Chapter 2 - The Unraveling of a Lie
Ethan stared at my father, then looked at me, his eyes darting back and forth in utter confusion. A nervous, high-pitched laugh escaped his throat.
"Chairman, please," Ethan rasped, taking a hurried step to the edge of the stage, his hands raised in a placating gesture. "I think there’s a misunderstanding. Sophia is my wife. She... she had a bit too much to drink tonight and threw a jealous tantrum over a harmless congratulations from my assistant. I was merely managing a public distraction—"
"Silence," Richard Ashford said.
The word wasn't shouted, but it carried the weight of a falling axe. Ethan’s mouth snapped shut.
Beside my father, Arthur Pendelton—the company’s Chief Legal Officer and my father’s oldest advisor—stepped forward, opening a thick leather briefcase. He pulled out a microphone connected directly to the venue's master audio system, overriding Ethan’s stage feed.
"Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed board members, and employees of Ashford Global," Arthur’s voice boomed through the speakers. "Before we proceed with tonight’s celebration, a formal corporate clarification is required regarding the leadership announcement made earlier this evening."
A murmur swept through the five hundred guests like wildfire. Melissa Grant took a slow step backward on the stage, trying to shrink into the shadows behind the podium, her face pale and pinched.
"Eight years ago," Arthur continued, reading from a stamped document, "upon the marriage of Ethan Carter to Sophia Ashford, a conditional executive succession agreement was drafted under strict non-disclosure terms. Under clause 4B of the Ashford Trust Charter, Ethan Carter was granted the title of Acting Managing Director on a trial basis."
Ethan swallowed hard, his collar suddenly looking far too tight around his throat. "Acting? No... no, I was named CEO tonight! The press release went out an hour ago!"
"The press release was drafted by your assistant, Mr. Carter," Arthur replied coldly, looking up over his half-moon spectacles. "It was never ratified by the owner of the controlling voting stock. You see, Mr. Carter, you believed that Chairman Ashford owned eighty percent of Ashford Global. That was true until five years ago."
Arthur turned to face me, bowing his head slightly.
"On her twenty-five-hour birthday five years ago, Chairman Ashford transferred ninety-two percent of all voting shares, physical assets, and corporate real estate holding companies directly to his only daughter and heir, Sophia Victoria Ashford."
A collective gasp echoed across the ballroom.
Ethan’s knees visibly buckled. He grabbed the wooden podium to keep himself upright. "No... that’s impossible. Sophia doesn't even come to the office! She stays home! She cooks dinner! She handles the charity galas! She doesn't know anything about corporate law or finance!"
"I have a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law, Ethan," I said, stepping forward in my bare feet, looking him straight in his bloodshot eyes. "I graduated top of my class three months before I met you."
Ethan blinked, horrified. "You... you told me you studied art history at a community college!"
"You assumed I studied art history because you never asked to see my diploma," I said softly. "You saw what you wanted to see: a quiet girl with money who was too timid to challenge your ego. I let you believe it because my father wanted to see if you loved me for who I was, or if you were just a hungry wolf in a tailored suit."
May you like
"Sophia..." Ethan gasped, dropping his arrogant persona completely, his voice breaking into a desperate plea as he took two steps toward the stairs. "Sophia, baby, listen to me—"
"Do not step off that stage, Mr. Carter," Arthur Pendelton interjected harshly. "Because as of 9:14 PM tonight, by executive order of Chairman Sophia Ashford, your employment with Ashford Global Enterprises is terminated effective immediately."
