Chapter Four

Mia's phone slipped from her trembling fingers, landing on the carpet with a dull thud.

"Let's just say… someone who knows how dangerous Ethan Blackwell really is."

The words rang in her ears, coiling around her chest like a noose. Every breath felt harder to take as the implications sank in.

Who was this caller? How did they know about her connection to Ethan?

She glanced up at Ethan. He was watching her, his piercing blue eyes unreadable but intense.

"Who was that?" His voice was calm, but his tone carried an edge of suspicion, like a predator waiting to strike.

Mia's mind raced. She had to think quickly. If she told him about the calls, would she be playing into some dangerous game? If she didn't tell him… was she putting herself and Oliver at greater risk?

Her pulse pounded as she forced herself to speak. "Wrong number."

Ethan's jaw tightened, and his expression darkened. He didn't believe her.

"Right," he said, stepping closer, his towering frame exuding an almost suffocating presence. "Then why do you look like you've seen a ghost?"

Mia straightened her spine, fighting the urge to step back. She couldn't let him see her fear, couldn't give him the upper hand. "Because you just threw a DNA test at me and threatened to take my son away."

Ethan's gaze hardened. "Our son, Mia."

She clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms. "You don't get to say that. You weren't there."

For a moment, something flickered across his face - guilt, regret, but it disappeared as quickly as it had come.

"I'm here now," he said firmly. "And I'm not going anywhere."

Mia's stomach twisted. She had fought so hard to give Oliver a safe and stable life, free of complications. But now, Ethan being powerful, unpredictable, and hiding secrets had inserted himself into their world.

And someone out there was warning her to stay away from him.

She couldn't ignore the gnawing question in the back of her mind:

Who was Ethan Blackwell, really?

The Next Day – A Shocking Discovery 

Mia couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched.

She had dropped Oliver off at daycare and now sat at a small coffee shop, nursing a lukewarm cup of tea. Her phone sat on the table, the screen dark, yet it felt like it was staring back at her.

The unknown number had called again that morning. No voicemail. No texts. Just silence.

It felt like a shadow lurking over her, waiting to pounce.

Her fingers hovered over the screen as she hesitated, debating her next move.

Finally, she opened a private browser tab and typed in the name she had avoided for years:

Ethan Blackwell.

The search results loaded, and the first few links were what she expected.

"Ethan Blackwell – CEO of Blackwell Industries. Billionaire. Investor. Real Estate Mogul."

The accompanying photos were almost intimidating in their perfection: Ethan in expensive suits, standing beside political figures, shaking hands with celebrities.

Her chest tightened. This was the man she had been avoiding? The man who now wanted to claim a role in her son's life?

But as she scrolled, one headline made her breath catch.

"Ethan Blackwell Suspected in Mysterious Disappearance of Former Business Partner."

Her finger hovered over the link, her heart pounding. After a moment, she clicked it.

The article was dated seven years ago. It described a heated business dispute between Ethan and a man named Nicholas Hayes. Hayes had been Ethan's partner in a lucrative real estate deal that went sour. Shortly after their fallout, Nicholas Hayes vanished without a trace. No body. No clues. Just… gone.

And Ethan?

He had refused to speak to the press about the incident, issuing a curt statement through his lawyers denying any involvement.

Mia's throat went dry as she reread the article, her mind racing. Was this what the anonymous caller meant when they said Ethan was dangerous?

She closed the browser tab, her hands shaking.

She had to find out more.

But the question that haunted her most was simple.

What kind of man had she let into her life?

Meanwhile, Ethan sat in his car, parked in the underground garage beneath Blackwell Industries' towering headquarters. The sleek interior of his Maserati hummed with quiet tension as he stared at his phone.

The text messages glared back at him like a warning he couldn't ignore.

Unknown Number: Leave Mia alone. You don't deserve her.

His grip tightened on the phone, his knuckles turning white.

Who the hell was playing this game?

He scrolled back through the previous messages. The first one had come the night before, just hours after his confrontation with Mia.

Unknown Number: You should have stayed out of her life.

He exhaled sharply, his chest tightening. He had made plenty of enemies over the years, men and women who resented his success, who envied his power. But this felt different.

This wasn't about business.

This was personal.

His phone buzzed again, pulling him from his thoughts.

Unknown Number: You think you can hide your past? She'll find out soon enough.

Ethan's jaw clenched as he read the words.

They were right about one thing. Mia would find out.

The secrets he'd buried, the sins he'd committed—they were always waiting just beneath the surface, threatening to rise.

And when she did…

Would she run?

Would she hate him?

Or would she become another casualty in his ruthless world?

Ethan inhaled deeply, trying to steady himself. He couldn't afford to let his emotions cloud his judgment.

He had to take control of the situation, fast.

Because if he didn't, someone else would.

And he couldn't let Mia or Oliver become pawns in a game they didn't even realize they were playing.

For now, there was only one option.

He had to protect them.

Even if that meant exposing parts of himself he had sworn to keep hidden.