Chapter 13 - The Uninvited GhostDesperation makes fools of proud men. Two weeks after the logistics warehouse incident, Ethan couldn't take it anymore. The humiliation, the endless physical labor, and the crushing weight of his mistakes drove him to do something completely irrational.


He didn't go to work that evening. Instead, he took the subway into Manhattan, walking up the polished marble steps of the grand corporate lobby where Bennett-Walker Technologies held its headquarters.
The security guards at the front desk looked up sharply as Ethan approached. He was wearing his faded warehouse jacket, his hair unstyled, carrying no ID badge.
"Can I help you, sir?" the head security guard asked, his tone polite but immediately guarded.
"I need to see Clare," Ethan said, his voice tight. "I'm Ethan Walker. I need to speak with the CEO."
The security guard didn't even blink. He didn't check a visitor log. He simply pressed a silent desktop intercom button. "Front desk. We have a visitor claiming to be Ethan Walker asking for Mrs. Walker-Bennett."
A tense silence followed. Two seconds later, the intercom clicked.
"Mrs. Walker-Bennett is in meetings all day and has no appointments with unverified visitors. Please escort him off the premises," Marcus Vance’s voice echoed crisply through the lobby speaker.
May you like
Before Ethan could protest, two massive private security guards stepped forward, placing firm, unyielding hands on his shoulders.
"Step outside, Mr. Walker," the guard said quietly. "Don't make us call the NYPD."