Chapter 3 - The Viral Betrayal
Ethan stared at his most trusted friend, feeling the bitter sting of ultimate betrayal settle deep in his chest.
Marcus calmly explained that Richard had offered him the position of CEO once the merger was forcefully completed.
He justified his treason by claiming Ethan had become too soft, too distracted by an influencer girlfriend to effectively run a billion-dollar empire.
Ethan did not yell, nor did he try to violently attack the two men standing victoriously in his boardroom.
He simply turned around, walked into his private elevator, and descended into the hidden underground garage of the skyscraper.
By the time the sun rose over New York City, the situation had deteriorated into a complete media nightmare.
Chloe had gone on national television, crying dramatic tears while wearing designer clothes, claiming Ethan was an abusive monster.
She masterfully spun the narrative, telling the world that smashing the cake was an act of brave rebellion against a controlling tyrant.
The fake embezzlement documents were simultaneously leaked online, causing Ethan's remaining investors to panic and freeze all of his personal assets.
With his accounts locked and his company temporarily stolen, Ethan sought refuge in a rundown cyber cafe in Brooklyn.
He met with a brilliant underground tech fixer named Maya, a woman who owed him a massive favor from his early investing days.
Maya had spent the last six hours pulling raw, unedited security footage from the Grand Regent Hotel's network.
She handed Ethan a cold cup of coffee and spun her laptop screen around to show him a specific camera angle from the ballroom.
The footage clearly showed Chloe standing in the corner just minutes before the cake incident occurred.
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A tall man in a gray suit handed Chloe a thick envelope of cash and a script, signaling her exactly when to start recording.
Ethan zoomed in on the man's face, his blood running completely cold.
