Chapter 4

I went back to the apartment we shared.

I dragged out my dusty suitcase and began to pack.

Every single thing in this place made me sick.

Early the next morning, the door unlocked.

Ethan walked in, holding a bag of breakfast.

"You're awake? I bought your favorite pizza. Eat it while it's hot."

He set the food on the table, acting as if the humiliation from last night had never happened.

"I drank too much last night and said some harsh things. Don't take it personally."

He pulled a document from his briefcase and pushed it toward me.

"This is an equity transfer agreement. Just sign over your voting rights, and you can keep your dividends."

"I'll let you return to the company as Vice President, and I'll double your salary."

He looked at me with deep affection, reaching out to grasp my hand.

"Aria, I'm doing this to protect you. The business world is brutal, and the constant backstabbing isn't for you."

"You just need to look pretty. Let me do the hard work of making money. Isn't that great?"

Looking at the document, I almost laughed out loud.

If I gave up my voting rights, I would be completely shut out of the company.

By then, how the company ran and how my shares were diluted would be entirely up to him.

Just then, his phone on the table lit up.

It was an iMessage from "Chloe."

[Ethan, babe, did you handle that old hag yet?]

[As soon as we get her voting rights, we can kick her out completely. The company will be ours.]

So this was his "protection." It was a complete robbery.

He was terrified that my tech shares would threaten his absolute control over the company.

Looking at his hypocritical face, the last shred of my affection for him snapped.

I pulled my hand back, pretending to hesitate.

"This is a big deal. I need to think about it."

Seeing me soften, Ethan immediately smiled.

"Sure, I'll give you three days. I knew you'd be reasonable."

He thought he had tamed me. He patted my shoulder gently.

"I have meetings. I'll come back tonight to have dinner with you."

With that, he took his briefcase and left in a hurry.

He didn't even notice my feverish, red face or my constant coughing.

I went to the hospital alone.

The IV lounge was packed. I had to carry my own IV pole to the restroom, and the blood backflowed into the tube.

Just then, a high-pitched, sweet voice drifted from the next bed.

"Ethan, babe, my hand hurts so much. Blow on it."

I turned my head. Chloe was lying on a VIP bed with a tiny band-aid on her finger.

Ethan was holding her hand like it was a fragile glass doll, blowing gently on it with a worried face.

"There, there, it won't hurt anymore. I'll take you to buy a new Chanel bag later."

Chloe only had a tiny scratch on her finger.

Meanwhile, I had a 102-degree fever, and he was only scheming to steal my shares.

I took out my phone, snapped a photo of them, and sent it to my lawyer.

[Keep this as evidence of a broken engagement. Prepare the lawsuit to split our co-founded assets.]

[Also, contact a headhunter for me. I need a new job.]