Chapter 11

My parents learned the school's conclusions. My mother called repeatedly, asking me to stop people from talking about Sophie."She just lost her grandmother. She is in a new school. Now everyone thinks she stole your relationship. She cannot handle it.""The school released findings. It was not personal.""You could tell people you and Ethan had problems anyway. You do not have to blame Sophie."I asked one question. "When anonymous accounts attacked me, did you worry it would affect my college applications?"Silence. Then, defensively: "You moved out. You did not tell us anything. How were we supposed to know?""You knew about the videos. You knew Sophie was hurt. You just did not think I deserved the same concern."She tried to explain. I hung up.For the rest of senior year, I did not let family drama affect me. Adrian and I won the national business case competition. I restored my GPA. At graduation, I received an acceptance from Wharton. Adrian went to Yale.At prom, he asked me f

Chapter 12

Harrington Group was in serious debt.Over the past few years, my father had handed operations to Ethan and put Sophie in charge of the foundation and brand division. Ethan had acquired multiple hotels and signed risky guarantees without proper authorization. Sophie's consulting firm had been billing the group's suppliers and foundation without providing corresponding services. The banks wanted additional collateral. Without new capital, the group would likely go bankrupt.My father looked at me. "Your fund is looking for US hotel assets. If you push your firm to invest, Harrington Group will survive.""I cannot ask the investment committee to fund a company that has not completed due diligence just because of personal ties.""You own twenty percent," my mother said. "You are not just helping us. You are protecting your own assets.""I will handle it as a shareholder. I will not use company money to bail out family."They had not expected me to refuse. My father's voice was tight. "You

Chapter 13

Due diligence showed the problems were worse than my parents had described.Several core hotels were still profitable. The brand and properties had value. What had brought the company down was management's expansion, related-party deals, and hidden debt. Our fund proposed a debt restructuring. The core hotels and most employees would be preserved. The condition was that all existing management had to leave, and existing shareholders would be heavily diluted.Ethan asked to meet me. We met in the hotel lobby coffee shop. I asked that Sophie also attend, but Ethan arrived twenty minutes early.He looked older, but his confidence was the same. "I knew you would come back eventually.""I am the project lead.""You can call it work." He leaned forward. "But you chose to handle Harrington personally. That means you never really let go of this place. Or me.""You are married to Sophie."Ethan spoke quickly. "She stayed with me after you left. But after we married, I saw who she really is. She

Chapter 14

Sophie grabbed the coffee. Ethan caught her wrist. The cup tipped over, soaking the papers. Sophie lost control. "You are still protecting her?""I am protecting the negotiation documents!""You just said you wanted to start over with her!"Ethan hissed at her to keep her voice down. His restraint only made Sophie angrier. I called staff to clean the table and let the lawyers handle further communication."The final terms will not change because of your marital conflict." I looked at Ethan. "You will not stay in management. Sophie must accept an independent audit. If you refuse, the fund withdraws, and the banks handle the debt themselves."I stood and left.The acquisition closed successfully. The best hotels and the brand were preserved. Most employees kept their jobs. Ethan and Sophie lost their positions and faced lawsuits, tax audits, and related-party investigations. Their marriage ended quickly.Sophie called me once. "Eva, why did you have to destroy my life?""I did not destro

All Chapters of They Gave My Life to the Girl I Swapped With: Chapter 11 - Chapter 14

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14