Chapter 4 To be shared

ZOEY

I swallowed hard as I tried not to show how affected I was by Ethan's presence.

It was as if his appearance had stirred up something in me and awakened a sleeping storm.

We were all seated in the conference hall. Leo was relaxed by my side, moving his chair from side to side as always. He could never bring himself to stay completely still.

While Ethan was the complete opposite of him, he had total control of the room without even breathing a word. It was as if he had me enslaved by just his deep blue gaze.

Daniel also stayed calm by his side as he went through the large tablet in his hands.

"Are we going to start this meeting already or are you just going to keep me here?" Leo asked, breaking the long silence.

He yawned as if he was already bored and I was glad this was not a meeting involving board members.

Ethan finally kept his eyes on Leo alone. "I have a proposal for you."

Leo corked his brows at him. "Go on."

"The entire point of Father ordering you to come to work is because he wants us to learn to share resources and work together," Ethan began calmly and I found myself unable to tear my gaze away from him.

"Yes, I know that."

"I heard of Zoey's expertise in the field. I am intrigued and I want her to work for me too."

I gasped.

What was happening here?

It was already bad enough that I was still in the middle of a mess with Leo. I probably slept with the wrong man who now didn't want me. And the right man could probably be Ethan, yet I had no idea how to confirm that.

And now this?

That was when Leo suddenly broke into laughter. He laughed so hard that it even got me confused.

"I had no idea you also needed babysitting, Ethan," he finally said.

I widened my eyes at his response.

Ethan remained calm, never offended by whatever Leo had to say and it suddenly felt like Leo was just a tiny mouse trying to tease a lion.

"If you're as competent as you're supposed to be, then you won't have a problem with sharing."

My heart skipped a beat as I saw Leo stiffen in his seat. His smile disappeared as he sat up slowly.

Ethan had succeeded in striking a chord deep within him.

I could not understand why there was animosity between the brothers. What could have happened between them?

And why were they pushing me between them?

The last thing I wanted was to get caught in the center of their beef.

How did it even get to this?

It was becoming too dangerous. It was as if I had found myself in the center of a ring of fire and if I didn't jump out right now, it would grow too high for me to escape.

Yet again, perhaps this was not so much of a bad outcome. Maybe things were still unknowingly working in my favor.

I needed to know if Ethan was the boy who saved me that day. The only way to confirm that was to work with him.

The mistake I made with Leo was not waiting to find out completely if it had been him.

I had been so sure.

Working with Ethan could help clear all my doubts. But at what cost?

"What's wrong, brother?" Ethan poked this time. "Have you run out of tacky remarks to retaliate with?"

But Leo slowly smiled instead as if he had already accepted defeat. "Since you're so obsessed with her, you can have her. She's very efficient, even with private matters."

Instant shame and embarrassment hit me in heavy shades when I realised what he was hinting at.

"But when she moans your name, she'll remember who taught her how."

My heart sank. How could Leo publicly announce our affair?

My eyes flashed to Ethan. I saw something passed over his expression but I could not tell what it was. All I knew was that it was dark and dangerous.

Leo finally rose to his feet. "I guess this meeting's dismissed." He turned to me and smiled. "Babydoll, you better get familiar with my brother because things are about to get crazy around here."

With that, he walked out of the conference hall and left me alone to worry about what would happen next.

I realised at that point that my entire body was trembling. I felt too guilty to look up at Ethan again and at the same time, I felt betrayed by Leo.

How could Leo ruin the little chances I might have had with Ethan? It was not like he even wanted me anymore.

So why go this far? Had I just been a toy to him?

If Ethan turned out to be the boy who saved me from drowning that day—

Would he still want me after Leo's slander?

Ethan cleared his throat and dragged me out of the thoughts that I had started drowning in.

"Whatever drama you have going on with my brother is none of my business," he began and I widened my eyes at him. "We have more pressing matters to deal with and it is of high priority."

I frowned. What was he talking about?

I nodded instead. "I am at your service, sir. I will relate with Mr Daniel for the details of your schedule and—"

He stopped me halfway with a flick of his wrist.

"There will be no need for that. That is not the type of work I need you to do for me."

At this point, I was confused. What was going on here?

"Where does your loyalty lie, Ms Lawson? Is it with the company or with my brother?" He suddenly asked and my confusion only grew.

"W— what are you talking about—"

"Answer the question."

I had no idea if this was a test or a genuine question.

"My loyalty lies with House of Thorne and since Mr Leonard Thorne works for the company, then yes, my loyalty lies with him."

Ethan smiled in amusement before it faded away.

"I am sure you are aware of Leo's lifestyle and how it threatens the company."

I chose not to say a word.

"I want you to be my spy. You report to me whatever my brother is up to, that might jeopardize the company and I will stop him before he destroys everything."

My heart sank as I realised the position I had found myself in. This was in no way what I had signed for.

"Are you up to the task?"

I inhaled deeply. When I came to this company, thé main goal had been to find my crush. It had nothing to do with the company itself.

So if spying on Leo for Ethan was going to get me close enough to him to see if he was the one I was looking for, then so be it.

"You can count on me, Mr Thorne.”