Chapter 4 - The Lobby Confrontation
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By noon, the financial bleeding was impossible to hide. The rumors had hit the trading floors: Parker Industries had lost their anchor investor. Their stock dropped fourteen percent in three hours.
I walked into the lobby of the Riverstone holding building—a massive skyscraper I had quietly acquired a year ago—wearing a tailored white power suit that cost more than Ethan’s car. My heels clicked rhythmically against the Italian marble.
When I reached the security turnstiles, a desperate voice called out.
“Claire! Wait!”
I stopped and turned. Ethan was standing near the reception desk, arguing with two massive security guards who were refusing him entry. His tie was loose, his hair was a mess, and the arrogant, polished heir I had almost married was completely gone.
I gave a slight nod to the guards. They stepped aside, allowing Ethan to walk over to me, though they stayed incredibly close.
“Claire, please,” Ethan breathed out, his eyes wild with panic. “You have to stop this. You’re destroying my family.”
“I’m correcting a bad investment, Ethan,” I said smoothly, checking the diamond watch on my wrist. “Parker Industries is over-leveraged. It’s a terrible risk. That’s just business.”
“This isn't business and you know it!” he pleaded, reaching out to grab my arm.
One of the security guards immediately stepped forward, his hand resting on his radio, but I held up a hand, stopping him. I looked down at Ethan’s hand on my sleeve, then up at his face, my expression completely dead.
“Remove your hand,” I whispered.
Ethan swallowed hard and quickly pulled his hand back as if my suit were made of fire.
“Claire, I’m sorry,” Ethan said, his voice cracking. “I’m sorry about last night. My mother was out of line. Daniel is an idiot. But you and I... we love each other. We were going to get married. You can't throw all of that away over one bad dinner.”
I tilted my head, studying the man I had spent three years with. It was terrifying how clearly I could see him now.
“It wasn't one bad dinner, Ethan,” I said quietly. “It was a thousand little moments. It was you letting your mother suggest I wear a cheaper dress so I wouldn't outshine your sister. It was you changing the subject every time my mother’s business came up around your friends. You loved the idea of saving a poor girl. You liked feeling superior.”
“That’s not true!”
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“It is,” I said, stepping closer, dropping my voice to a lethal whisper. “But I didn't need saving. I am the apex predator in this city, Ethan. And your family just rang the dinner bell.”
I turned and walked through the security gates, leaving him standing alone in the massive, echoing lobby.
