CHAPTER 4 — THEY THOUGHT LOSING EVERYTHING WAS THE END... THEY HAD NO IDEA IT WAS ONLY THE BEGINNING
The headlines hit before sunrise.
FORMER EXECUTIVE REMOVED AFTER BOARD VOTE.
By noon, the story had spread across the business community.
Most people assumed Ethan had simply been fired.
Only a handful of executives knew the truth.
He hadn't lost his position.
He had lost a life that had never truly belonged to him.
Linda refused to accept reality.
"My son built that company!" she shouted, pacing around the luxury hotel suite she had rented after being locked out of my house.
"They stole everything from you."
Ethan sat silently by the window.
For the first time in years, his phone wasn't ringing.
No assistants.
No clients.
No invitations.
Only debt collectors asking about expenses no longer covered by the company.
Linda slammed her hand onto the table.
"We're suing Claire."
Ethan finally looked up.
"For what?"
"For fraud!"
He laughed bitterly.
"The company belongs to her."
"The house belongs to her."
"The board answers to her."
Linda refused to listen.
"There has to be something."
There was.
Neither of them knew that someone had already contacted Ethan.
Someone who had been waiting years for the perfect moment.
That evening, an unmarked black sedan pulled into the hotel parking lot.
A tall man stepped out wearing a charcoal suit.
"Mr. Carter?"
Ethan nodded cautiously.
"My name is Victor Hayes."
"I represent people interested in Parker Freight Solutions."
Ethan frowned.
"What do you want?"
Victor smiled.
"We believe your ex-wife has secrets."
"And we'd like your help exposing them."
Across town, I watched the meeting unfold from a tablet.
Not because I was spying.
Because Victor Hayes had worked for me.
For almost three years.
His message arrived seconds later.
Target accepted the bait.
May you like
I closed the screen without replying.
Phase Two had officially begun.
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