Chapter 2

The air inside Ethan Dawson’s office was sharp — too quiet, too heavy. I could barely hear the hum of the city outside through the glass walls. My hand trembled around the file I was holding, fingers gripping it like a lifeline as if the papers could keep me standing. My pulse was wild, echoing in my throat.

He hadn’t moved for several seconds. His back was still turned to me, broad shoulders tense beneath his perfectly tailored suit. The silence between us buzzed like static, and I could almost feel the weight of his thoughts pressing against my skin.

Then he spoke — low, controlled, and dangerous.

“You’re trembling, Miss Villanueva.”

I swallowed hard. “I’m not.”

“You are,” he said simply. He turned around then, his gaze locking on mine with unnerving precision. “Why? Is it because of me… or because you have something to hide?”

My fingers dug into the folder. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, sir.”

He took a slow step toward me. The sound of his shoes against the marble floor echoed through the room, steady and deliberate.

“Don’t lie to me, Katya.”

The way he said my name —l soft, but edged with power sent a shiver down my spine. My knees threatened to give out, but I forced myself to stay still.

“I don’t appreciate dishonesty,” he continued, eyes narrowing. “Especially from people under my employment.”

“I’m not lying, Mr. Dawson,” I managed, though my voice trembled. “I’m just doing my job.”

“Your job,” he repeated with a bitter smile. “And what exactly does that entail? Avoiding me? Pretending that night never happened?”

My breath caught. The room spun for a second.

He remembers.

“Mr. Dawson—”

“Ethan,” he cut in sharply. “You called me that once.”

My lips parted, but no words came out. The memory rushed back like a cruel wave — the heat, the confusion, the scent of whiskey, the way my body had stopped listening to my mind. And then, the guilt that came after.

“Tell me, Katya,” he said, voice dropping lower, “why didn’t you come to me after that night? You disappeared. No note, no call. Nothing.”

I wanted to tell him the truth. That it was a mistake. That I hadn’t even known who he was. But the words wouldn’t come. Because the truth was, I had run.

I ran because the moment I saw those two pink lines on the test, I knew I could never face the man I had slept with. i know i messed up my own relationship, i cheated on Marco. How could i face him? I don't even know his name.

I forced myself to meet his gaze. “There was nothing to say. It was a mistake, and it’s over.”

“Over? It was your first time, You talk as of it was nothing huh.” His jaw clenched. “You really think one night can be erased that easily?”

“Please,” I whispered. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

For a brief moment, his eyes softened — then hardened again, like a door slamming shut. He turned away, walking to the window, his reflection fractured in the glass and city lights.

“You’re right,” he said quietly. “It’s over. But I don’t forget, Katya. I never forget.”

Something in his tone — calm, final, almost like a warning — made my blood run cold.

Because I had heard the rumors. Ethan Dawson wasn’t just powerful. He was ruthless.

He didn’t forgive mistakes. He didn’t let people off easily. If you crossed him, you paid for it — one way or another.

And now, standing in his office again, I could feel that truth in every breath I took.

He turned back to me, his expression unreadable. “You may go,” he said finally.

I exhaled shakily, clutching the folder tighter. My hands were cold as I reached for the door, desperate to escape. But before I could touch the handle, his voice stopped me again.

“Katya.”

I froze.

“Whatever secrets you’re keeping…” His tone was low, dangerous. “Make sure they don’t reach me the wrong way. Because once they do…”

He paused, eyes glinting under the office lights.

“I don’t show mercy twice.”

My throat went dry. I nodded once, too afraid to speak, and walked out of his office. The door clicked shut behind me, sealing the tension inside.

My knees almost gave way in the hallway. My heart wouldn’t stop pounding.

Because for the first time, the stories I’d heard about Ethan Dawson didn’t sound like rumors anymore. They felt real.

And I knew, with terrifying certainty —

if he ever found out about the baby, he wouldn’t just destroy me.

He would take everything from me… even my son.

---

After that day…

Time in the office passed quickly for everyone else, but for me, each day was punishment. I tried to stay professional — calm, composed, silent — but I could feel his eyes on me every time I moved.

Ethan’s gaze was different now. Sharper. Like he knew I was hiding something, even if he couldn’t yet name it.

One afternoon, as I sorted through a stack of files, his deep voice cut through the quiet.

“Mrs. Ramirez,” he called. “Bring me the quarterly report.”

I froze for a heartbeat before standing, clutching the folder tightly.

Even my new name sounded strange when he said it. Mrs. Ramirez.

As if I belonged to a life that wasn’t mine.

I approached his desk and kept my head down. “Here it is, Sir.”

He took the document without looking at me at first. But when our eyes finally met, I felt that same pull — dangerous, magnetic, unrelenting. His stare wasn’t angry, but there was a question there. One he’d never say out loud.

For a moment, the world outside the office disappeared.

Then he turned away.

“You may go,” he said again, voice colder this time.

I walked back to my desk and sat down, my legs weak. My chest ached from holding my breath. I tried to focus on the numbers on the page, but they meant nothing. All I could think of was the secret growing inside me — and the man who could destroy everything if he ever found out.

I pressed a trembling hand to my stomach, whispering softly so no one could hear.

“No one can know… especially not him.”