Chapter 3

Chloe’s face turned pale.

"What nonsense are you talking about! Your code? That was a collective effort by the company’s team!"

"As the project manager, Asher deserves all the credit!"

"Ethan, I know you feel left out. But you need to face reality."

"You weren't here for two years. Asher was the one helping me manage everything, inside and out."

"He is highly capable, and now, I’m pregnant with his child. I have to give him a proper place in this company."

She spoke with such righteousness, as if I was the one who had cheated and stolen.

I laughed out of sheer anger, pointing at Asher’s smug face.

"Highly capable? He doesn't even understand basic algorithmic logic! What project could he possibly manage?"

"Did he manage to 'inspire' you in bed?"

Slap!

Chloe swung her hand and slapped me hard across the face.

I tasted blood in the corner of my mouth.

The entire hall fell into a dead silence.

Asher took a few steps back, standing behind Chloe, pretending to play the peacemaker.

"Ethan, calm down. Today is not the day to make a scene."

Chloe shielded him, pointing at me viciously.

"Ethan! Keep your dirty mouth shut! If you dare touch Asher, I swear I’ll ruin you!"

The surrounding executives and colleagues began pointing fingers at me.

"Ethan, you’re being incredibly childish."

"Chloe is a billionaire CEO now. What's wrong with her choosing a younger, better-looking man?"

"Exactly. Asher is the hero of the company now. You haven't contributed anything in two years. Who are you to scream here?"

"Just apologize to Asher and get out. Don't ruin Chloe's big day."

I wiped the blood from my lip, looking at these fake, social-climbing faces. My heart was completely dead.

Years ago, Chloe and I had started this company in a cramped basement.

To get our first investment, I drank with clients until my stomach bled, landing me in the hospital for two weeks.

To meet project deadlines, I pulled so many all-nighters that I lost partial hearing in my left ear. It still hasn't fully recovered.

I took her from a broke, nobody student and turned her into the glamorous tech queen she was today.

And now that she was at the top, she looked down on the husband who had built her throne.

"Chloe, did you forget? I own forty-nine percent of AuraTech!"

I looked at her coldly.

"Want me gone? Sure. Let's split the company. I’m taking my half!"

Chloe let out a mocking laugh, as if she had just heard the funniest joke in the world.

She adjusted her gown, walked up to me, and whispered in a voice only I could hear:

"Shares? Ethan, while you were away, we went through multiple rounds of equity restructuring and dilution."

"Your shares are worth less than one percent now."

"But for old times' sake, I’ve prepared a five-million-dollar settlement for you."

"Take the money, sign the divorce papers, and hand over the core source code."

"Otherwise, you won't get a single penny, and I will blacklist you from the entire tech industry!"

I grit my teeth.

"Five million? For half of my company? For two years of my life?"

"Chloe, you're out of your mind!"

I turned to leave.

"Stop him!" Chloe barked.

A dozen security guards rushed forward, surrounding me instantly.

Chloe walked up behind me, her voice icy.

"Ethan, don't make this ugly."

"Without that source code, our chip cannot go into mass production. The IPO will fail."

"If you don't hand over the encrypted hard drive containing the code today, you aren't leaving this room."

She was outright robbing me.

I looked at the menacing guards, reached into my bag, and pulled out a black, encrypted hard drive.

Chloe’s eyes lit up, her hand reaching out to grab it.

I sneered. With a sudden swing, I threw the hard drive directly into the giant champagne tower next to us.

Crash!

The sound of shattering glass echoed through the hall. The hard drive hit the floor, and without hesitation, I slammed my foot down on it.

Crack. The drive shattered into pieces.

"You want my source code? In your next life!"

Chloe’s eyes turned red with fury. She lunged at me like a madwoman.

"Ethan! You psycho! I’ll destroy you!"

Taking advantage of the chaos, I shoved a guard aside and ran out of the hall without looking back.