Chapter 5 5

Lila's blood ran cold at the sight of Ethan. His confident stride, the sharp suit tailored to perfection, and the glint in his eyes-all of it screamed victory. He was the puppet master who had been pulling the strings behind the scenes, and now he was here to claim his prize.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Lila spat, taking a step back, her eyes darting between Ethan and Adrian. She felt cornered, trapped like a mouse caught between two predatory cats.

Ethan's smile widened, as if her panic was exactly what he wanted to see. "Oh, Lila," he said, his voice mockingly sweet. "Did you really think you could keep your little secret forever? Did you think Adrian wouldn't find out?"

Adrian's face was a storm of controlled fury. His jaw clenched, the muscles in his neck tensing as he glared at Ethan. "You have some nerve showing up here, Calloway," he said, his voice like a razor's edge. "You and I have unfinished business."

"Unfinished business?" Ethan echoed, feigning surprise. "Oh no, Adrian. I'd say we're just getting started."

Lila's heart pounded in her chest, her mind racing to find a way out of this. She had been so careful, so meticulous, but now the two most dangerous men in her life were facing off, and she was the pawn caught in the middle.

"What is this?" she demanded, her voice trembling. "Is this some kind of setup?"

Ethan tilted his head, looking at her with a mix of pity and amusement. "Sweetheart, you were always the setup," he said softly. "Did you really think I didn't know what you were doing? That I didn't know you were trying to play us both?"

She faltered, her breath catching. "You knew?"

"Of course I knew," Ethan snapped, his charm slipping, replaced by a cold, sharp edge. "I know everything, Lila. I knew the moment you walked into my office with your pretty little plan, batting your eyelashes and talking about revenge. You thought you could use me, just like you thought you could use Adrian."

Lila's face burned with anger and shame. "You bastard," she whispered. "You used me."

Ethan shrugged, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "It's what we do, isn't it? We use people. We manipulate. We take what we want."

Adrian stepped forward, placing himself between Lila and Ethan, his broad shoulders blocking her view. "Enough," he growled. "This isn't about her. This is between you and me."

Ethan's smile faltered, his gaze flicking up to meet Adrian's. "Oh, I disagree," he said. "This is very much about her. She's the one who set this whole thing in motion. She's the one who came to me, begging for a deal."

"Is that true?" Adrian asked, his voice dropping to a deadly calm. He didn't turn to look at her, his eyes locked on Ethan's face, but the question was directed at her all the same.

Lila's throat felt tight, her words choking her. She had never seen Adrian like this-so cold, so distant. The man who had kissed her just hours ago with such passion now looked like a stranger, his walls rebuilt in an instant.

"I didn't have a choice," she said, her voice small. "You don't understand-"

"Make me understand," Adrian demanded, finally turning to face her. His eyes were like twin shards of ice, piercing her to her core. "Tell me why you went to him. Tell me why you made a deal with this snake behind my back."

Ethan clapped his hands slowly, the sound echoing in the tense silence. "Oh, this is good," he said, smirking. "This is better than I imagined. You see, Adrian, Lila came to me because she needed help. She was in over her head, desperate for money, desperate for revenge. She thought she could use me to get what she wanted."

"That's not true," Lila shot back, her voice rising with desperation. "You twisted everything. You manipulated me."

"Did I?" Ethan asked, raising an eyebrow. "Or did I just give you exactly what you asked for?"

Adrian's gaze bore into her, unrelenting. "Is that true, Lila?" he asked, his voice dangerously soft. "Did you ask him for help?"

She could barely breathe under the weight of his stare. Her mind flashed back to that day in Ethan's office-the day she'd made a deal with the devil. She'd been so sure of herself then, so certain that she could handle it. But now, with everything falling apart, she realized how naive she had been.

"Yes," she admitted, her voice barely a whisper. "I asked him for help. But it was before I knew you, before any of this."

Adrian's eyes closed for a brief moment, as if her words had struck him physically. When he opened them again, the fury was gone, replaced by something far worse-disappointment.

"Then you were never honest with me," he said, his voice hollow. "Not once."

"Adrian, please," she begged, reaching out to him, but he stepped back, out of her reach.

"Don't," he snapped. "Don't touch me. I should have known better. I should have seen through your lies."

Ethan's smile widened, as if he were savoring the moment. "See, Adrian? She played us both. But the difference is, I knew the game from the start."

Adrian's fists clenched at his sides, his knuckles white. "And what's your endgame, Ethan?" he asked through gritted teeth. "What do you want?"

Ethan's gaze shifted to Lila, and for the first time, she saw something genuine in his eyes-something dark and possessive. "I want her," he said simply.

Lila's heart dropped. "No," she breathed. "You can't-"

"I can," Ethan interrupted, stepping closer. "And I will. You belong to me, Lila. You made a deal, and now it's time to pay up."

Adrian moved faster than she'd ever seen, his hand shooting out to grab Ethan by the collar. He slammed him against the wall, the impact echoing through the room. "You don't own her," Adrian snarled, his face inches from Ethan's. "You don't own anyone."

Ethan didn't flinch, his smile never wavering. "But she thinks I do," he whispered. "Don't you, Lila? You're the one who signed away your freedom. You're the one who chose this path."

Tears welled up in Lila's eyes, the weight of her choices crashing down on her. She had thought she could control this, that she could play the game and come out on top. But she had been wrong-so horribly, disastrously wrong.

"Adrian," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

Adrian let go of Ethan, shoving him away with a look of pure disgust. "I don't care about your apologies," he said coldly. "I care about the truth. And it's clear I was never going to get that from you."

Ethan straightened his jacket, smoothing down the fabric with a smirk. "Well, this has been fun," he said. "But I think it's time for us to go, Lila."

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

Ethan's smile turned sinister. "Oh, I think you are. Because if you don't, I'll make sure Adrian knows every single dirty detail of our little arrangement. And trust me, darling, it's much worse than he thinks."

Adrian's face twisted with a mix of anger and pain. He looked at her one last time, and the betrayal in his eyes shattered what was left of her resolve.

"Go," he said flatly. "Just go. You've done enough damage."

Lila's vision blurred with tears. She wanted to say something, to fight back, but the words stuck in her throat. She turned away, the echo of Adrian's voice ringing in her ears as she followed Ethan out of the office.

As the elevator doors closed behind them, sealing her off from Adrian for what felt like the last time, she realized she had lost everything. And for the first time, Lila wasn't sure if she had been the player or the one played.