Vivian stood there with her arms crossed, radiating certainty like she'd just solved a crime.Behind her, Damian stepped forward, his chin lifted, his eyes narrowed. "Still can't let go, huh?" He shook his head slowly, performatively. "Following your ex-wife to a private club. That's a new low, even for you."Ethan set down his ice water. Disgust crawled up his throat."Who gave you the confidence?" His voice was flat. Cold. He didn't bother standing. "Seriously, Vivian. I'm asking. Who told you that you're worth following anywhere?"Vivian's smug expression cracked for half a second before she recovered. She uncrossed her arms and pointed a manicured finger at him."Drop the act, Ethan." Her tone shifted—sharper now, instructive, like she was disciplining a child. "You think I can't see through this? Playing hard to get. Pretending you don't care."She pulled out the chair across from him and sat down, crossing her legs with deliberate grace. "It won't work on me."Damian slid into t

"You're asking if I'm happy?" Ethan let the question hang there, cold and still. "You followed me here. You sat at my table uninvited. You brought your pet. And you think I planned this?"Vivian's jaw tightened. "You humiliated yourself, Vivian. Same as you did at Aurora's company. Same as you did at the restaurant." Ethan leaned forward. "Let me make something very clear, since you seem to need reminders every few days.""I don't love you anymore, Vivian. I haven't for a long time." The words were quiet, unhurried, absolute. "The person drowning in regret here isn't me. It's never been me. You're the one who shows up uninvited. You're the one making public spectacles. You're the one who can't let go."Vivian's eyes went glassy. Red crept up from her throat to her cheekbones."So here's my advice." Ethan's gaze didn't waver. "Stop. Because if you pull something like this again—if you come at me or the people around me one more time—I will make you regret it in ways you can't even im

His palm connected with Caleb's cheek so hard the man's head snapped sideways. The sound was louder than the first slap. Sharper.Caleb staggered into a desk. His hand flew to his face. His eyes went wide with genuine, uncomprehending shock."You—"Ethan looked at him like he was filth on the floor. "A piece of garbage like you thinks I should care about staying friendly with you?"Caleb's expression turned from stunned to furious in a blink. "How dare you hit me in public? You don't deserve to be vice director!"Ethan's mouth curved in a cold smile."And you just slapped an intern in public," he said. "By your standard, you don't deserve to work in this company at all."Caleb's throat worked. He tried to speak.Ethan didn't give him the chance."You're fired. Right now. Workplace bullying. Pack your things and get out!"Caleb went white. For the first time, real fear broke through his anger. "You can't fire me. Nathan brought me in personally. You don't have that authority.""I do,"

Yvonne's face darkened at once.She had worked her way up step by step. She hated chaos in a department more than anything, and she hated connected hires who came in swinging power even more. In her experience, one reckless relationship hire could wreck an entire team.And as for Ethan, unfortunately, rumors had long been circulating in the company that he was involved with Aurora. This was because on one occasion, their ice-queen CEO, Aurora, actually went to eat in the staff cafeteria and made a point of sitting right next to him!So she stood up immediately and strode out with Nathan and Caleb behind her.As the three of them crossed the marketing floor, whispers spread in every direction."Manager Marsh looks furious.""I told you that new deputy manager was asking for trouble.""He came in through connections and started acting like he owns the place.""Nathan has seniority. Caleb's been here a while too. He can't just fire people like that.""Let's see how long that airs lasts u

The entire marketing department fell dead silent.Everyone stared at Ethan as if they had just seen a madman walk into the office and sit on the CEO's chair.It was not as if they had never seen a relationship hire before. In a company like Stellaris, people with backing appeared all the time. But someone as blatant as Ethan was something else entirely.Nathan's mouth actually fell open. For a solid three seconds, he just stood there, staring.Then he recovered. "Deputy Manager," Nathan spat the title like it was poison. "You're a deputy manager. What authority do you have to fire me in front of Manager Marsh and all our colleagues?"Ethan let out a cold laugh."The right?" he said lightly. "Because Stellaris is mine."The words hit the floor like a bomb. A wave of gasps burst through the office. Even Yvonne's face changed.For a second, nobody moved. Then the whispers started again, low and frantic.Everyone was thinking the same thing. Ethan meant he could leverage his special rela