Seven women rejected me at a charity gala in front of nearly four hundred guests, and by the seventh, people had stopped pretending they weren’t counting. Six months earlier, I’d been one of Chicago’s most sought-after millionaires, but that night I escaped into an empty courtyard feeling completely worthless, until a hotel janitor looked at me and asked the one question nobody else had bothered to ask.

The heavy steel handcuffs clicked loudly over Nolan’s wrists in front of four hundred witnesses.

Flashbulbs burst into violent white light as socialites and journalists snapped photographs of Chicago’s interim CEO being led away in restraints.

As the agents marched Nolan past the ice sculpture and down the main aisle, he looked back over his shoulder at me. His face was twisted in a mixture of shock, hatred, and pathetic regret.

I didn't smile. I didn't cheer. I just stood there, watching the man who betrayed me face the consequences of his own greed.

Arthur Pendelton cleared his throat, his face pale as he turned to look at me. He extended a trembling hand.

"Ethan..." Arthur said, his voice shaky. "On behalf of the board... I want to apologize. We were lied to. We were manipulated by Nolan and Titan Holdings."

I looked at Arthur’s extended hand, then up into his nervous eyes.

"The board's lack of due diligence almost destroyed fourteen hundred employees' lives, Arthur," I said quietly. "We will discuss your formal resignations at 8:00 AM tomorrow."

I turned away from the board members and walked down the steps of the VIP platform.

Suddenly, the crowd parted for me. The same people who had spent the last two hours avoiding my eyes were now stepping aside with looks of profound shock and newfound respect.

Vanessa Cole—woman number seven—stood near the grand staircase, her mouth slightly open, holding her breath as I approached.

"Ethan..." she stammered, taking a quick step forward, forcing a brilliant, nervous smile. "I... I just wanted to say... I knew there was no way those horrible rumors were true! If you still want that dance—"