Chapter 4: Cracking the Ice

  Ava had spent years perfecting the art of keeping people at a distance. Walls built high, reinforced by cold logic and relentless ambition. But Ethan Cole had a way of standing at the edges of those walls, patient and unmoving, like he had all the time in the world.

  It unsettled her.

  Their professional dynamic was clear—he was her client, and she was his attorney. That was all. But as the days passed, he made himself impossible to ignore.

  She first noticed it after a particularly grueling strategy meeting. Hours spent dissecting every accusation thrown at Cole Industries, every legal loophole that could be used against them. By the end of it, her head ached, her shoulders stiff from tension. As she gathered her notes, she found a coffee cup placed beside her laptop. Not the firm’s generic, bitter brew, but the exact order she usually got from the café three blocks down.

  She glanced up. Ethan was watching her from across the conference room, casual in a way that irritated her.

  "You looked like you needed it," he said simply.

  She narrowed her eyes. "I don’t need anything."

  His mouth quirked slightly, not quite a smile, but something amused. "I know."

  She should have left it at that. Instead, she picked up the cup, took a cautious sip, and hated that it was perfect. She left the room without another word, but the warmth of the coffee lingered longer than it should have.

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  It wasn’t just the coffee.

  It was the way he paid attention. To everything.

  When she worked late, she’d find a bottle of water or a protein bar at her desk, as if he knew she forgot to eat. When she pressed too hard on a case, drowning in details, he’d make an offhanded comment that forced her to step back and see the bigger picture. He didn’t intrude, didn’t demand her time. He was just… there.

  And that was the problem.

  Ava didn’t know how to handle kindness without an agenda.

  One evening, she found him in the firm’s lounge, scrolling through his phone as he waited for their next strategy session. The city lights reflected in the glass behind him, making him look like he belonged to another world—one where power wasn’t taken, but simply existed.

  She sat down across from him, arms crossed. "You’re making a habit of this."

  He looked up. "Of what?"

  "Trying to take care of me."

  Ethan held her gaze, unreadable as always. "I don’t think you need taking care of. I just think you don’t need to do everything alone."

  Something inside her twisted at that. She forced a scoff, pushing past it. "That’s a nice sentiment, but I don’t have time for sentiment. My job is to win this case, not—"

  "Not what?" he prompted when she stopped short.

  She didn’t have an answer. Not one she was willing to say aloud.

  Before she could respond, her phone buzzed. Marco’s name flashed across the screen. She hesitated, then answered.

  "Ava, you need to come home. Now."

  She straightened. "Marco? What’s going on?"

  "It’s Josh. He’s losing it over the scandal. He’s saying— I don’t know, that it’s all spiraling and he needs you here. Just get here."

  The line went dead.

  Ava inhaled sharply, her grip tightening around the phone. Ethan watched her, silent but perceptive as ever. He didn’t ask, didn’t press. He just waited.

  She exhaled, pushing her chair back. "I have to go."

  He nodded once. "Do you need me to—"

  "No," she said quickly. "This isn’t about the case."