novelnext Chapter 4: What Are You Doing Here?
Chapter 4: What Are You Doing Here?
Maybe it was guilt. The next day, Ethan Foster took Sophia Williams out for dinner.
She stared at the lavish meal in front of her, then at the man sitting across the table with his carefully tender gaze. A cold smile tugged at her lips.
"You're starting to remind me of my father," she said, voice laced with dry sarcasm. "He used to treat my mom to dinners like this every time he cheated."
The color drained from Ethan's face. He tried to keep his cool, forcing a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Sophia, come on. How can you compare me to him? Don't you know how much I love you? How much I care?"
She held his gaze. "I do," she replied softly.
Because lately, she'd seen just how far that "love" went.
Ethan let out a breath of relief, though tension still rippled beneath the surface. As if to prove himself, he reached for his phone, turned it off, and placed it face down on the table.
"No work interruptions tonight. It's just us."
He peeled shrimp for her one by one, placing them on her plate like they were delicacies too precious for her to touch.
Around them, murmurs floated from nearby tables.
"Is that Mr. Foster and Ms. Williams? Just like the gossip says, they look inseparable."
"He's totally devoted. Never takes his eyes off her."
"No wonder people call him the most loyal man in high society. How many guys like him stay faithful?"
"I heard he once said he'd rather die than let anything happen to her."
Ethan didn't react. His full attention was on Sophia, until she walked in.
Emily Johnson.
She sauntered into the restaurant in a red dress, making a beeline for their table.
Ethan went rigid. He stood up fast, voice sharp and low. "What are you doing here?"
Emily gave him a smirk. "Relax. It's my day off. Can't I take my boyfriend out to dinner?"
"Boyfriend?" Ethan's eyes darkened. "Since when do you have one?"
That tone. That edge. It reminded Sophia of the Ethan who used to follow her around, paranoid someone might take her away.
He'd once said, "Sophia, if anyone dares lay a hand on you, I'll kill them myself."
Now, it was Emily getting that possessive glare.
Emily glanced at Ethan's phone on the table, then plopped herself down at a nearby table with a defiant flip of her hair.
"None of your business."
Ethan muttered under his breath, "That girl's getting bolder every day."
Sophia smiled faintly but said nothing.
Moments later, a middle-aged man with a receding hairline and oversized gut slid into the seat across from Emily. Ethan was still peeling shrimp, but his attention had clearly shifted.
Emily's voice suddenly rang out, loud and annoyed: "Hey! Don't touch me there!"
Without thinking, Ethan slammed his palm down on the table. "Get out!" he barked.
The man turned pale as he recognized Ethan and scrambled away, humiliated.
Over Ethan's shoulder, Emily shot Sophia a smug, victorious glance.
I win.
Ethan blinked, as if remembering Sophia's presence for the first time. His face fell when he saw the silent tears brimming in her eyes.
"Sophia, it's not what it looks like," he said quickly, dropping to one knee beside her. "Emily's like a sister to me. I couldn't just let some creep harass her, "
Sophia closed her eyes.
Not because she didn't believe him.
But because she didn't have the energy to care anymore.
"I understand," she murmured.
Ethan exhaled in relief, reaching up to kiss her.
That's when it happened.
A blood-curdling scream ripped through the restaurant.
Chaos erupted, shouts, crashes, furniture toppling. A gang of masked intruders stormed in, flipping tables and scaring customers into a frenzy.
Ethan jumped up and pulled Sophia to him. "Stay close. I'll get you out of here!"
Then came a shriek from behind them.
Emily lay crumpled on the floor, hands on her stomach, sobbing.
"Sir… help me…"
Ethan tightened his grip on Sophia's hand, ready to push through the crowd, until Emily's next words stopped them both cold.
"I'm pregnant."