Chapter 6 - The Trap Springs Shut
Ten minutes later, the heavy glass door of the executive conference room opened.
Ethan walked in carrying a leather notepad, looking completely composed, wearing a fresh tailored navy suit. He clearly believed he was being called in for a routine project update with the managing partner.
"You wanted to see me, Mr. Sterling?" Ethan asked smoothly, stepping into the room.
Then his eyes fell on us.
I was sitting on the left side of the table. Richard was standing beside Attorney Vance. And sitting directly across from the empty chair was Carol, wearing a sharp, dark red blazer, looking at him with absolute, icy cold calm.
Ethan stopped dead in his tracks. The color drained from his face so fast he looked as though he might pass out on the carpet.
"What... what is this?" Ethan stammered, his polished voice faltering. "Carol? What are you doing here?"
"Sit down, Ethan," Mr. Sterling said. His tone wasn't just cold; it was lethal.
Ethan swallowed hard, glancing nervously toward the two uniformed security guards standing discreetly by the door. He didn't sit. He gripped his notepad tighter against his ribs.
"Mr. Sterling, whatever these people are telling you, it's a personal family dispute," Ethan began frantically, trying to spin his narrative. "Carol and I had a personal disagreement yesterday. We canceled our wedding, and now her family is trying to retaliate against my career—"
"Shut your mouth, Ethan," Mr. Sterling interrupted, slamming a heavy folder onto the table. "We have the server logs from last Thursday. We have the wire transfer receipts from Apex Advisory LLC into your offshore account. And we have the digital forensics proving you used this firm's network to leak confidential client patents to Vance Developments."
Ethan’s mouth opened, but no sound came out. He looked at the documents on the table, then at Carol.
"You..." Ethan whispered, his eyes wide with horror as he finally understood where the files had come from. "You hacked my private storage?"
"You logged into your private cloud account on my laptop six months ago, Ethan," Carol said calmly, leaning back in her chair. "You forgot to log out. You left your entire criminal enterprise synced to my home computer. You always said I was too stupid to notice things. Turns out, you were too careless to hide them."
"Carol, wait—" Ethan took an eager step toward her, dropping his professional persona entirely, pleading like a desperate child. "Carol, please! It wasn't what it looks like! Vance Developments threatened me! They pressured me into giving them those files! I did it for us! I was trying to build a financial foundation for our future!"
"By calling me a fat pig the night before our wedding?" Carol asked, her voice crystal clear. "By telling your friends you were playing husband for a year just to drain my father's bank account?"
Mr. Sterling stood up, looking at Ethan with sheer disgust. "Ethan Hayes, you are fired, effective immediately. Your professional license will be revoked by the State Board before the end of the day. And security will escort you directly downstairs, where Detective Miller from the Financial Crimes Unit is waiting for you in the lobby."
Ethan went completely stiff. "Detective? No... no! Mr. Sterling, please! Don't involve the police! I can return the money! I haven't spent the Vance Development fees yet!"
"It's too late, Ethan," Richard said, stepping forward. "You threatened my wife last night with blackmail. You thought you could terrorize my family into paying off your debts. You wanted to play with the big boys? Welcome to the league."
The two security guards stepped forward, grabbing Ethan by both arms.
As they dragged him toward the door, Ethan lost all composure. He kicked, thrusted, and screamed, dropping his leather notepad, tears streaming down his face as he begged Carol for forgiveness.
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"Carol! Please! Tell them to stop! I love you! I was just stressed! Carol, please look at me!"
Carol didn't look away. She sat straight in her chair, watching him get hauled down the hallway in handcuffs, her face entirely unbothered, her posture dignified and unbreakable.
