mom’s not going to like this.”
Jake’s grin widens. “Do we have a deal?”
“If you lose,” I bare my teeth in a vicious smile, “you’ll be in charge of diaper duty for a whole year. Every time you are around and the baby needs a change, you’ll be doing it.”
Jake studies me before holding out his hand, a grave expression on his face. “We have ourselves a deal.”
As I shake his hand, there is a tentative knock on the door.
“Come in.”
A heartbeat later, the door opens slightly.
Charlotte Evans steps inside. As soon as she enters, my hackles rise. It’s the glint in her eye, the knowing gleam. There’s a strut in her hips as she approaches the desk, confidence oozing from every pore.
She’s in a short plaid skirt and a similar blouse that my sister would call fashionable but sexy. I find it inappropriate workplace wear.
Her eyes flick between Jake and me, lingering a moment too long.
I motion to the chair across from my desk. “Have a seat. ”
She sits down, crossing her legs, showing off the smooth skin. My eyes flick back to the smug look on her face, making my jaw twitch.
“Do you know why you’re here, Charlotte?” I ask, my tone controlled.
“No, Mr. Wilder.” She gives me an innocent look, one I’ve seen far too many times. “I thought this was meant to be a private conversation.”
“It is. This is Jake Wilder, the company’s lawyer.” I clasp my hands on the desk. “You were in the third-floor restroom today. Just after lunch.”
She blinks, taken aback. “I—yes. Maybe. I’m not sure?—”
“You overheard a private conversation between Natalie Thorne and your department head.”
Her jaw tightens. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Charlotte.” I let her name hang in the air, sharp as glass. “Let’s not waste each other’s time.”
Jake remains silent beside me, arms crossed, gaze unreadable.
She is beginning to look uneasy now. “I swear, I didn’t?—”
I lean forward. Slowly. “Lying to me is a very bad idea.”
Her breath catches. “I didn’t repeat anything. I didn’t tell anyone.”
“I didn’t ask if you told anyone. I said you overheard something not meant for you.”
Her mouth opens, then closes. “I don’t remember, really. I was just?—”
I tap my finger on the desk. Once. Deliberate. “You can go.”
She freezes. “I... can go?”
I nod. “But understand this, Charlotte. If one whisper—one—makes its way through this company or beyond, I will know exactly where it came from. I will not tolerate anyone upsetting my fiancée.”
Her eyes widen. “F-Fiancée? You and Natalie?— ”
“I won’t repeat myself. One word, and that is all it will take.”
She swallows hard, eyes darting toward Jake, all the confidence fading from her. She clearly came here expecting something else entirely.
“I will not just have you fired,” I continue, voice icy and low. “I will make sure you never work in this city again. Not marketing. Not advertising. Not even a freelance gig running a client’s Instagram page. Do you understand?”
She nods frantically, hands clenched in her lap, knuckles white with tension.
“But that’s not the part you should be afraid of.”
Her eyes widen, pupils dilating with fear.
I sit back, calm and cold. “Your brother Mason works at Ashridge & Dale, doesn’t he? Financial analyst. Still fresh, just a year in.”
She goes pale. “How do you?—?”
“If a single rumor spreads from your lips, I’ll ensure his career ends before it begins. One call. That’s all it takes.”
Tears well in her eyes now. “I swear I won’t say anything. I haven’t said anything.”
Jake finally chimes in, voice dry. “Smart choice.”
I nod once. “You’re dismissed.”
She bolts up and stumbles out the door without looking back.
Jake lets out a low whistle as it clicks shut behind her. “Damn, Ethan. You’ve really softened since falling in love.”
I shoot him a look that would wither plants.
He chuckles. “Threatening her brother, though?”
“She came here thinking I was going around seducing the female staff. I’ve seen that walk far too many times. She probably thought if Natalie and I were?—”
“Fiancée, though?” Jake walks around the desk, sinking into the chair that Charlotte had just occupied. “You proposed.”
“No. Not yet. But she knows I will, once she’s ready. However, to the rest of the world, that is how Natalie will be introduced.”
“How long do you think you can keep this under wraps?”
I rise and walk to the window, watching headlights blur beneath us, creating rivers of light.
“I don’t plan to.”
Jake raises an eyebrow.
“I’m not ashamed of Natalie. I’m not hiding her.
And I’m not hiding the fact she’s mine. But I do understand her concerns.
She’s the head of HR. Brilliant. Respected.
The second this leaks, they’ll reduce her to nothing but my fiancée, and then they’ll call her the one who slept with the boss to keep her job. ”
Jake’s faint smile fades away.
“So what’s your plan?”
“My long-time girlfriend and now fiancée. I’ve contacted my PR team to deal with this. Till then, we’ll keep this under wraps to protect her reputation.”
“And she’s okay with this?”
“She understands that it’s inevitable, but whatever decision I make, I’ll run it by her first.”
My twin stares at me. “That’s very ‘considerate’ of you. She really has changed you.”
I check my watch. I still have some time before Natalie gets done.
“I got a call from Derrick. The fingerprints on the letters didn’t belong to Lucas.”
Jake goes still. “You sure?”
“Lucas’s prints are in the system. That means it’s someone else. It could be Bridget Thorne, Natalie’s mother. Her prints aren’t in the system, and she did know where Natalie lived. According to Natalie, her mother was aware of the incident which was referred to in the letters.”
“But to go so far as to threaten her daughter?” Jake looks unconvinced .
“I wouldn’t put it past her,” I say darkly. “But till we know for sure, I want to keep an eye on Natalie at all times. I don’t want her going alone anywhere.”
“I could accompany her,” Jake says brightly.
“You just want to stick to her side so you can convince her to let you be the godfather. No. I’d rather trust Caleb with this.”
Jake snorts. “You really think she’s going to like being babysat?”
My lips curve as I think of my younger brother. “Caleb can be… persuasive. She seems to have a soft spot for him. I believe she’ll let him tag along. I’ll talk to him.”
There is no way I’m letting Natalie roam around alone while her life is in danger.
The store reeks of curated comfort. Polished wood. Handwoven rugs. There’s soft music playing in the background. But all I see is a battlefield of overpriced showpieces not fit for the woman beside me.