Chapter forty-two

Ethan

What’s the point of dragging myself to work every morning when the company already has people paid to do everything? I will own it soon. I am signing the checks. I hand out orders. At the end of the month, salaries are paid whether I sit behind the desk or not.

So why should I waste my energy proving myself like some lowly intern, especially to my father? The old man clings to this ridiculous idea that I must “show capability” before he hands me full control. As if running a company is about grinding paperwork. I can buy the loyalty of any man with a few zeros on a paycheck. That’s the truth he refuses to admit.

I leaned back in my leather chair, staring at the ceiling, my jaw tightening at the absurdity of it all. Sometimes I wonder why I even agreed to Kate's lame plan in the first place. Till now, nothing has shifted. No progress. No reward. Just the same condescending glances from her, as though I’m still a boy tugging at his coattails.

If I weren't married to Dawn, maybe thi