Chapter 4 - The Panic ButtonEthan didn't wait for the end of the workday. He cancelled all appointments, rushed past his bewildered receptionist, and drove his luxury sports car straight toward the modest brownstone apartment in Brooklyn where Clare had temporarily relocated.
The rain was still pelting the windshield in heavy, blurred streaks. His heart hammered against his ribs like a trapped bird.
She’s bluffing, he tried to convince himself, gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. It’s a corporate technicality. I can buy her out. I'll offer her a settlement—two million, five million, whatever she wants!
He pulled up outside the brownstone, practically vaulting out of the car without grabbing an umbrella. He sprinted up the concrete steps and slammed his fist against the wooden door.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
No answer.
He banged harder, abandoning all dignity. "Clare! Open the door! I know you're in there! We need to talk about the corporate structure!"
The door slowly clicked open.
It wasn't Clare. It was Marcus Vance—or rather, a senior partner from Vance & Cole Corporate Law, who happened to be Clare’s retained legal counsel.
The attorney looked down at a breathless, drenched Ethan with a polite, clinical expression.
"Mr. Walker. I'm afraid Mrs. Walker-Bennett is not accepting visitors at the moment."
"Step aside," Ethan snarled, attempting to push past the attorney into the hallway.
Two burly private security guards materialized from the shadows of the foyer, blocking his path with immovable professionalism.
"If you attempt to enter this private residence without an appointment, Mr. Walker, I will have you arrested for harassment and trespassing before you can reach your car," the attorney said smoothly, adjusting his tie. "Furthermore, my client has filed an emergency injunction freezing all executive compensation accounts at Walker Innovations pending forensic audit."
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Ethan staggered back a step, the rain plastering his designer hair across his forehead. "She can't do that! I am the CEO! I built that company!"
"According to the founding documents filed eight years ago," the attorney replied with a thin, chilling smile, "you are the public face and the managing director. But my client holds the controlling voting shares and the underlying IP assignments. In the eyes of the law, Mr. Walker, you were never the master of the house. You were simply renting space from the owner."
