Chapter five: The battleground

It was obvious he was the one in control and it was not just the freaking interview.

He looked different here than in the club. More uptight. More controlled. Gone was the teasing man who had flirted with me over drinks. Now, he was the man who owned every soul in this building. Including mine.

I should have asked him what he did for a living. My gut had warned me, but no, I was too busy being interested in having sex him.

And the worst part? I didn’t even do that!

Ethan leaned back in his chair, his fingers folded in together, his piercing gaze dragging over me slowly, very focused and full of fucking intent.

His suit was darker, crisp, his tie perfectly knotted, and that damn smirk the same one that had haunted me since that night never wavered.

“Miss Carter,” one of the interviewers spoke, but I barely heard them over the pounding of my own heartbeat. “Let’s begin.”

Ethan moved his fingers, nodding for them to proceed, but his eyes never left mine. The electricity between us was intense.

The questions came, and I answered on autopilot.

“Tell us about your work experience.”

“I recently graduated, so I’ve done more academic projects than hands-on work. But I did an internship at Wescott Solutions, where I worked closely with the marketing and finance teams, analyzing market trends and consumer data—”

Ethan tilted his head slightly, cutting in smoothly, “Impressive.”

My words stalled in my throat.

With the way he said it, I knew it wasn’t praise. It was mockery.

I swallowed hard and continued, forcing myself to ignore him.

The interviewers nodded along, but Ethan was studying and testing me.

And then he spoke a full on sentence.

“You seem confident, Miss Carter.” A pause. A slow, knowing smirk. “Tell me, do you follow through on your commitments?”

My breath hitched. The way he said it was so casual, and filled with double meaning, I knew exactly what he was referring to.

I lifted my chin slightly, meeting his stare. “I always follow through.”

“Good.” He mused, tapping his fingers against the desk. “That’s an important quality. No one likes to be… left hanging.”

I gritted my teeth.

This wasn’t an interview. This was a game.

I answered the next few questions quickly, my confidence shaking under Ethan’s intense gaze.

Then, out of nowhere, he tilted his head, his gaze flickering down, down… until it settled at the bottom of my heels.

“Red suits you, by the way.”

I frowned. It was such a random comment, until it hit me.

Yes, the soles of my heels were red, but they weren’t exactly visible. And then realization dawned.

I had worn red that night.

But he wasn’t talking about my dress.

My panties.

The same ones I forgot at his mansion.

Heat coiled in my stomach, climbing up my neckz I felt beyond humiliated. I fought to keep my expression neutral, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing me flustered, but I knew I failed.

But when his smirk deepened, I knew.

He saw it, touched it and it was probably in his pocket right now, my eyes widened.

The bastard. This entire interview was a joke.

Why was I even here? I wasn’t going to get the job. Ethan was toying with me, stretching this out for his own amusement.

I pushed my chair back and stood abruptly. “Thank you for your time, but I think I should leave.”

Before I could turn, one of the interviewers, an older man with thin glasses spoke.

“Wait. Miss Carter, why do you want to intern here?”

I froze.

For a moment, I almost considered running away.

But then, I exhaled sharply and turned back, my voice firmer than before.

“Blackwood Corp has been my dream company since I was in college.” I swallowed, my fingers clenching at my sides. “It’s not just a stepping stone to me. It’s the end goal. The place where I see myself growing. Excelling. Becoming someone.”

I wasn’t looking at Ethan anymore. I was speaking to the panel. To myself.

“I’ve followed Blackwood Corp’s major projects, their expansion strategies, their business models… I may not have years of experience yet, but I know this company better than most interns you’ve had.”

Silence.

One of the interviewers nodded approvingly, but I barely noticed.

Because my brain had just caught up.

Blackwood Corp.

The place I had been obsessed with.

The place whose CEO’s name I should have damn well known.

Oh, God I was so dumb.

How did I not recognize him that night? How did I not make the connection?

Ethan. Ethan fucking Blackwood.

The CEO. The owner of my dream company.

I was going to vomit. I needed to leave.

One of the interviewers stood, reaching across the table. “Thank you, Miss Carter. We’ll be in touch.”

I barely remembered shaking his hand before turning on my heel and practically bolting for the door.

Just as I reached for the handle, Ethan’s voice stopped me.

“Miss Carter.”

I stiffened.

“Your phone has been vibrating for the past five minutes.”

Shit.

I yanked my phone out of my bag.

Mom.

Before I could react, the phone rang again.

And this time, I felt Ethan behind me.

I swallowed hard, my grip tightening around my phone as I turned back.

His gaze flickered to the screen before returning to me, amusement gleaming in his eyes.

“Go ahead,” he said smoothly. “Don’t keep her waiting.”

My heart pounded.

His voice was light, but his eyes? Like he knew something I didn’t.

I inhaled shakily, preparing myself for round two of hell. My mother.