Olivia's POV
"Miss Harrington, someone's here to see you."
I looked up from my laptop, surprised. It was almost 8 PM, and most of the office had cleared out hours ago. "Who is it?"
My assistant smiled knowingly. "David Chen. The new intern from marketing."
My heart did a little flutter. David had been with the company for three months now, and we'd developed an easy friendship during late-night project sessions. He was sweet, funny, and refreshingly normal—a rare quality in the cutthroat world of corporate finance.
"Send him in."
I quickly checked my reflection in my phone screen, smoothing down my hair. Why was I nervous? It was just David.
He walked in carrying two cups of coffee, his boyish smile firmly in place. "Thought you could use a caffeine boost. You've been working on the quarterly reports all day."
"You're a lifesaver." I accepted the cup gratefully, gesturing for him to sit. "What are you still doing here? Interns aren't supposed to work this late."
"I wanted to finish the presentation for tomorrow's meeting." He hesitated, then added, "And I was hoping to catch you alone."
"Oh?"
David set down his coffee, his hands fidgeting nervously. "Olivia—Miss Harrington—I know this is completely unprofessional, and you have every right to report me to HR, but I can't keep this to myself anymore."
Oh no. I knew what was coming, and I wasn't sure how I felt about it.
"David—"
"Please, just let me say this before I lose my nerve." He took a deep breath. "I really like you. Not just as a colleague or a mentor, but... romantically. I know there's a power dynamic issue here, and I know I'm just an intern, but I think we have something real. These past three months have been the best of my life, and it's because of you."
My mind raced. David was attractive, kind, ambitious—exactly the type of man I should be interested in. And maybe I was, a little. But there was something holding me back, something I couldn't quite name.
Or rather, someone.
"David, I'm flattered, really—"
"Just give me a chance," he pressed on, leaning forward. "One date. If you don't feel anything, I'll never bring it up again. I'll even request a transfer to another department if it makes you uncomfortable."
I opened my mouth to respond, but the words died in my throat as I caught sight of a figure standing in the doorway.
Ethan.
He stood there in his perfectly tailored charcoal suit, his expression unreadable but his eyes—God, his eyes were burning with something dark and dangerous. How long had he been standing there?
"Am I interrupting something?" His voice was deceptively calm.
David jumped to his feet. "Mr. Harrington! I was just—"
"Propositioning my sister. Yes, I heard." Ethan stepped into the room, and the temperature seemed to drop ten degrees. "Tell me, Mr. Chen, did they not explain the company's policy on workplace relationships during your orientation?"
"I—yes, sir, but—"
"And yet here you are, harassing a senior executive after hours. Quite bold for an intern."
"It wasn't harassment," I interjected, finding my voice. "David was just—"
Ethan's gaze snapped to me, silencing me"Olivia, why don't you head home? It's late, and you've been working too hard. I'll handle this."
"Handle what? Ethan, there's nothing to handle—"
"Now, Olivia."
The command in his voice made me bristle, but something in his expression warned me not to push. Not here, not in front of David.
I grabbed my purse, offering David an apologetic look. "We'll talk tomorrow."
But as I passed Ethan in the doorway, he caught my wrist, his grip gentle but firm. "No, you won't," he murmured, too low for David to hear. "Go straight home. I'll be there soon."
I didn't go straight home.
Instead, I sat in my car in the parking garage, my hands shaking on the steering wheel. What the hell just happened? And why did Ethan look like he wanted to murder David?
Twenty minutes later, I watched David emerge from the building, his shoulders slumped, carrying a cardboard box. My stomach dropped.
No. Ethan wouldn't. He couldn't.
I jumped out of my car and ran toward David. "David! What happened?"
He looked up, and I saw the devastation in his eyes. "I've been terminated. Effective immediately."
"What? Why?"
"Inappropriate conduct. Sexual harassment of a superior." He laughed bitterly. "I asked you on a date, Olivia. One date. And now my career is ruined before it even started."
"David, I'm so sorry. I'll talk to HR, I'll fix this—"
"Don't bother. The order came from the top. From him." He didn't need to say Ethan's name. "I should have known better than to go after the CEO's precious little sister."
"This isn't right. I'll make him reverse the decision—"
"Just stay away from me, okay?" David's voice cracked. "I can't afford to have any more contact with you. I need to be able to find another job, and if your brother blacklists me..."
He walked away before I could respond, and I stood there in the cold parking garage, fury building in my chest.
I stormed into Ethan's office without knocking.
He was sitting behind his desk, calmly reviewing documents as if he hadn't just destroyed someone's career. He didn't even look up when I slammed the door.
"You fired him."
"I terminated an employee who violated company policy. There's a difference."
"Bullshit!"
"David did nothing wrong. He asked me on a date. That's not harassment."
Finally, Ethan looked up, and the coldness in his eyes made me take a step back. "He cornered you alone in your office after hours and made unwanted advances."
"They weren't unwanted!"
Something dangerous flashed across his face. "Excuse me?"
"I was considering saying yes," I lied, wanting to hurt him the way he'd hurt David. "I like him, Ethan. He's sweet and kind and actually treats me like a person instead of some fragile doll that needs protecting."
Ethan stood slowly, rounding the desk with predatory grace. "Is that what you think I do? Treat you like a doll?"
"You treat me like I'm your property!"
"You are." The words were out before he could stop them, and we both froze.
"What did you just say?"
Ethan's jaw clenched. "You're my sister. My responsibility. It's my job to protect you from men who would use you for your name, your money, your connections."
"David wasn't using me!"
"They're all using you, Olivia. Every single one of them sees you as a means to an end. A way into this family, into the company." He stepped closer, crowding me against the desk. "I'm the only one who cares about you for who you actually are."
"This is insane. You can't just fire every man who shows interest in me!"
"Can't I?" His hand came up to cup my face, his thumb brushing my cheek in a gesture that was far too intimate for siblings. "I'm the CEO of this company. I can do whatever I want."
I jerked away from his touch, my heart pounding. "What's wrong with you? When did you become this... this..."
"This what? Overprotective? Possessive?" His smile was cold. "I've always been this way, Liv. You just never noticed."
"Well, I'm noticing now, and I don't like it." I grabbed my purse, heading for the door. "Stay out of my personal life, Ethan. I mean it."
"Where are you going?"
"Home. Away from you."
His voice followed me out. "You can't run from me, Olivia. No matter where you go, I'll always find you."
But that wasn't the last incident. Not even close.
Over the next six months, it happened again. And again. And again.
Marcus, the attorney from our legal department who asked me to lunch—transferred to the Seattle office within a week.
James, my college friend who drunkenly confessed his feelings at a reunion—suddenly couldn't get his startup funded, even though he had a revolutionary business plan.
Ryan, the barista at my favorite coffee shop who wrote his number on my cup—his shop lost our company's lucrative catering contract.
Every. Single. Man.
At first, I tried to convince myself it was coincidence. But the pattern was too clear, too consistent.
My loving, protective older brother wasn't just watching out for me.
He was systematically eliminating anyone who dared to get close.
The final straw came one evening when I ran into an old high school boyfriend at a charity gala. Tom had been my first kiss, my first real crush, and seeing him after all these years brought back a flood of sweet memories.
We spent the evening catching up, laughing, reminiscing. He was divorced now, working as a pediatric surgeon, and still had that same gentle smile I remembered.
"We should grab coffee sometime," Tom suggested "It would be nice to properly catch up."
"I'd like that."
We exchanged numbers, and I felt genuinely happy for the first time in months.
Until I felt a hand on my lower back.
"Ready to go, Liv?" Ethan appeared beside me, his smile pleasant but his grip on my waist possessive.
"Tom, this is my brother, Ethan. Ethan, this is Tom—"
"Chen. Yes, I remember." Ethan extended his hand, and I watched Tom's face pale as they shook. "You dated my sister in high school. Broke her heart, if I recall correctly."
"It was mutual," I protested. "We were sixteen."
"Still." Ethan
"I'd hate to see history repeat itself. Olivia has enough on her plate without adding complications."
Tom got the message loud and clear. "Of course. It was nice seeing you again, Olivia."
He left without asking for my number again, and I wanted to scream.
"What the hell was that?" I hissed once we were alone.
"What was what?"
"You scared him off!"
"Did I? I was simply being cordial." Ethan's hand remained on my waist"Come on, I'll drive you home."
"I have my own car."
"You've been drinking. I'll have someone pick it up tomorrow."
I wanted to argue, wanted to tell him to go to hell, but I was tired. So tired of fighting this losing battle.
In the car, the silence was suffocating. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore.
"Why are you doing this?"
"Doing what?"
"You know what. Every man who shows even the slightest interest in me, you destroy them. Why?"
Ethan's hands tightened on the steering wheel. For a long moment, he didn't answer. Then, so quietly I almost didn't hear him:
"Because you're mine."
"I'm your sister."
"I know what you are."
"Don't say anything. Just... stay away from Tom. From all of them. They don't deserve you."
"And you do?"
He turned to look at me finally"No. But you're mine anyway."
I fled from the car, my mind reeling.
That night, I made a decision.
I couldn't stay here. Not with Ethan's obsession growing more obvious, more dangerous. Not with these confusing feelings that his words had stirred up inside me—feelings I had no right to have.
I needed distance. Space. A chance to breathe without my brother's suffocating presence.
So I did something I never thought I'd do.
I ran.