Chapter 4 - Safe House in the Sky
The elevator rose silently up ninety stories, leaving the noise, flashbulbs, and chaos of the ballroom far behind.
Ethan carried me all the way to the penthouse suite atop Carter Tower—a place no employee, not even his personal assistant, had ever been permitted to enter.
The penthouse was minimalist, lined with floor-to-ceiling glass offering a dizzying view of the Manhattan skyline glowing in the dark. Warm yellow lights illuminated high wooden ceilings and deep leather furniture.
Ethan gently lowered me onto a plush velvet sofa near a gas fireplace. He immediately stepped back, giving me space, and knelt down on one knee in front of me.
"You're safe," Ethan said quietly, his gray eyes searching my face. "Nobody can hurt you here. The press can't get past the security desk downstairs. Andrew is currently being processed at the 19th Precinct."
I looked down at my hands. They were trembling so violently I couldn't keep them still. "My brother... is he really safe? Did you actually transfer him?"
"He's already in an ambulance on his way to Columbia," Ethan confirmed, taking a soft glass of water from a side table and offering it to me. "I spoke with Dr. Roberts personally. His care will continue uninterrupted, fully paid for by my private foundation. Andrew will never be allowed near his room."
Tears streamed silently down my face. A heavy, suffocating weight that I had carried on my chest for twelve long months suddenly cracked and dissolved.
"Why did you do this?" I asked, my voice cracking. "You destroyed your own gala. You created a massive scandal for your company. The media is going to run wild with this tomorrow."
Ethan reached out, his fingers hovering over my hand before gently resting on my cold skin. His grip was warm, solid, and impossibly gentle.
"I don't care about the gala, Ava," Ethan said, his voice thick with uncharacteristic emotion. "And I don't care about the press. For nearly a year, I watched you come to work every morning with a smile, managing my life, taking care of everyone around you while you were bleeding inside. Every time I saw a new mark on your neck, or saw you flinch when someone dropped a folder... it tore me apart."
I looked into his eyes, shocked. "You... you noticed?"
"I noticed everything," Ethan confessed softly. "I noticed the way you take your coffee with oat milk and two brown sugars. I noticed the way you bite your lip when you're stressed. And I noticed every single bruise you tried to hide with heavy foundation and long scarves."
He paused, swallowing hard.
"I wanted to pull you into my arms a thousand times," Ethan admitted, his gaze intense. "But I thought you were in love with him. I thought you chose him. I forced myself to stay professional because I respected you too much to interfere. But tonight... when I opened that door and saw what he did to you... I realized I couldn't stay quiet for another second. Even if you hate me for causing a scene tonight, I had to save you."
"I don't hate you," I whispered, tears spilling over. "Ethan... I've been in love with you for months."
Ethan froze. The powerful titan of industry looked entirely paralyzed by my words.
"What did you say?" he breathed.
"I fell in love with you three months after I started working for you," I confessed, the truth pouring out of me like open water. "When you bought lunch for the entire cleaning staff on Thanksgiving. When you stayed up until 3:00 a.m. helping me research rare medical trials for my brother. Andrew knew it, Ethan. That's why he hurt me worse. He saw the way I looked at you. He threatened to kill you if I ever told you the truth."
Ethan’s jaw clenched, his eyes blazing with a mixture of agony and rage. "He threatened me?"
"He knew you were the only man powerful enough to stop him," I said softly.
May you like
Ethan slowly lifted his hand and touched my cheek, his thumb gently wiping away a stray tear. The gesture was so tender it made my heart ache.
"No one threatens you, and no one threatens us," Ethan murmured. "Rest now, Ava. Tomorrow, the fight begins."
