When Love Breaks (Josephine)

Josephine had no choice but to explain, "Zayn doesn't want a divorce. These photos would be pointless. Cheating is one thing, but actively going after me? That's another level. He hasn't sunk that low yet."

Ethan's gaze darkened for a fraction of a second, as he hadn't expected her to trust Zayn that much. The thought sent a cold chill through him, but he didn't comment on it. Instead, he turned his icy stare onto the paparazzo. "So, who sent you?"

The paparazzo's expression twisted, but he clenched his jaw stubbornly, clearly intent on taking this secret to the grave. Ethan let out a mirthless chuckle, and without warning, he reached into the guy's pocket and pulled out a black leather wallet.

The paparazzo panicked and lunged to grab it back, but the moment his eyes met Ethan's—a look filled with pure, silent danger-he hastily shrank back.

Ethan casually emptied the wallet onto the ground. An ID card, some credit cards, and a photograph were scattered at his feet. He bent down and picked up the picture. It was of a little girl, no older than five or six, and her features bore a strong resemblance to the man in front of him.

"Is this your daughter? You carry her picture around. That means you're a good father. I wonder... Does she know what you do for a living?"

The paparazzo froze for a second, and his eyes widened in fear. "What are you trying to do?"

Ethan pulled out his phone and snapped a photo of both the ID and the little girl's picture. "I'm just curious," he mused. "If she finds out her dad is a paparazzo, would she support you, or would she be ashamed?"

The paparazzo flipped out and lunged at him, but before he could get close, Ethan effortlessly shoved him back.

"Don't you dare bring my daughter into this! I'm warning you-we live in a society where this kind of threat is a crime!"

"Are you seriously talking to me about the law when you're the one violating our privacy?" Ethan sneered. "Relax, I won't hurt your daughter. I'll just make sure that every corner of her school is plastered with posters saying her father is a bottom- feeding paparazzo.

"If she gets bullied because of it, that's not my problem. After all, you'd have no one to blame but yourself. It wouldn't be me who ruined her childhood; you would be the one responsible for that trauma."

Jesus, that was brutal. Forget the paparazzo even Josephine felt a chill run down her spine after hearing that. They always said the gentlest people were the scariest when angered, and they weren't wrong.

Ethan was usually so polite and mild-mannered, but he was now downright terrifying. He was literally using a five-year-old to get what he wanted.

Josephine didn't exactly approve of the method, but she wasn't about to step in and play the moral police at that moment. So, she kept quiet, her gaze locked onto the paparazzo, waiting for him to crack.

The man's expression kept changing, and after a long while, he gritted his teeth and said, "You wouldn't do that!"

"Oh? And why's that?"

The paparazzo straightened, his voice firm. "I did my research on you. You have a clean record, and you've done a lot of charity work. You're a good person!"

Ethan burst into laughter before gesturing toward the towering building behind him. "Do you really think someone who built an empire from scratch at my age could be a good person?"

The message was clear. Everyone knew that business was war. And to survive at the top, there would always be blood on one's hands. People like him would do whatever it took to get what they wanted.noveldrama

The paparazzo fell silent. After a long silence, his shoulders slumped in defeat. "If I tell you who sent me, will you let me go and pretend none of this happened?"

Ethan deleted all the photos from the camera and said calmly, "Only if these photos and videos completely disappear and never leak..."

The paparazzo inhaled deeply. "Deal!"