CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 4

~~ETHAN WILDER~~

After giving it ânother careful, thorough thought, I finally arrive here.

Realistically, it’s my first time at the Vance cooperation. I’d only hear about it in TVs, radios, magazines.

It was big but couldn’t compare to the Phoenix empire.

I felt every eye burning into me as I walked into the cooperation. I headed straight for the open office on the third floor, where my ex wife and her man were currently making a scene.

"Ethan?" She called out to me, her eyes widening like she’d just seen a ghost. Shortly after, the shock was replaced by a panicked rage.

She stepped toward me before I could even draw a breath to speak. “I told you to stay away!" she hissed, her face contorting. "You’re pathetic, Ethan! Did you think you could just walk in here and beg for a second chance? Did you think I’d feel sorry for you because you have nothing?"

Beside her, Julian let out a loud, mocking laughter that echoed in the now quiet office.

He looked me up and down like I was something he’d stepped in on the sidewalk.

"Let him talk, Sarah," Julian sneered. "I want to hear the 'common convict' plead for a job. Maybe we need someone to scrub the toilets in the basement? I can offer you minimum wage, Wilder. Out of the kindness of my heart."

I kept my gaze fixed on Sarah for a long, painful minute. Looking at her now, the woman I had once sacrificed my life for, I felt nothing but a huge sense of dislike.

"I'm not here for you, Sarah," I said, my voice steady. "And I'm certainly not here to beg."

"Then why are you here?" she spat, her disdain practically radiating off her. "To make a scene? To embarrass me?"

I ignored her, shifting my focus to Julian. I watched the smug smile slide off his face as I met his eyes with a level of intensity he clearly wasn't prepared for.

"I’m here to discuss the Vance Corporation," I told him. "Or more specifically, your attempts to dismantle it through the harassment of Alina."

Sarah let out a shrill, disbelief-filled laugh. "Alina? You’re here for that little nobody? I should have known. Convicts really do stick together, don't they? Her father is a criminal, just like you. It’s poetic, really. You’ve found your own kind."

"Her father is a man who understands loyalty," I replied coldly. "Something you wouldn't recognize if it hit you in the face, Sarah."

Around us, the office went quiet. I heard the sharp intake of breath from the workers nearby. Some had even pulled out their phones to record. Sarah caught sight of them and snapped a cuss word under her breath.

“You are embarrassing me, you psycho!” she whispered through gritted teeth.

Julian took a step forward, closing the distance between us. "Listen to me, Wilder. You’re overstepping. This is Vance Corporation business. You’re a trespasser with a record. One phone call and you’re back in a cell for violating parole or disturbing the peace. Get out before I have security drag you out by your heels."

“Then have them do that now, Julian,” I pressed, not moving an inch.

He looked around frantically, the cracks in his composure starting to show. “I’ll advise you to go out quietly, on your own. You are already attracting too much attention.”

Just then, the secretary, Jasmine, raised her voice to address the room. "We are having an important visitor soon. I’ll implore all of you to be on your best behavior. Although he's running late, I'm certain he will be here soon." She scanned the office, making sure every desk was perfect.

“Jasmine, please get security,” Sarah called out, her voice loud enough to carry. “There is someone here the important guest wouldn’t like to meet.”

Jasmine nodded without looking my way. “I’ll send them over this instant.”

Even the secretary didn't recognize me.

“Enough of the foul play,” Julian mouthed to me, a creepy, triumphant smile curling his lips.

"I'm here," I said, pitching my voice so only they could hear "because I heard the Vance Corporation was attempting an illegal hostile takeover of a subsidiary. And as of five minutes ago, I own the debt that controls this entire building."

Sarah let out a shrill laugh that bordered on manic. "You? You’re a rapist with a criminal record! You own nothing!"

I shook my head sadly. “How about you stop throwing this tantrum right here, right now? It’s so embarrassing, Sarah.”

I raised my hands to adjust the collar of my shirt. It was a small movement, but it was enough. I saw Julian’s eyes snag on the Phoenix Ring. He froze. As a high-level executive, he knew exactly what that ancient, heavy gold meant.

"Where did you get that?" Julian asked, his voice suddenly thin and high pitched. I could see him mentally trying to justify it, deciding I must have stolen it.

I took a quick glimpse at the ring, then looked back at him. "You seem to recognize this."

"That... that's a fake!" Sarah shrieked, glaring at my hand. "It has to be, or you stole it! Barely a month since you got out of prison, and you’ve managed to commit another crime, Ethan. You are cursed."

"Is it?" I asked softly. I reached into my inner jacket pocket and pulled out my phone. "Check your phone, Julian."

At that exact moment, Julian’s device erupted notifications alerts.

I watched the color drain from his face as he scrolled through emergency alerts.

"This... this is impossible," he whispered, his hands beginning to shake. "The Phoenix Group? They just bought out our primary creditors. They’re demanding an immediate audit."

"Julian? What the hell is going on?" Sarah butted in, her voice rising in pitch. "It’s just Ethan. He’s a loser. He has nothing!"

"Shut up, Sarah!" Julian snapped, not sparing her a glance.

I took a step forward, closing the final bit of space between us.

The security guards had arrived, but instead of grabbing me, they stepped aside, bowing their heads as I passed. They knew who I was now.

I looked Sarah dead in the eye, letting a small, cold smile play on my face. "I told you, Sarah. From where I’m standing, you both look very, very small. Now, shall we head to the boardroom for the pending meeting? Alina Johnson will no longer be stripped of either her shares or her position in this corporation."