Chapter 46 Babysitter

Chapter 46 Babysitter
Ethan

I didn’t wait. The moment Zoey disappeared into the hallway, I pushed the office door open and stormed inside without knocking. Leo looked up slowly, annoyingly calm, like I wasn’t two seconds away from tearing his head off. His sleeves were rolled up, tie loose, leaning back in his chair like a king on a throne. Meanwhile, I stood there feeling like a grenade about to detonate.

My fists were clenched so tight my nails dug into my palms. I was surprised I wasn’t already drawing blood from my own skin

“What the hell is your end game?” I snapped, stepping toward his desk. “Why are you toying with Zoey?”

His brows lifted the slightest bit. “To my end game already? No warm-up questions?”

I slammed my hand on his desk. “Don’t play with me, Leo.”

His response was maddeningly casual. “What do you care?”

The question hit me harder than the impact against the table. Leo was very good at playing mind games, but I never expected I’d be affected by one of his antics. 

What did I care?

I opened my mouth, nothing came out. My own hesitation surprised me more than Leo ever could. Zoey was his secretary. Our company’s employee. That did make her my responsibility, yes. But this feeling in my chest, this anger, this instinct to protect her, it was more than professional. More than logical.

Why did I care?

I swallowed hard, forcing the thought away. I didn’t need to understand it. I just needed to act. Now wasn’t the time to let Leo disarm me. Not if I wanted to get the truth regarding his recent actions:

“She’s under my protection just like anyone else that works for the Thorne industries,” I finally ground out. “That’s enough.”

Leo stared at me like he was waiting for me to admit something I didn’t even want to consider. When I didn’t, he smirked faintly.

“Relax,” he drawled. “Calm your tits. It’s not as serious as you’re making it seem.”

“What?”

“You heard me.” He waved his hand lazily. “I’ll explain the design incident soon. But right now, we don’t have the luxury of arguing like jealous teenagers.”

My jaw flexed. “Since when do you care about Zoey’s safety? All you’ve done is make a mess of her life.”

“Since I realized you do,” he answered without hesitation. 

The words punched through my ribcage. I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. My chest felt tight and uneasy, and it pissed me off. It pissed me off that he was right.

He chuckled, quiet, almost amused. Then he reached into his drawer and slid a folder across the desk. Not a regular folder, a thicker one with an encrypted-lock band on the side. He clicked it open and turned the screen toward me. Footage. Audio transcripts. A grainy still shot of a man in a parking garage handing off something to another man.

Threat reports.

Zoey’s name highlighted.

My eyes narrowed. “You had your PI trail her. When did you start stalking your employees?”

“Of course I did.” Leo leaned back, fingers steepled. “And before you ask, yes. Also, I know Daniel has been shadowing her for two weeks, based on your orders, so don’t act like I’m the only one keeping an eye on her.”

A cold chill crawled up my spine. “Why?”

“I had a feeling something was coming.” His tone shifted, no longer casual. It was full of seriousness now. “But we didn’t expect this.”

As I scanned the files. My blood pressure spiked. They were planning something. Mapping her routines. Tracking where she lived, what time she got home, who she interacted with. It wasn’t business rivalry. It wasn’t petty corporate sabotage.

This was predatory. It almost seemed Personal.

I felt something inside me snap. “I knew she was in danger,” I muttered, voice low. “But I didn’t expect…” My throat tightened. “Not this. Not something this sinister.”

Leo’s expression hardened. “It is. And I have a feeling there’s more to come.”

I pressed my fingers to my temples, breathing once, twice, slowly. Then I forced myself to meet his gaze. “Who is behind it?”

“That’s what I’m trying to find out. But it’s not random.” He tapped the screen. “This is targeted. Specific. Coordinated.” His eyes darkened, the way they always did when something turned personal for him. “And I don’t let anyone hunt my people.”

I hated that I felt relief. Hated that I needed him on this. But I also knew one thing clearly: Whatever this was, whoever wanted to hurt Zoey wouldn’t survive if she was alone. And I couldn’t let that happen.

I held back my resolve and decided to play by his rules instead. “Tell me how to help.”

“Stay close to her. Don’t let her out of your sight if you can help it.”

I nodded once. No argument. No debate. Zoey’s life was on the line, it was more important than my wounded pride.

He stood, walking to the sideboard where he kept drinks. He didn’t pour one, just leaned on it. “We’re going to handle this. Quietly.”

“And if they come for her sooner?”

He met my eyes, and his voice dropped to a warning rumble. “Then they’ll find out why people fear our family.”

We locked gazes for a moment. Then I turned and left before the frustration, fear, and confusion inside me turned into something I couldn’t control.



I took the executive stairwell two flights up, breathing hard though I hadn’t exerted myself physically. It was everything else, my mind was a mess because of my unwilling realization that Zoey mattered.

More than she was supposed to.

I reached the private suite where my father waited. The door clicked shut behind me, sealing us in. He had sent for me a while ago, but I needed to see Leo first.

He sat behind his massive desk, dressed in black suit as always. He always looked like a man bred for power, not warmth. Our father wasn’t the type to watch his sons fight and offer advice. He only intervened when something threatened the legacy he built.

“Sit,” he said without looking up from his documents.

I obeyed, lowering myself into the chair.

He finally glanced up. “You’ve spoken to your brother.”

It wasn’t a question. He was aware already.

“Yes.”

“And you understand what’s at stake.”

I nodded once. “Zoey Lawson.”

His brow lifted slightly. “Interesting that you named her first, not the family.”

Heat crawled up my neck, did my father just have me caught up in his trap? “She’s involved.”

“She’s a liability,” he corrected calmly, tapping his pen. “One we didn’t anticipate.”

I clenched my fist in a bid to hold my temper. “We protect our own.”

He paused. That, apparently, he approved of.

“And Leo?” he asked.

“He’s handling it.”

My father gave a quiet hum. “He’ll need you.”

I didn’t respond. He didn’t need agreement. He could see it in me, the tension, the resolve, the anger I didn’t know how to direct. And date I say he looked proud.

He set his pen down. “Keep your brother alive.”

“You’re urging me to protect him?”

“It would be… inconvenient if he died.” He leaned back. “And you are the only one who can anticipate his moves.”

“I’m not his babysitter.”

“No,” he said simply. “You’re his brother.”

I stared at him. That was the closest thing to praise he’d given me in years.

“Ethan,” he said quieter now, voice like steel wrapped in silk, “you and your brother are different weapons of the same dynasty. If one falls, the balance breaks.”

I masked the disappointment that was threatening to take over my face. He wasn’t speaking emotionally. He was speaking strategically.

I rose up. “I’ll handle it.”

He nodded once. “See that you do.”

As I turned to leave, he added, “And Ethan?”

I looked back.

“Whatever this is, whoever is orchestrating it, it started long before Zoey Lawson entered the picture. Don’t confuse the trigger for the target. It’s mischief more.

I feigned surprise even though I already knew that. It was obvious that Zoey wasn’t the reason. She was collateral. Or at least she was supposed to be.

But I wouldn’t let her be collateral damage. Now while the Thorne blood continues to flow through my veins.