Chapter 186: Negotiation With Winters Family

Lila's POV

I hesitated, biting my lower lip. The memory of our passionate reunion in that storage room made my cheeks flush with heat despite everything else that had happened tonight.

"Lila," he said, his voice dropping to that intimate register that always made my heart race. "I want absolute trust between us. No more secrets, no more holding back. Tell me what's happening."

The sincerity in his voice cracked something inside me. I took a deep breath and began to tell him about the scene that had unfolded at the Bravo estate—Matty and Layla barging in, the confrontation about Beau and Sophia's relationship, Layla's cruelty, Beau pulling out a gun, the revelation of Sophia's pregnancy.

"So now Beau and Sophia are getting married," I concluded, exhaustion evident in my voice. "And she's pregnant. And my father and stepmother have been officially banned from Bravo property."

The silence that followed was so complete I might have thought he'd hung up if not for the soft sound of his breathing.

"Thank you for telling me," he finally said, his voice gentle. "If there's anything I can do to help, anything at all, just ask."

His offer of support without judgment, without unwanted advice or interference, caught me off guard. This was a different Ethan than the one I'd known before—more measured, more thoughtful.

"How's Violet?" he asked, changing the subject as if sensing my unease.

"She's sleeping. She had a big day with her uncles."

Silence fell between us again, but it wasn't the uncomfortable kind. It felt like we were both simply existing in the same space, separated only by technology, not by the walls we'd built around our hearts.

"I miss you both," he finally said, his voice softer and more vulnerable than I'd ever heard it. "The house feels empty without you."

My throat tightened. Despite everything he'd done, despite the betrayal that had shattered my world, my heart still ached for him. For the family we'd been, for the future we'd planned.

"Who's being clingy now?" I teased, trying to lighten the mood. "Still the intimidating mafia boss?"

I heard the smile in his voice when he replied, "Always."

"We'll be home tomorrow," I said softly, the word 'home' feeling strange yet somehow right on my lips. "Violet misses you too."

"And you?" he asked, the question hanging between us, loaded with hope and uncertainty.

I closed my eyes, too tired to untangle the complicated emotions. "Ethan, go to sleep. We'll talk tomorrow."

After hanging up, I lay in the darkness, staring at the ceiling. My life was upside down again—Sophia was pregnant, I was going back to Ethan, my stepmother and father had been thrown out of the house.

The thought of leaving the protective cocoon of my brothers to return to Ethan sent my stomach into knots of anticipation and anxiety. When he'd sworn never to betray me again, I believed him—the desperation in his eyes had been too raw to fake. But trust, once broken, was like shattered crystal—no matter how carefully you pieced it back together, the cracks remained visible.

As I finally drifted toward sleep, my last thoughts were of Violet, my beautiful baby girl who deserved a whole family. For her, I would try. For her, I would take this risk again.

And as for my unborn niece or nephew, I would find a way to forgive Sophia, to protect her, despite our rocky past. Because in this dangerous world, family—real family—was the only thing worth fighting for.

\---

Ethan's POV

I straightened my tie with a precise adjustment, striding with purpose through the grand hallway. The sound of my Italian leather shoes against the marble floor echoed through the space, matching the determined beat of my heart. Lila had agreed to come home with Violet. I'd woken to a message saying they'd move back in the evening because she had to work.

Work? When had she started working? Where? The questions burned in my mind, but they would have to wait until I saw her tonight.

Right now, I had more important matters to attend to.

"So what exactly are we doing again?" Leo asked, struggling to keep pace while carrying a heavy briefcase. Inside were stacks of cash, neatly arranged in denominations large enough to make most men dizzy—the weight slowing his normally nimble stride.

I glanced back at him, unable to hide the determination in my voice.

"We're going to find Juno Winters and convince him to restore Sophia's standing so Lila's brother and his future wife can live happily ever after, and Lila will look at me like I hung the fucking moon."

Leo's eyebrows shot up. "All that, huh? And that's worth me missing the meeting with the Japanese investors?"

"Because Lila cried on the phone to me last night," I said, her broken voice still vivid in my mind. "Hearing what happened at the Bravo estate—Beau pulling a gun, Layla's cruelty, all of it... she broke down, Leo. Not just for Sophia and Beau, but for their child."

The child. Possibly a boy—a tiny Bravo heir growing inside the woman who had once betrayed my family. The woman who was now set to marry Lila's twin brother. Our families' tangled web was becoming even more intricate, threads interweaving in ways I'd never anticipated.

Juno Winters was Sophia's grandfather, and his punishment had been severe, completely cutting Sophia and her father Kai off. I had stood by and allowed it, thinking it was deserved. But now, that decision was inadvertently hurting Lila, and that was something I couldn't accept.

"I don't like hearing Lila upset," I continued, my jaw tightening at the memory of her broke vioce. "I'll do whatever it takes to make her happy again, even if it costs millions."

We reached the sleek black Bentley waiting outside, its engine purring softly in the morning air. My driver opened the door with a respectful nod, and I slid into the leather interior, Leo following with the briefcase clutched protectively to his chest.

"Where are we finding Juno Winters, anyway?" Leo asked, breaking into my thoughts. "Last I heard, he was holed up in that fortress of his in the Hamptons, refusing all visitors."

A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth—not a pleasant one, but the kind that had made men twice my age back down in boardroom confrontations.

"Everyone has a price, Leo," I said, tapping my fingers against the leather armrest. "And I'm about to pay his."

The Bentley accelerated onto the expressway, carrying us toward the man who held Sophia's fate—and indirectly, Lila's happiness—in his aging hands. I wouldn't return empty-handed. Not today. Not when so much was at stake.