All Chapters of Divorced at the Banquet, Ascended by the System: Chapter 1
- Chapter 9
9 chapters
Chapter 1: Cold Dinner, Hot Knife
The video started playing before Frank Forbes could lock his phone. “to our future,” a man’s voice said, young and bright, ringing with champagne confidence.Glasses clinked. Laughter followed. Frank froze in the doorway of the dining room, one hand still gripping the edge of the table he’d set an hour ago.Candles had burned down unevenly, wax pooling like pale scars. The steak he’d cooked was cold now, untouched, a thin layer of oil congealing on the surface.On the phone screen, his wife leaned in close to another man. Evelyn Forbes smiled. Not the polite, public smile she used on investors. Not the tired smile she gave Frank lately. This one was soft. Intimate. Earned.Someone off-camera shouted, “Say it again, CEO Evelyn!”Evelyn lifted her glass, eyes shining. “To freedom,” she said.The man beside her, Ryan, Frank realized distantly, laughed and wrapped an arm around her waist. “And to finally not hiding.”The room around Frank seemed to tilt. “Daddy?”Frank didn’t answer. His
Chapter 2: The Price of Being Seen
The lights didn’t come back on immediately. For three full seconds, the banquet hall stayed frozen in darkness, no music, no speeches, no champagne laughter. Just breathing. Shallow, panicked breathing.Then emergency lights flickered to life. Red. Dim. Unforgiving. “Call an ambulance!”“Did you see that punch?!”“Is that her husband?”Frank stood at the center of the chaos, shoulders relaxed, hands at his sides. Ryan lay curled on the marble floor, gagging, one arm wrapped around his stomach like he was trying to hold himself together.Evelyn rushed to him. “Ryan! Ryan, can you hear me?”Frank watched her kneel. Not once did she look back at him. The System’s voice returned, softer now, almost patient.Public Confrontation complete.Witness count sufficient.Reclaimed Worth System: Phase One unlocked.Frank swallowed. His heartbeat had slowed, unnaturally so. Security finally surged forward. “Sir! Step away now!”Two guards grabbed Frank’s arms. Frank didn’t resist. Evelyn stood, fur
Chapter 3: Audit Night
The house had never felt this quiet. Frank sat alone at the kitchen table, elbows resting on the same scarred wood where Evelyn had once laughed, scribbling numbers on napkins, dreaming out loud.The overhead light hummed faintly. Outside, the city breathed, cars passing, distant sirens, life continuing as if nothing had cracked open tonight.The System’s golden interface hovered in front of him. Audit in progress…Lines of light branched outward like veins, each one pulsing with information Frank didn’t consciously remember, but somehow knew.Emails he’d drafted but never sent. Pitch decks he’d edited at 2 a.m. Call logs of introductions he’d made “as a favor.”His jaw tightened. “So this is what you mean by origin assets,” Frank said quietly.Correct.A new window opened.Forbes Tech — Pre-Incorporation PhaseContributor Weight Analysis:Evelyn Forbes — 41%Frank Forbes — 52%External Advisors — 7%Frank laughed under his breath. “She took the CEO title with less than half.”Titles
Chapter 4: Market Open
The opening bell rang at exactly 9:30 a.m. Across the city, screens lit up in synchronized motion, trading floors, private offices, coffee shops, phones held in distracted hands.Green arrows surged. Numbers jumped. FORBES TECH (FTX): +18%Applause erupted inside the main trading room. Evelyn Forbes stood at the glass wall overlooking the floor, spine straight, expression composed.If anyone looked closely, they might notice her fingers digging into her palm hard enough to leave half-moon marks.“IPO momentum is strong,” the CFO said behind her. “If we stabilize through the first hour, this will be a historic debut.”Evelyn nodded. “Good.”Her phone vibrated. She didn’t look at it. Instead, she asked, “Any unusual flags?”The room went quiet. The legal counsel cleared his throat. “There’s… one thing.”Evelyn turned slowly. “Say it.”“Several institutional accounts are delaying secondary buys. They’re waiting on… clarification.”“Clarification of what?”He hesitated. “Ownership structu
Chapter 5: Terms and Conditions
Frank didn’t rush home. He walked. The city felt different when he moved through it without shrinking himself.People brushed past him, unaware that markets were convulsing because of a name they were only just rediscovering.Screens in storefronts replayed Evelyn’s forced press statement. Commentators speculated. Analysts argued. Frank listened to none of it.The System stayed quiet, which unsettled him more than the warnings. When he reached the house, dusk had settled. Lights were on inside. Good. She hadn’t taken Lena again.Frank unlocked the door and stepped in. Evelyn was standing in the living room, phone pressed to her ear, pacing.She stopped when she saw him and ended the call without a word. “Close the door,” she said.Frank did. For a moment, they just looked at each other. Not as husband and wife. Not as enemies. As adversaries who knew each other too well. “You blindsided me,” Evelyn said finally.Frank shrugged out of his coat. “You toasted to not hiding.”“That wasn’t
Chapter 6: Founder by Force
Frank didn’t sleep. He lay on the couch fully dressed, one arm draped over the edge, eyes fixed on the ceiling fan as it turned in slow, uneven circles.Every creak of the house sounded louder than it should have. Every vibration of his phone made his pulse spike. The System stayed silent. That worried him. At 6:12 a.m., his phone buzzed anyway.BOARD CHAIR: Call moved up. 7:00 a.m. Virtual. Be ready.Frank sat up and rubbed his face. “Of course,” he muttered.The System responded immediately.Critical Engagement detected. Cognitive clarity boosted: +15%.A cool sharpness slid into place behind his eyes, cutting through fatigue. “Figures,” Frank said quietly.Evelyn was already awake. Frank found her in the kitchen, staring into a mug she hadn’t touched. Her hair was pulled back too tightly, makeup flawless in a way that suggested armor, not confidence.“You look like hell,” she said without looking up.Frank poured himself coffee. “You look like someone who just realized control is t
Chapter 7: The First Counterattack
“They’re running the story.”Frank was halfway down the stairs when Evelyn’s voice cut through the house, sharp and urgent. She stood in the living room with her phone pressed to her ear, pacing like a trapped animal.“No, don’t deny it,” she snapped. “Redirect it. Frame it as emotional instability”Frank stopped. The System pulsed once, slow and deliberate. Conflict detected: Narrative seizure in progress.Frank descended the last step. “Who’s ‘they’?”Evelyn spun toward him. “Ryan.”Frank nodded. “Of course.”She stabbed a finger at the television. “Turn that off.”Frank didn’t. The anchor’s voice filled the room. “…sources close to Ryan Cole allege that Frank Forbes exhibited violent and controlling behavior long before last night’s incident”Evelyn swallowed. “This is bad.”Frank tilted his head. “This is predictable.”The anchor continued. “…with claims suggesting Forbes’s public outburst was the culmination of long-standing emotional volatility”Frank exhaled slowly. The System
Chapter 8: The Ally Who Might Kill You
“Delete this call after we hang up.”Frank didn’t answer immediately. The woman’s voice on the line was steady, but too careful, like someone walking across glass they knew would eventually crack. “You said your name was Claire Han,” Frank said.“Yes.”“And you work in internal compliance at Forbes Tech.”“Yes.”Silence stretched. Frank stepped into the kitchen, closing the door softly behind him. The clock on the wall ticked louder than it should have.“You understand,” Frank said calmly, “that if this is a trap, you’ve just walked into the wrong narrative.”Claire exhaled shakily. “I’m counting on that.”The System shimmered faintly in Frank’s peripheral vision.New variable detected.Trust probability: 42%.Frank leaned against the counter. “Why call me?”“Because Ryan is panicking,” Claire said. “And when he panics, he burns people.”Frank’s jaw tightened. “Including you?”“Yes.”“Talk.”Claire didn’t hesitate. “There are sealed reports. Misconduct reports. Promotions flagged for
Chapter 9: The Bullet You Never Hear
“Down!”The word barely left Frank’s mouth before the gunshot echoed through the garage. Claire screamed as concrete exploded inches from where her head had been.Frank slammed into her, dragging her behind the pillar as another shot rang out, sharp, controlled, professional. “That wasn’t a warning,” Claire cried.Frank pressed her head down. “No. That was a message.”The System flared violently across his vision. Lethal intent confirmed, Shooter skill level: High, Escape probability: 31%.Frank exhaled once. Slow. Focused. “Can you run?” he asked.Claire shook her head. “My legs”“Then you crawl,” Frank said. “When I say now, you move.”Another bullet ricocheted, sparks screaming off steel, A calm voice echoed from somewhere in the shadows. “Frank Forbes,” the man called. “You really should’ve stayed dead.”Claire’s breath hitched. “He knows you.”Frank’s jaw tightened. “I know of him.”The System chimed. Identity match: Victor Kane, Private contractor. Clean record. No witnesses.Fr