Chapter 3 - The Eviction
"You can't fire me!" Ethan screamed, his composure shattering into pure, panicked rage. He pointed a shaking finger at Arthur, then at my father. "I built this company! I expanded our European logistics sector! I secured the Apex contract! Without me, this company is nothing! You can't just throw me out because of a personal marital dispute!"
"You didn't build anything, Ethan," I said, my voice steady and cold. "You signed the papers that my team prepared for you. The Apex contract? That was secured by my college roommate, who sits on their executive board. The European expansion? Designed by my father's team in 2018 before you even knew what a supply chain was."
I looked at Melissa, who was currently trying to slide her phone into her designer handbag.
"And as for Ms. Grant," I added, turning my eyes toward her. "Security, please secure her company-issued tablet and phone immediately. She is currently under investigation for corporate espionage and unauthorized access to classified trust documents."
Two tall security guards stepped onto the stage. Melissa shrieked as one of them efficiently slid the corporate tablet out of her grip and sealed it in an evidence bag.
"Ethan!" Melissa wailed, grabbing his arm. "Do something! Tell them they can't do this to us!"
Ethan shoved her arm off him so hard she stumbled into the podium. "Get away from me, you idiot!" he spat at her, his true colors oozing out like poison. He turned back to me, his hands clasped together in a frantic gesture of begging. "Sophia... please. We’re married! Eight years! You can't do this to me in front of everyone! Think of our reputation!"
"You didn't think of my reputation when you shoved me to the floor in front of five hundred people, Ethan," I said, stepping closer to the stage. "You told me to know my place. Well... this is my place. Standing on top of the empire my father built, looking down at the man who thought he could steal it."
My father raised his cane and tapped it once against the marble floor.
"Security," Chairman Ashford ordered. "Escort Mr. Carter and Ms. Grant off the premises. Strip them of their security badges, clear out their offices under legal supervision, and revoke their access to all corporate vehicles immediately."
"Wait! No! My car is out front! My Aston Martin!" Ethan yelled as two giant security guards grabbed him by his upper arms, hauling him backward off the stage.
"The Aston Martin is registered under Ashford Holdings, Mr. Carter," Arthur noted politely. "The keys have already been reclaimed by our valet team. You will be taking a taxi home. Or rather, to the hotel, as the lock protocols on the Greenwich estate were updated twenty minutes ago."
Ethan kicked and screamed as he was dragged down the central aisle of the ballroom, surrounded by the very employees who had been applauding him twenty minutes earlier. No one looked him in the eye. Managers who had laughed at me earlier shrank into the crowd, praying I wouldn't remember their faces.
"Sophia!" Ethan’s voice echoed from the foyer as he was shoved through the heavy front doors into the rain outside. "Sophia, you can't do this! I love you! Sophia!"
The heavy doors slammed shut, cutting off his pathetic screams.
Silence fell over the ballroom once again.
I turned around to face the five hundred guests. Five hundred executive faces stared back at me in absolute terror and awe.
I took the microphone from Arthur Pendelton’s hand.
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"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," I said, my tone smooth, professional, and entirely unfazed. "Welcome to the annual leadership gala. Please, enjoy the food, drink the champagne, and enjoy your evening. Tomorrow morning at eight AM, a mandatory company-wide town hall will be held in the main auditorium. Have a wonderful night."
I handed the microphone back, slipped my hand into my father's arm, and walked calmly toward the private executive elevators, leaving the shattered remains of Ethan Carter's life behind me.
