Chapter 5 - The Confrontation at the OfficeBy noon, Ethan burst through the glass double doors of Emma’s apartment building, panting and desperate. He pounded on her door until it finally unlocked.

Emma stood there wearing a simple grey sweater and jeans, holding a cup of tea. She looked entirely unbothered—the exact opposite of the woman he had tried to relegate behind a fire exit five days prior.
"Emma," Ethan breathed, grabbing the edge of the doorframe. "What is this madness? Freezing the company accounts? Sending lawyers? This has gone too far over a wedding seating arrangement!"
"It was never about the seating arrangement, Ethan," Emma said calmly, stepping aside just enough for him to see the legal briefs spread across her dining table. "It was about respect. Or rather, your complete lack of it."
"I made a mistake!" Ethan pleaded, stepping into the hallway. "Mother wanted family at the head table, and Clare was just helping coordinate! It meant nothing! We’ve been together for three years—you can't destroy everything we built over a table!"
"You built?" Emma raised an eyebrow, a cold, sharp smile touching her lips. "Ethan, the only thing you built was a talent for taking credit for other people's foundations. My grandfather’s estate funded your startup. My signature secured your commercial leases. And my patience is the only reason you haven't been audited for embezzlement years ago."
"Drop the injunction, Emma," Ethan hissed, his voice dropping its pleading tone and revealing the ugly desperation beneath. "Or I swear I will make sure you never work, live, or breathe peacefully in this city again."
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Before Emma could respond, a tall, imposing man in a tailored suit stepped out from the apartment’s study. It was Marcus Vance, senior corporate counsel.
"Mr. Walker," Marcus said smoothly, holding up a smartphone recording. "Threatening the primary stakeholder and majority equity owner of Walker Tech on a recorded line? I’m sure the federal prosecutor’s office will find that addition fascinating."