Chapter 8 - The Ultimatum
Ethan chased after her, but by the time he reached the Drake Hotel’s revolving doors, Jenna was already inside a taxi, vanishing down Lake Shore Drive.
Ethan turned back toward the hotel lobby, where his father was waiting near the grand staircase, looking down at his son with cold disappointment.
"You made a scene tonight, Ethan," Richard said sternly. "Over a woman who isn't worth a single share of our stock. You will fire her from the foundation tomorrow morning, announce your engagement to Vanessa by the end of the month, or I will have the Board of Directors remove you from your position as Vice President."
Ethan looked at his father—the man who had bought him everything money could purchase, but had never once hugged him, never once asked if he was happy, and had treated the world as a game of dominance.
Ethan slowly reached into his suit jacket. He pulled out his corporate ID card, his gold executive keys to the Mercer Global tower, and his personal black American Express card.
He set them down on the marble table beside his father's champagne glass.
"You think money is the only thing that gives a man value, Father," Ethan said softly, his voice terrifyingly calm. "I used to think that too. Until I met a woman who had twenty dollars to her name and still gave her children everything."
Richard frowned, his sharp confidence flickering for the first time. "What are you doing, Ethan?"
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"I resign," Ethan said firmly. "Keep the Vice Presidency. Keep the shares. Keep the penthouse. I'm going to go build a life that actually matters."
Ethan turned his back on his father, walking out into the freezing Chicago wind without a coat, leaving the billionaire patriarch standing completely alone amidst the glittering crowd of high society.
