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.

At 8:00 AM sharp the following morning, the glass tower of Mercer Dynamics in downtown Chicago was humming with intense energy.

News vans were parked three deep along the curb outside. Headlines across the country screamed: MERCER DYNAMIC CEO EXONERATED; INTERIM CEO ARRESTED IN $50M HOSTILE TAKEOVER SCHEME.

Inside the main thirtieth-floor boardroom, the fourteen members of the board sat in absolute, terrified silence.

I walked into the room wearing a sharp charcoal suit, flanked by David Vance, Maya, and Elena Vasquez—who was wearing a tailored navy blazer and carrying a sleek leather tablet.

I didn't take my usual seat at the head of the table. I stood at the front of the glass room, looking out over the Chicago skyline before turning to face the board.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen," I said, my voice razor-sharp.

Arthur Pendelton stood up nervously, clearing his throat. "Ethan... again, we want to express our deepest relief that you've been vindicated—"

"Save it, Arthur," I interrupted flatly. "You placed me on administrative leave within two hours of an anonymous leak without conducting an independent investigation. You handed the keys of my life's work to Nolan Pierce without checking his financial background."

The room was dead quiet.

"Here are the new terms," I said, setting my palms flat on the mahogany table. "Every board member who voted to appoint Nolan as interim CEO will submit their written resignation by noon today. Effective immediately."

"You can't force us out!" Senator Harrison protested, standing up angrily. "We hold major equity shares!"

David Vance stepped forward, sliding a stack of legal notices across the table.

"Under Section 8 of the corporate charter," David explained with a cold smile, "gross negligence in breach of fiduciary duty allows the majority founder to unilaterally buy out board shares at current market value. Sign the resignations, or face personal civil liability lawsuits for the damages caused to the company."