The Billionaire Heir's Revenge

Chapter 4: The Banquet of Regret

The luxurious chairman's office occupied the entire top floor of Blackwell Global.

Ethan stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The city glittered beneath him.

His phone remained in his hand.

Sophia's message still displayed on the screen.

"Ethan, can we talk?"

Three years.

Three years of cold treatment.

Three years of humiliation.

Three years of being treated like a servant.

Now she wanted to talk?

Ethan smiled faintly.

Then he deleted the message.

No reply.

No explanation.

No second thought.

Some opportunities only came once.

Sophia had already made her choice.

A knock sounded at the door.

Sebastian entered.

"Young Master."

"What is it?"

"The annual Titan Business Banquet is tonight."

Ethan raised an eyebrow.

"And?"

"The city's most influential families will attend."

"Many have never met the heir of Blackwell Global."

Sebastian smiled.

"Tonight would be the perfect introduction."

Ethan nodded.

"Prepare everything."

"Understood."

Meanwhile...

At the Hart Family Villa.

The atmosphere was tense.

Sophia stared at her phone.

No reply.

Five minutes.

Ten minutes.

Thirty minutes.

Nothing.

Her brows slowly furrowed.

For some reason, she felt uncomfortable.

In the past, Ethan had always responded instantly.

No matter how busy he was.

No matter how cold she treated him.

Yet now...

He ignored her completely.

Victoria walked into the room.

"Did he answer?"

Sophia shook her head.

Victoria snorted.

"He's pretending."

"He wants attention."

Sophia didn't respond.

Deep down, she wasn't so sure.

Something about Ethan felt different now.

As if the man she once knew had disappeared overnight.

Suddenly the front door opened.

Damien Sterling stormed inside.

His face was dark.

Very dark.

Victoria immediately stood.

"Damien!"

"What happened?"

Damien slammed a folder onto the table.

The room jumped.

"Damn Blackwell Global!"

Sophia's expression changed.

"What did they do?"

Damien gritted his teeth.

"They acquired another major shareholder."

"My company lost fifteen percent more today."

Victoria gasped.

"How is that possible?"

Damien laughed bitterly.

"Because Blackwell Global is targeting us."

The room fell silent.

Sophia immediately thought of Ethan.

Could it really be him?

No.

How could Ethan control a company of that size after only one day?

Yet the timing felt too perfect.

Damien noticed her expression.

His eyes narrowed.

"You're thinking about him."

Sophia looked away.

"I'm not."

"Good."

Damien's voice hardened.

"Because that loser is finished."

"Tonight, I'll prove exactly how insignificant he is."

That evening.

The Grand Titan Hotel.

Luxury vehicles lined the entrance.

Business tycoons.

Politicians.

Celebrities.

Socialites.

The most powerful people in the city gathered under one roof.

Crystal chandeliers illuminated the massive ballroom.

Thousands of guests mingled elegantly.

Near the center stood Sophia and Damien.

Many people surrounded them.

After all, Damien remained one of the city's top young executives.

At least for now.

A businessman raised his glass.

"Congratulations on your upcoming marriage."

Damien forced a smile.

"Thank you."

Before he could continue—

A sudden commotion erupted near the entrance.

Everyone turned.

A line of security guards quickly formed.

The atmosphere instantly changed.

The conversations stopped.

The music seemed quieter.

Then—

The doors opened.

A tall figure entered.

Wearing a perfectly tailored black suit.

His posture was calm.

His expression indifferent.

Ethan Blackwell.

The entire ballroom froze.

Sophia's eyes widened.

Victoria nearly dropped her wine glass.

Damien's face darkened.

How could he be here?

This banquet wasn't open to ordinary people.

Only elite business leaders received invitations.

Then something even more shocking happened.

The banquet host hurried forward.

A famous billionaire worth tens of billions.

Yet he bowed respectfully.

"Welcome, Chairman Blackwell."

Boom.

The words exploded through the room.

Chairman Blackwell?

People began whispering frantically.

"Chairman?"

"Which chairman?"

"Don't tell me..."

"My God..."

The host smiled broadly.

Then he raised his voice.

"Ladies and gentlemen."

"It is my honor to introduce the new chairman of Blackwell Global Holdings."

He extended his hand toward Ethan.

"Mr. Ethan Blackwell."

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Every guest froze.

Blackwell Global.

The largest corporation on Earth.

The company every billionaire dreamed of partnering with.

And its chairman...

Was Ethan?

Sophia's face lost all color.

Victoria staggered backward.

Damien clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

Ethan ignored them all.

He walked calmly through the crowd.

People instinctively stepped aside.

Like subjects making way for a king.

At that moment, a wealthy young heir suddenly laughed.

"What a joke."

The voice echoed loudly.

Everyone turned.

A handsome man stepped forward.

Lucas Vaughn.

Heir of the Vaughn Group.

One of the city's most powerful second-generation elites.

Lucas looked Ethan up and down.

Then smirked.

"So this is the mysterious chairman?"

His tone carried obvious mockery.

Ethan glanced at him.

Without interest.

Lucas hated being ignored.

He continued.

"Chairman of Blackwell Global?"

"I've never heard of you."

Several people nervously looked around.

Nobody dared speak.

Lucas sneered.

"Maybe you're just a puppet."

The room became tense.

Everyone knew Lucas had a powerful background.

Yet insulting Blackwell Global openly was dangerous.

Ethan finally spoke.

"Are you finished?"

Lucas smirked.

"No."

"Then continue."

The calm response confused everyone.

Lucas laughed.

"You don't seem very impressive."

"Honestly..."

He pointed toward Damien.

"Even he looks more qualified than you."

Damien immediately straightened.

His confidence returned slightly.

Finally.

Someone was challenging Ethan.

Lucas continued arrogantly.

"A real businessman earns respect."

"Not inheritance."

Ethan stared at him.

Then smiled.

The smile sent chills down several people's spines.

"You want respect?"

Lucas nodded.

"Exactly."

Ethan turned toward Sebastian.

"How much is Vaughn Group worth?"

Sebastian answered immediately.

"Approximately twelve billion dollars."

Ethan nodded.

Then said something that left everyone speechless.

"Buy it."

The room froze.

Again?

Just buy it?

Like buying groceries?

Lucas laughed loudly.

"Hahaha!"

"You think—"

His phone suddenly rang.

Lucas answered casually.

Within seconds—

His smile disappeared.

Then his face turned white.

"What?!"

The ballroom fell silent.

Everyone watched.

Lucas listened for several more seconds.

Then slowly lowered the phone.

His hand was shaking.

Ethan sipped a glass of wine.

"Problem?"

Lucas looked at him in horror.

"My company's largest shareholders..."

His voice trembled.

"They just sold their shares."

The room exploded into chaos.

Nobody could believe it.

Ethan smiled faintly.

Then looked around the ballroom.

Every billionaire.

Every executive.

Every elite family.

Every person who once would have ignored him.

Now they stared at him with fear.

And respect.

For the first time in his life—

Nobody dared look down on him.

Across the room, Sophia watched silently.

Her eyes never left Ethan.

The man she had discarded.

The man she had abandoned.

The man she thought was worthless.

Had become someone she could no longer reach.

And for the first time...

A painful feeling of regret began growing inside her heart.