The café on the south side of Central Park was nestled between a row of old buildings, unassuming yet elegant. I arrived ten minutes early and chose a corner seat that allowed me to observe the entrance while remaining difficult to spot from outside.

At noon, Sophie arrived precisely on time. Today she wasn’t wearing her expensive designer suits, but instead a simple outfit of jeans and a white shirt, looking completely different from the polished fiancée seen at Morgan Group.


“Thank you for coming,” her voice was low and tense, fingers nervously fidgeting with her coffee cup. “I imagine you have many questions.”

“First, who are you really?” I asked bluntly.

Sophie pulled out a credential holder from her bag, opened it, and slid it toward me. The Financial Regulatory Authority badge and her photo were clearly visible.


“Sophie Bennett, Financial Regulatory Authority Special Investigation Unit,” she said quietly. “I was assigned to investigate suspicious transaction patterns at Morgan Group, particularly those connected to William Morgan.”

“And the ‘fiancée’ identity?” I raised an eyebrow, feeling a complex emotion I couldn’t quite name—was it relief, or disappointment? I didn’t want to examine it too closely.


“It’s a cover, and a way to get close to William. Ethan knows my real identity; he’s cooperating with the investigation.”

“Ethan is investigating his own father?” I asked incredulously, my coffee cup suspended midair. The Ethan I remembered was loyal to his family—would he really betray his father?

“Not exactly. Initially, he only suspected improper conduct within the company but wasn’t sure who was responsible. He agreed to cooperate on the condition that we needed concrete evidence before taking action.” She paused, her gaze sharpening. “Ethan Morgan has more principles—and is more complex—than most people realize.”

“What about Thompson? You said he has connections with William?”

Sophie’s expression grew serious. “They’ve had five secret meetings in the past three months. More importantly, it was Thompson himself who recommended you for this assignment.”

“That’s impossible. Thompson knows about my history with Ethan; he wouldn’t deliberately put me in this position.”

“Unless that’s exactly what William wanted,” Sophie said meaningfully, her blue eyes meeting mine directly. “Why, out of all investigators, would they specifically choose you?”

I felt a chill run through me. Sophie’s words made sense. From the beginning, I’d felt this assignment was too coincidental.

“We’ve discovered that certain transactions at Morgan Group are connected to an algorithm codenamed ‘Phoenix.’ This algorithm can predict market fluctuations with unnaturally high accuracy.”

“Phoenix…” I murmured, the name stirring a familiar pain in my heart, like touching a wound that hadn’t yet healed.

“You know something about this?” Sophie keenly noticed my reaction, leaning forward with questioning eyes.

I took a deep breath, feeling a long-buried pain resurface. “My parents were financial algorithm experts who died in an accident during my college years.” My voice trembled slightly at the memory. “Before their death, they were developing an algorithm to predict market fluctuations.”

Sophie’s eyes lit up with recognition. She gently placed her hand over mine, an unexpected gesture of comfort that brought me a touch of warmth. “Your parents were the Reed professors? The team with breakthrough research on financial crisis early warning systems?”

I nodded, my heart racing.

“We suspect the Phoenix algorithm is based on your parents’ research,” her voice dropped even lower. “And according to our investigation, your parents’ deaths may not have been accidental.”

Those words hit my heart like a sledgehammer. I had always suspected something suspicious about my parents’ deaths but never found evidence. Now, the doubt I’d buried for years finally had validation, yet it brought a suffocating pain.

Sophie pulled a USB drive from her bag. “This contains all the information we’ve gathered. I believe you have the right to know the truth.”

“Why tell me all this now?” I stared at the small USB drive, so ordinary in appearance yet potentially containing truths that could change my life.

“Because the situation has become dangerous. William suddenly returned to the country, Thompson is unusually interested in your reports, and…” she hesitated, “Ethan has started investigating Leo’s background.”

My heart nearly stopped. “What?”

“He’s been looking into certain medical records and birth certificates.” Sophie’s voice was gentle and cautious, as if soothing a frightened animal. “Olivia, Leo is Ethan’s son, isn’t he?”

I didn’t answer, but my silence spoke volumes.

—

Back at the office, sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows onto my desk, creating a warm halo that contrasted sharply with the dark clouds in my mind. I had barely sat down when I felt someone’s gaze fixed on me. Looking up, I saw Ethan standing beside my workstation, impeccably dressed in a suit, his expression serious. The sunlight behind him outlined his tall figure with a golden edge, making him look like a sculpture—perfect and unapproachable.

“Where were you for lunch?” he asked directly.

“Just went out for some air,” I tried to keep my voice steady, though my heart raced uncontrollably. “Is there something you need?”

“My father is very interested in you,” his tone carried an emotion I couldn’t quite interpret. “He’s been asking many questions about you.”

“I’m just doing my job,” I set down my bag and pretended to organize my desk, avoiding his gaze.

“Is that so? Then why would Director Thompson personally recommend you to Morgan Group?” He stepped closer, lowering his voice. “Why is there a six-month gap in your resume?”

I looked up, meeting his eyes directly. In those deep blue depths flickered suspicion and something more complex. “You’re investigating me?” I felt a surge of intertwined anger and fear.

“I’m protecting the company,” his voice was firm, but his eyes softened, showing a hint of concern I almost missed. “And protecting you too.”

“I don’t need protection.” I stood up, trying to reestablish distance between us, but the edge of the desk pressed against my legs, leaving me nowhere to retreat.

Ethan suddenly stepped forward, completely eliminating the space between us. His tall frame nearly enveloped me, one hand braced on the desk behind me, the other gently lifting my chin, forcing me to look directly into his eyes. His touch was both gentle and irresistible, the heat from his fingertips burning against my skin. I could feel his breath brushing my cheek.

“Really?” his voice suddenly turned soft yet dangerous, like steel wrapped in velvet, so close I could almost feel the vibration of each word. “What about Leo? Does he need protection?”

At the mention of Leo’s name, my blood nearly froze. My fingers gripped the edge of the desk, knuckles turning white from the pressure, but I couldn’t back away, trapped between his body and the desk. “Stay away from my son,” my voice was low and full of warning, like a mother beast protecting her cub.

“He’s my son, isn’t he?” Ethan looked straight into my eyes, his tone carrying certainty.

Those words split open all pretense between us like a lightning bolt. Ethan’s gaze became extraordinarily clear, his blue pupils reflecting my shocked face. He knew. Not suspicion, not guesswork, but certainty. I felt dizzy, as if the ground were shifting beneath my feet.

His thumb gently brushed across my lower lip, the sensation making me tremble involuntarily. For a moment, I thought he might kiss me, and my heart nearly stopped. But he only continued to gaze at me, his eyes filled with emotions too complex to decipher—anger, confusion, desire, and something deeper.

“This isn’t the place for this conversation,” I finally said, my voice slightly trembling from tension.

He slowly released me but remained standing close, his body heat still radiating against my skin. “Tonight at eight, my apartment.” He handed me a card with an address, his fingertips lightly brushing my wrist, the touch sending electricity through my entire body. “We need to talk properly—about Leo, about your real identity, about everything.”

He turned and walked away, his tall figure casting a long shadow under the office lights. I stood there, feeling a strange mixture of relief and fear. The secrets had finally surfaced, but the unknown consequences made my heart pound like thunder.