chapter 4: A Complicated Past

As I stood there, frozen in awkwardness, Ethan's assistant burst into the room, breaking the tension.

"Sorry to interrupt, Ethan, but you have a meeting with the marketing team in 10 minutes," she said, glancing at Sophia with a mixture of curiosity and wariness.

Ethan nodded, his eyes never leaving Sophia's face. "Thank you, Rachel. I'll be right there."

Sophia's gaze lingered on me for a moment before she turned back to Ethan. "It was...enlightening to meet you, Camila," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot more of each other."

With that, she turned on her heel and strode out of the room, leaving me feeling both relieved and intimidated.

Ethan watched her go, his expression unreadable. Then, he turned to me and smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

"Don't mind Sophia," he said. "She's just a little...passionate about her interests."

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the understatement. "I'll keep that in mind," I said, smiling wryly.

Ethan chuckled and nodded. "Good. Now, I really do have to run. But I'll be in touch soon, Camila. Very soon."

With that, he turned and strode out of the room, leaving me to wonder what I had just gotten myself into.

As I stood there, trying to process the complicated dynamics between Ethan and Sophia, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was in for a wild ride.

Little did I know, I was just scratching the surface of Ethan's complicated past.

As I stood there, trying to make sense of the tension between Ethan and Sophia, Rachel, Ethan's assistant, approached me.

"Hey, Camila, can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked, her voice low and conspiratorial.

I nodded, curious about what she might say.

Rachel glanced around the room, making sure we were alone. "Listen, I know you're new here, but I have to warn you about Ethan and Sophia," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

I leaned in, intrigued. "What do you mean?"

Rachel hesitated, as if unsure how much to reveal. "Ethan and Sophia's divorce was...messy. They were married for five years, and it was a real whirlwind romance. But things started to fall apart about a year ago, and they've been at odds ever since."

I raised an eyebrow, surprised by the drama. "What happened?"

Rachel shrugged. "From what I've heard, Sophia was pretty unhappy in the marriage. She felt like Ethan was too controlling, and she wanted out. But Ethan didn't want to let her go, and things got pretty ugly."

I winced, imagining the tension between them. "I can see why Sophia might still be bitter," I said.

Rachel nodded. "Yeah, she's still got a lot of anger towards Ethan. And Ethan...well, he's still got feelings for her, even though he won't admit it."

I raised an eyebrow, surprised by the revelation. "Really?"

Rachel nodded. "Yeah. Ethan's a complicated guy, Camila. He's got a lot of layers, and he's not always easy to read. But one thing's for sure: he's still got a thing for Sophia, even though he's trying to move on."

I nodded, taking in the information. It was clear that Ethan's past was a lot more complicated than I had initially thought.

As I stood there, trying to process the complicated dynamics between Ethan and Sophia, Rachel's phone buzzed with an incoming text.

"Sorry, Camila, I have to take this," she said, glancing at the screen. "It's Ethan. He needs me to book a flight for him ASAP."

I nodded, watching as Rachel quickly typed out a response. "No problem, I'll let you get to it," I said, smiling.

Rachel nodded, already distracted by her task. "Thanks, Camila. I'll catch up with you later."

As I turned to leave, I couldn't help but wonder where Ethan was off to in such a hurry. And whether Sophia would be joining him...

I made my way back to my desk, lost in thought. The more I learned about Ethan's past, the more I realized that there was a lot more to him than met the eye.

Just as I was starting to settle back into my work, my phone rang. I picked it up, expecting it to be a colleague or maybe even Rachel with an update.

But instead, it was Ethan's voice on the other end. "Camila, I need to see you again," he said, his tone low and urgent. "Can you meet me at the rooftop bar at 5 pm?"

I felt a flutter in my chest as I hesitated for a moment. What did Ethan want to talk to me about now?

But my curiosity got the better of me. "Yes, I can be there," I said, trying to sound calm.

Ethan's response was immediate. "Good. I'll see you then, Camila."

And with that, the line went dead.

I was left staring at my phone, wondering what Ethan had planned for our meeting.