CHAPTER FOUR
Ethan's POV
It was afternoon already, and I was sitting in my office, trying to sort out the bills and files that had piled up during the week, feeling the stress press down behind my eyes. My eyes roamed the large figures on the pages of the files.
Sucks to be a Mafia Lord on a Saturday.
My hand found the glass decanter on my table and I poured myself a generous glass of tequila, then poured it down my throat in one swig. My thoughts wandered dangerously to the young woman I'd left on my bed several hours ago, and I felt guilt spread in my chest.
I couldn't get over the hateful look I'd seen in her eyes, and only several years of carefully mastering my emotions had saved me from it.
She'd dozed off shortly after our sex, and I'd had to leave her to rest in my room. I knew she'd had a long, stressful day, and I didn't want to be a monster by disrupting her rest. Besides, I was sure she was carrying my baby now. The least I could do was make her feel comfortable.
I slammed the empty glass down on my desk and picked up a file, staring at it and trying to decipher the words. The figures were beginning to blend into one another now, and my vision was beginning to swim. I couldn't do this.
Suddenly someone barged into my office and I jerked my head up, slightly rattled by the noise. It was Chloe my fiancee, and she looked as annoyed as ever. Was there any day she didn't look like she wanted to murder someone?
She flipped her head to where I sat, glaring at me. "Ethan, we need to talk."
"Of course." I muttered and leaned back on my chair, stroking my chin.
Chloe crossed the room to the desk and sat before it. I watched her as she tried to keep her emotions in check. She was a strikingly beautiful woman, with straight, jet-black hair that was cut in a bob around her head, and a sharp, almost angular point to her features. Her chin was pointed and tilted upwards, and her nose was regal, almost disapproving. She had beautiful brown eyes that I'd once fallen in love with. Now I wasn't so sure anymore.
"There is a woman on your bed." She said. Sharp, free of preambles, straight to the point. Chloe wasn't one to waste words on unnecessary preliminaries.
"And?" I asked, eyebrows raised. "You did say you wanted a surrogate mother. I got that for you, didn't I?"
"I said that, but I didn't mean this soon." She retorted, her brows creased in a frown. "You didn't tell me you were bringing a strange woman into our house. Who the hell is she?"
"She's no one." I snapped. "And her name is Emily too. You will address her with respect, as long as she is carrying the baby you want." I paused, staring into her rage-filled eyes. "And it's not your house until you get married to me. She will carry the baby the way we planned, and we'll pay her off. And trust me, she's sufficiently pregnant with your precious baby. I made sure of that twice today."
I could see the rage burning behind those brown eyes as she looked at me, but I wasn't fazed. "I don't like this, Ethan. You didn't carry me along. Hell, she's even sleeping in your bed! The bed we're both supposed to share."
"There's no need for all of this, Chloe." I said, rubbing my hand across my face tiredly. "You said you needed a surrogate mother, I got one, fucked her, let's pray she gets pregnant. Happy now?" I stood up to walk outside, but she blocked me.
"Oh, you're not leaving so easily." She snapped. "Not after what you've just done."
I threw my hands up in exasperation. "What the hell did I do? You're the one who doesn't want to carry a pregnancy because of your precious career, and I'm fixing the problem for you. What else do you want?"
Chloe opened her mouth to give a retort, but she was cut short by a creak as the door opened. We both turned towards the door to see the woman I'd slept with walking in.
She was putting on a white bathrobe and nothing more; her curly, chestnut-brown hair was wet and hanging down her shoulders in beautiful waves. Her eyes—large, green and beautiful—was darting between Chloe and I. She looked so innocent, I felt something melt inside of me as I watched her.
"Oh, I'm sorry if I interrupted anything." She said quickly, then turned back to the door. "I'll see myself out."
"No you weren't." I replied, then glared at Chloe. "Chloe here was just leaving."
I turned to Chloe as a cue for her to leave, but all her attention was on the woman who had walked in. Her eyes roamed the woman's features with a look of disdain on her face, and I knew she was reacting negatively to the fact the woman was breathtakingly beautiful.
She walked closer to the woman and sniffed with disapproval, her pert nose up in the air. "You're the surrogate mother, no?" She asked.
The woman folded her arms in a defensive pose. "I suppose."
"You don't look like much." Chloe murmured. I knew that was a lie, but I also knew my fiancee was trying to convince herself that the woman wasn't beautiful. She was vain that way.
Instead I turned to Emily, my eyes searching her pale-looking face. "How are you?" I asked.
She forced a smile, then answered sarcastically. "Wonderful. I've never felt better."
There was tension between us three, as Chloe's eyes were on the woman, and the woman's eyes were on me, and mine on Chloe. Then Chloe turned to me, her voice cutting. "I don't think we need her." She said.
I scoffed. "That is not your decision to make, Chloe. Besides, the deed has been done. We've had sex, twice too."
I could see Chloe's eyes widen with rage. "This is preposterous!" She said, her voice raised. "You didn't let me in on any of this!"
I groaned and rubbed a hand across my face. "I don't have time for this, Chloe. I have a meeting with some investors in a few minutes." I said, then stormed out of the office, leaving both women in there alone.
CHAPTER FIVEEthan's POV Days began to run into weeks as the woman spent longer living with me. I got to know that her name was Emily Davis, which was a moment too late for me. She never got to know of mine and never deemed it fit to ask, and however much I tried to bridge the gap between us, any sort of friendship between us remained sadly out of reach.I moved her to a room at the very back of the house, so I wouldn't get to see the wariness and hostility in her eyes, yet it burned at the back of my head and kept me awake at night. To all and sundry in the house, I hated her as much as she hated me and I tried to make it known that I only tolerated her presence, but that was a lie. She was an attractive woman: slim, petite, with that thick brown hair I craved to run my fingers through, those freckles that dusted her nose and her cheeks, and damn, was I attracted to her!However, I knew my place as a mafia boss and the leader of an empire, and I knew that she wasn't worth my time. S
Ethan pov I rushed into the ward where Emily lay, my men closely following me. She was on a bed on the far end of the room, and her back was turned to me, but I didn't care. My heart was simply bursting at the seams with happiness.I'd finally have a child of my own.Giddy with joy, I called out. "Emily?"She turned her head to look at me. Her eyes were full of hope, as though she'd been expecting someone else, and I watched as the hope filtered away and her eyes hardened."Good morning, Mr Brown," she said dully and turned back to the wall. I felt the joy in me come down a notch. I walked forward and sat on the chair beside her. "How are you feeling?" I asked."Very well, thank you."The smile on my face faded at the tone of her voice. Regardless, I pressed on. "The doctor said you're pregnant. Have you heard?"Her breath hitched as she took in the news. "Is that so?" She asked, her voice shaky."Yes," I answered. "Since our...act proved successful, I would have to tighten security
Emily's POVI watched as Ethan Brown walked out of the hospital, leaving me with his men. We were all plunged into silence for a few minutes, then the man whom I supposed was his second-in-command cleared his throat."Miss Davis, if you will," he murmured, and I nodded, then stepped forward. Two guards were at my sides, with two others behind me. The second-in-command himself was at my front, leading the way. I felt utterly protected, and yet vulnerable and bare—so, terribly bare. They would never be able to shield me from what I felt inside.The ache of my mother's death gripped my heart as tightly as a wrench, made even worse as this was the very same hospital where she'd died. She was the only thing that mattered to me in this world, and that vile beast of a man had yanked her from me in only a few hours of knowing him.We reached the front door in a matter of seconds, and the second in command reached out to open the door. "After you, Miss Davis." He murmured, and I nodded in than
Ethan's POVI was in my room, a cup of coffee in one hand. Zadok was sitting opposite me, and we were surrounded by a chaotic mess of papers and scattered thoughts. The soft ruffling of papers filled the room, but my attention was elsewhere. I was thinking about Emily: the last time we'd seen was when my mother had visited, and that was two days ago already. I knew my mother was capable of killing anyone's spirit with her words, Emily not excluded."The records are good, boss." Zadok commented, pulling me out of my reverie. "Things have been looking up."I nodded absentmindedly and took a sip of my morning brew. Sunlight filtered through the window behind me and warmed my neck. I rubbed my hand over the warm patch of skin, then picked up a file on the coffee table. I opened it and stared in satisfaction at the numbers on the sheaf of papers.Three million fucking dollars spent on shipping a couple of arms across the Atlantic, much less than we spent only three months ago. I was extrem
Emily's POV Someone was knocking intermittently on my door. I buried my face deeper in the pillows and tried to block out the noise, but it was persistent, pressing against my eardrums annoyingly.I groaned and turned to the other side, dragging the sheets with me. The bed smelled of days-old sweat and several sleepless hours. I hadn't showered in two days, or eaten, or stepped out of the room. And I wasn't planning to do the latter anytime soon, not as long as Ethan Brown was in this house with me. I didn't want to face him just yet; I knew what would happen if I did. My body would fight against my will, and I would remember just how perfectly we'd fit together when we were producing this baby. My insides would clench with desire when I see his bright blue eyes or those long, dexterous fingers; I would remember how they'd played with my nipples, how they'd flicked around inside my folds and given me pleasure.And I would hate myself for it.I was a sucker for the man when it came ri
Emily's POVI gave him a silent stink-eye, then crossed the dining room to where my plate of lasagna still sat. As I passed by him, our shoulders brushed and I felt a spark of the desire I thought was loat, reignite. His tamarind scent wafted into my nose again, and I sniffed aporeciatively. Fuck, what was wrong with me?I pulled my seat back and sat behind my plate of food, then slowly looked up at him. He was a few feet away, his blue eyes fixated on me, his expression stony and unreadable. I turned my gaze to the lasagna before me, which had gone cold and uneatable. Swallowing an angry retort, I picked up my fork and digged in, then raised it to my mouth. The smell of cold food hit my nose and nauseated me and I dropped the fork in defeat. I wasn't hungry, despite having starved myself for two whole days."I can't do this," I declared and stood to my feet, then walked towards the door. As I walked past him, Ethan Brown grabbed my arm and pulled me back. A feeling of deja vu washed
Emily's POV A shot ricocheted through the dark and dank basement, sending my heart into overdrive. I gave a loud gasp that sent Ethan looking straight into my eyes. I watched as his eyes widened and he mouthed the word: fuck.What I didn't wait to hear was him calling out my name.I turned and raced out of the basement, darting up the stairs, the taste of fear lingering on my tongue. My breath was ragged and my heart thundered against my ribcage as I raced through the house, hearing his footsteps behind me."Emily!" He called out again, but I didn't stop. I reached my bedroom before him and closed the door behind me. My hands shook as I turned the key, not stopping until I heard the satisfying click. I quickly took a shaky breath to calm my jumpy nerves, but there was no time to take more breaths. Not with him hot on my heels, the memory of his murderous face imprinted on my mind. I knew what he would do to me if I wasted any time. I knew I had to act fast.My entire body shook as I
Chloe's POVI stormed out of Ethan's house, my anger boiling over like a heated storm. Anger at Ethan for supporting that miserable girl over his own birth mother, anger at that pathetic excuse for a surrogate mother, anger at myself for insisting that Ethan got me someone to bear our child.One of Ethan's guards rushed to me to escort me outside, but I shooed him off with an impatient wave of my habd I didn't need his help, or that of anyone else who worked with him to feel better. Ethan and his cronies could go to hell for all I cared.And what was worse was how he'd threatened me when I'd opened my mouth to defend his mother. What was wrong with him? Had that puny surrogate mother charmed him so well he didn't know where his priorities lied again?I pushed open the door and walked out. The cool evening air did little to soothe my hatred and anger as I made my way to my car. Frustration made me clench my fists, and I could feel my heart beating erratically in my chest, drowning out