Chapter 6: The Confrontation (Emily’s POV)

Jack's comments continued to echo, heavy and disconcerting. I could feel Ethan staring at me, his eyes flaming with a combination of shock and rage, but I averted my eyes. Rather, my attention was drawn to the shiny tabletop, my thoughts racing. Too many questions remained unsolved. Why had I been picked by Henry Monroe? What did Jack have hidden? why was Ethan so determined to accuse me of a crime I had not committed?

My attention was abruptly drawn back by the sound of a chair scraping the floor. Ethan jerked to his feet. He scowled at me, his jaw tightening and his eyes flashing with rage.

He whispered, more to himself than to anybody else, "This is a joke. It must be."

He pivoted sharply and strode in the direction of the window, his posture rigid and resentful. Uncertain of what to say, I studied him from my seat. A part of me wanted to scream that I didn't want to be involved in this and that I had never asked to be pulled into his world, and I wanted to stand up and defend myself. However, the other part of me remained motionless, the part still reeling from the shock of the will.

Ethan abruptly turned back around and met my gaze. With a menacing tone, he asked, "You expect me to believe that you don't know anything about this? That you simply... came up here knowing nothing at all and not understanding why my father left you a fortune?"

I gently got up while attempting to maintain a steady voice. "That is precisely what I am saying. Henry Monroe named me in his will, but I have no idea why. Until a few days ago, I had no idea who he was."

Ethan shook his head and gave a hard laugh. "You're the luckiest woman alive, or the best liar in the world."

I felt the frustration rising in my chest and crossed my arms. "What makes me lie about this? What could I possibly gain?"

His presence towered over me like a black cloud as his eyes sharpened and he moved closer. "Money. Power. You want to take over my father's legacy, and I won't let you succeed."

I blinked, surprised at the sharpness in his words. "You believe I'm only here to make money? Do you think I should participate in this? I promise I don't. Like you, I'm completely perplexed and all I want is some clarification."

"Clarification?" With a hard gaze, Ethan scoffed. "You don't seem to be looking for clarification. I believe you're pursuing a far more significant goal."

I could feel the heat of his rage radiating off of him; he was too close now. Though his remarks hurt, I didn't give up. I met his look, not letting intimidation get the better of me.

"I'm not chasing anything," I firmly declared. "I don't know why your father gave me anything, and the money isn't important to me. Like you, I just want to figure out what's going on."

Ethan's gaze tightened, as though he was attempting to look beyond me and discover the lie he was so certain I was concealing. Tension filled the air between us for a time, and I was afraid he would strike out again. However, the conference room door suddenly opened before he could continue.

A tall man entered, wearing a dark suit and wearing an inquisitive yet friendly expression. He was looking between Ethan and me, his sandy brown hair slightly unkempt and his green eyes slightly amused.

"Am I disturbing something?" he smirked and inquired.

Ethan's look hardened as his shoulders stiffened and he turned to confront the visitor. "Now is not the time, Ben."

Ben, obviously unmoved by Ethan's rage, arched an eyebrow. His eyes shifted to me and he said, "Is this the mysterious Emily Clark you've been talking about?"

Ben stepped deeper into the room, ignoring the warning glance that Ethan threw him. "You're the one who's agitating Ethan, then?" With a friendly and warm smile, he held out his hand to me. "Ben Fisher, Ethan's friend and associate. It's good to meet you."

After a little period of hesitation caused by the abrupt change in the atmosphere of the room, I took his hand and grinned politely in return. "Emily."

"Well, Emily," Ben remarked, giving Ethan a playful sidelong glance. "I'm not sure what you've done to get under his skin, but congratulations," he added. "That is no easy task."

Ethan glanced at his friend and grumbled, crossing his arms. "I told you this isn't the right time, Ben."

Ben raised his hands in a semblance of surrender. "Calm down, dude. I'm only attempting to lighten the atmosphere."

However, the tension in the room did not lessen. I could sense Ethan's resentment boiling just beneath the surface; it had not subsided. Ben seems to sense it as well, as he sighed and retreated after a little while, his lighthearted expression turning solemn.

"Okay, okay," he murmured, dividing his gaze between the two of us. "This seems like a serious conversation to me. I'll let you take care of it."

However, Ethan spoke once more before he could go, this time in a stern and uncompromising tone. "Emily, you can act as though nothing is wrong, but I won't stop until I discover what you're hiding."

I scowled, my anger rising once again. "I have nothing to hide. And we'll see."

With mistrust in his dark gaze, Ethan shook his head. "You're not welcome here. And I can assure you that you will regret ever coming to our city once I reveal you to be the con that you are."

My breath caught in my throat as his words began to drag me down like a thick robe. But I kept my worry from him. Rather, I turned my back on him and faced his intense stare.

"I'm not leaving," I stated gently but firmly. "I'm going to stay here until I get the answers I need whether you like it or not."

Anger flared in Ethan's eyes, and I had a fleeting fear that he would lash out once more. He whispered instead "don't say I didn't warn you," and then he stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him

I stood there absorbing all that had just happened as my heart beat raced in the silence that followed. Ethan refused to accept me no matter what I said because he was sure I was hiding something.

After a little period of stillness, Ben replied, "You'll have to excuse Ethan. He's been under a lot of stress recently. It's difficult to process coping with the estate and losing his father."

I just nodded because I didn't know what to say. It was not my fault that Ethan was upset. If I were in his position, I would be as well. However, this did not make it any simpler to accept his claims.

With a little smile, Ben said, "Just give him time. He'll change his mind eventually."

Even though I wasn't sure about that, I didn't dispute. Instead, with the weight of Ethan's threat still heavy on my mind, I smiled politely and grabbed my belongings. Upon exiting the conference room and returning to the busy streets of New York, I realized that this was just the start.

I had the sickening sensation that things were about to grow much worse because Ethan Monroe was determined to make my life miserable.