Chapter 7 - The Unveiling
At 2:00 PM, the grand auditorium of the Brooks Global Headquarters in downtown Chicago was packed with over three hundred journalists, financial analysts, and corporate executives.
Camera flashes flickered like a wall of lightning against the dark wooden stage. Rumors had been swirling across Wall Street for twenty-four hours regarding the emergency press conference called by the reclusive billionaire Ethan Brooks.
Behind the velvet curtain offstage, I stood with Theo. He was wearing a handsome little navy blazer, grey trousers, and tiny polished leather shoes. He looked like a miniature version of his father.
I was wearing a tailored emerald-green silk dress that Ethan’s personal stylist had brought to the estate earlier that morning. My dark hair fell in soft waves over my shoulders, and on my left ring finger rested my original diamond wedding ring, restored to my hand three hours ago.
Ethan stepped up to the podium under the blinding spotlights. The room fell dead silent instantly.
"Good afternoon," Ethan said, his powerful voice echoing through the auditorium speakers. "For six years, the financial press has speculated about my personal life, my corporate decisions, and the future governance of Brooks Global."
He paused, his eyes scanning the sea of reporters.
"Six years ago, my wife, Emily Brooks, suffered a tragic accident that led the world—including myself—to believe she had passed away," Ethan continued, his voice smooth and steady. "Due to recent threats against her safety by former, corrupt members of my own board, her true survival was kept confidential."
A collective gasp echoed through the press room. Reporters began shouting questions, but Ethan raised a single hand, commanding absolute silence.
"Today, those threats have been permanently eliminated," Ethan declared flatly. "My wife is alive. She is well. And she has spent the last five years raising the true, undisputed heir to the Brooks empire."
Ethan turned his head toward the side curtain and held out his hand. "Emily. Theo."
My heart hammered in my chest, but as I looked down at Theo, who was holding my hand tightly, I felt no fear. Only pride.
We walked out onto the stage together under the blinding flashes of three hundred cameras.
Ethan stepped forward, meeting us halfway. He took my hand, kissing the back of my fingers in front of the entire world, before crouching down to lift Theo into his strong arms.
Theo didn't cry or hide. He looked out at the flashing lights, giggled softly, and waved his tiny hand at the crowd.
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"This is my son, Theodore Ethan Brooks," Ethan announced into the microphone, holding our boy close to his chest. "Effective immediately, thirty percent of all voting shares in Brooks Global have been transferred into his legal trust, administered solely by his mother, Emily Brooks."
The auditorium erupted into thunderous noise, but as I stood beside my husband and my son under the bright lights, the roar of the world felt miles away. All that mattered was the warmth of Ethan’s hand wrapped securely around mine.
