CHAPTER 12:A Rival's Threat

Sophia's heart sank at the sight of Nathan Cole's name flashing on her phone screen. She felt a sickly churn in her stomach. What does he even want after all this time? She paused before responding, anticipating the tension that would follow, and not wanting it.

"Hey, Nathan," she said, attempting to conceal the distrust in her tone.

"Hi, Sophia," Nathan said, adding sarcasm to his voice. "I hope you're having fun playing house with Ethan. It must be nice to be in such blissful time, far removed from all the theatrics.

Sophia's instincts flared instantly. She heard the edge in his voice, and knew he wasn't just checking in. "What do you want, Nathan? she asked, sounding more confident than she felt.

Nathan let out an unhappy laugh on the other end of the line. "I just wanted to remind you: Ethan's not as perfect as he seems."

Sophia scowled, goose bumps prickling her neck and arms. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm referring to his past," Nathan said, his voice dropping to a low, menacing pitch. "About the things he's done to get where he is. You have no idea who the real Ethan is, Sophia."

A protectiveness flared in the pit of Sophia's stomach and laced through her chest, pushing that fear away. "What kind of things?" she asked, now more forcefully. "What are you trying to communicate about him?"

Nathan was silent for a moment, allowing the quiet to settle between them like a threat. "I'm just saying that there are things in his past that, should they ever come out, could destroy his name and his business. Things he's been hiding from everybody, himself included."

Sophia's mind started to whirl, connecting the pieces. What on earth was Nathan talking about? What could Ethan have done to destroy everything.

"I don't believe you," Sophia said, her voice firm, although her heart raced in her chest. She wouldn't allow Nathan's words to sow seeds of doubt.

Nathan laughed bitterly. "We'll see if that's true," he said, the venom in his voice unmistakable. "All I'm saying, Sophia, is you're playing with fire here. And fire burns."

The line was dead, Sophia holding the phone, dazed. The screen slowly resolutioned with her hands on it as she stared, not knowing what to believe. Was Nathan simply trying to manipulate her, or was there some truth to what he'd said about Ethan's past?

What was Ethan hiding? And what was Nathan so intent on ruining him?

Sophia was startled out of her thoughts by Ethan, who had approached her from behind and stood in front of her, eyes blazing with fury. She hadn't even heard him coming.

"What did he say?" Ethan grated, his voice low, taut with rage.

Sophia's heart fluttered as she read the passion flickering in his eyes. She didn't know what to say to him — how to explain that Nathan had just sowed doubts in her mind. She opened her mouth, but her voice cracked, not knowing what to do next.

Ethan kept his eyes locked on hers and his jaw tense as he stepped closer. "Sophia."

She swallowed hard. "He said you have secrets," she whispered, laboring to keep her voice steady. "Secrets that might destroy your reputation — and your business."

Ethan's face went ashen. It wiped the color from his cheeks, and for an instant he looked like a man who had just watched his entire world fall apart.

Sophia gasped, the breath catching in her throat. A wave of clarity washed over her — this was bigger than she had ever conceived. She knew the background Ethan had, but this was a shock.

Ethan stepped back, eyes narrowing as he ran a hand through his hair, a look between now of frustration and fear overtaking him. "He's lying," he said under his breath.

Sophia flushed and reached out, lightly brushing his arm. "Ethan, what's going on? What's the truth?"

Ethan glanced at her, his expression hardening, the walls he had built around himself lifting higher. "You don't need to know this, Sophia," he said, the muscles in his voice straining. "Not right now."

But Sophia was not going to back down. She had entrusted him with her own secrets, and now it was his turn to trust her. "Ethan," she said gently, her voice steady with quiet resolve. "I need to know the truth if we're going to be together. All of it. Because I cannot continue living in doubt."

Ethan exhaled, looking away from her. "I never wanted you caught up in this," he said, his voice hoarse. "But the reality is… all of this — my business, my family — it's all been built on a lie."

Sophia had the impact of his words drop into the pit of her stomach. "What do you mean?" she inquired, her voice almost a whisper.

Ethan turned to her, his gaze dark and heavy with regret. "When I started the company, I did it the only way that I knew how to do it. I struck deals with people who weren't all that… ethical. I betrayed my ethics for the sake of advancement."

Sophia's head raced as she absorbed his confession. Ethan, the man she had come to care for, had been engaged in suspicious dealings to establish his empire?

"I didn't want to, Sophia," he said, his voice faltering slightly. "But I felt like I had no other option. Now everything's at stake because of what I did back then. Nathan knows about it all. "And he is using that to try to destroy me."

Sophia's heart broke as she reached for his hand. "Ethan, you've changed. You're not who you were then."

Ethan's face looked pained as he held her gaze. "I don't know if it's going to be enough, Sophia. I made a lot of stupid mistakes, and Nathan is the only person that knows everything about me. He's been trying to take me down for years, now he's using you to do it.'

That was all too much for Sophia, who shook her head, unwilling to accept it. "No. Nathan's manipulating me." He wants to control everything, Ethan. He'll do anything to make sure that you lose."

Ethan gripped her hand, firm. "I won't let him win. However, I can't do it without you. I need you to trust me, Sophia. And I need you to join me in fighting back."

Sophia gazed into Ethan's eyes, watching the vulnerability show through the machismo. He wasn't simply seeking her support — he was asking for her trust. And in that moment, she understood that, no matter how messy things became, she wasn't going anywhere.

"I'm with you, Ethan," she replied, her voice steady and unwavering. "We'll work through this together."

The relief that washed over his face was almost enough to render the weight of their situation bearable. They both knew there would be more challenges ahead, more threats to confront. But at least they were facing it together, for the first time.

They both stood in silence, the storm outside only serving to accentuate the chaos within, and deep down, Sophia couldn't help but feel that a situation that had already gotten devilishly complicated was going to become even more so. Nathan was playing a risky game, and it was obvious he wouldn't back down. But neither would they.

Whate

wherever it plunged, Sophia and Ethan would not play dead and they would do so as a pair.