Chapter 5 - The Hostile Takeover
A week before the wedding, the grand American country club was buzzing with rehearsal dinner preparations.
But Ethan was completely losing his mind.
He stood in the corner of the country club patio, sweating profusely in his sharp black suit, screaming into his cell phone.
"What do you mean an anonymous buyer acquired fifty-one percent of the shares?!" Ethan roared, his arrogant facade completely shattering. "Who the hell is Vanguard Holdings?! Block the sale! Call the SEC! I am the CEO, they cannot do this to me!"
Claire sat quietly at a nearby patio table, sipping sparkling water. She watched his panicked, erratic body movements with complete, cinematic serenity.
Ethan finally hung up the phone, rubbing his temples in agonizing stress. He walked over to Claire, glaring at her calm posture.
"Are you even paying attention?" Ethan snapped cruelly, taking his corporate panic out on his fiancée. "My life's work is under attack by a shadow conglomerate! But I wouldn't expect a freelancer to understand high-level business. Just make sure your cheap family doesn't ruin the wedding photos next week."
Claire took a slow, elegant sip of her drink.
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"I'm sure you'll figure it out, Ethan," Claire replied, her voice soft and incredibly steady. "You always say smart decisions protect your future."
👉 Ethan sneered at her apparent ignorance, completely oblivious that the CEO destroying his life was sitting right in front of him.
