Chapter 15 - The Final Signature
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The main boardroom of Riverstone Holdings was a masterpiece of glass and steel, suspended forty floors above the city. The massive mahogany table seated thirty people, but today, there were only four chairs occupied.
I sat at the head of the table. Susan, my attorney, sat to my right, organizing the towering stacks of acquisition documents. Julian sat casually by the window, playing the role of the silent executioner.
At exactly 9:00 AM, the double doors opened.
Ethan walked in alone. His father was still in the hospital, and Daniel’s shares had already been seized in the bankruptcy proceedings. Ethan was the last remaining board member of a ghost ship. He wore a cheap suit—likely the only one the bank hadn't tagged as collateral—and a dark purple bruise was already forming on his neck where Julian had grabbed him.
He didn't look at Julian. He didn't look at Susan. He walked slowly to the opposite end of the massive table and sat down, staring blankly at the polished wood.
“Let’s make this quick,” I said, breaking the heavy silence.
Susan slid a thick document down the length of the table. It stopped precisely in front of Ethan.
“This is the absolute surrender of assets,” Susan stated clinically. “By signing this, you acknowledge that Parker Industries is fully absorbed by Riverstone Holdings. All intellectual property, real estate, and remaining capital are transferred to my client. In exchange, you are granted a one-time severance package of five hundred thousand dollars, and five percent non-voting equity in a subsidiary holding, which will generate enough dividends to cover your father’s medical bills and basic living expenses.”
Ethan stared at the document. It was a humiliating lifeline. It was enough money to survive, but a fraction of a fraction of the billionaire lifestyle he had been born into.
He picked up the gold pen resting beside the document. His hand trembled so violently the tip of the pen rattled against the paper.
He looked up the length of the table, his bloodshot eyes meeting mine.
“I loved you, Claire,” Ethan whispered, his voice cracking. “I really did.”
I stared back at him, feeling absolutely nothing. The love I thought I had for him was an illusion, a projection onto a man who had never actually existed.
“You loved the way I looked on your arm,” I corrected softly. “You loved that I was smart enough to fix your mistakes, but quiet enough to let you take the credit. But you never loved me, Ethan. Because if you did, you would have stood up for my mother.”
Ethan swallowed hard, a tear slipping down his cheek. He looked back down at the paper.
May you like
He signed his name, the loops sloppy and desperate.
He pushed the paper back across the table, stood up without another word, and walked out of the room.
