Underestimated: The Rise of Ethan Cole

Chapter One

"Sign the divorce papers, Ethan."

Sarah's voice cut through the visitation room like a blade—cold, final, utterly devoid of the warmth he'd clung to for three years.

Ethan stared at the woman standing across from him, trying to reconcile her with the Sarah he remembered. The Sarah who'd promised to wait. The Sarah who'd sworn they'd finally have their wedding the day he walked free.

But this woman wore a designer pantsuit that probably cost more than most people made in a month. Her manicured nails drummed impatiently against the manila folder she'd slapped onto the steel table between them.

No wedding dress. No warm smile. Just divorce papers.

"What's going on?" Ethan asked, his voice steady despite the confusion tightening his chest. "Is someone threatening you? Did something happen?"

Sarah laughed—sharp and mocking. "Threatening me? God, you really are delusional." She leaned forward, eyes gleaming with contempt. "This is my decision, Ethan. All mine. No one's forcing me to do anything."

She gestured dismissively at him, her gaze raking over his prison uniform with obvious disgust. "Look at you. And look at me." She straightened, smoothing down her jacket. "I'm a CEO now. My company's worth millions. I move in circles you can't even imagine." Her lip curled. "How could someone like you—a burden, a nobody—possibly be worthy of me?"

Ethan's jaw tightened.

Three years ago, Sarah had been nobody. Her family was drowning in debt, her father's business on the verge of collapse. And Ethan had saved them. Using his family's connections, his influence, he'd pulled strings, opened doors, secured investments. He'd built her family up from nothing and turned them into Boston's nouveau riche.

And now she stood here calling him a burden.

"Is that really how you see me?" Ethan's voice was low, controlled. "As just a burden?"

"Of course." Sarah crossed her arms. "What else would you be?"

"And marriage?" Ethan pressed. "Does it mean nothing to you? Or does money mean more?"

Sarah's smile widened, cruel and amused. "Only fools like you cling to fantasies like love. Smart people like me?" She tilted her head mockingly. "We climb higher branches."

She pulled out her phone, swiped through it with deliberate slowness, then turned the screen toward him.

The photo hit him like a punch to the gut.

Sarah, draped over another man. Her arms around his neck. His hands on her waist. Both of them smiling like they owned the world.

"His name is Drake Hastings," Sarah said, her tone dripping with satisfaction. "Old money. Real power. Refined. Successful." She glanced at Ethan, her eyes cold. "And then there's you—a convict in a dirty uniform." She let the words hang in the air. "Tell me, Ethan. Why would I ever choose you, a rapist, over him?"

Ethan's composure cracked for the first time.

"A rapist?" His voice came out rough, disbelieving. "Sarah, it was your brother who committed that crime. I took the fall because I loved you. Because you asked me to."

Sarah's laughter filled the room—loud, mocking, without a trace of shame.

"Oh, Ethan." She shook her head like he was a particularly slow child. "You really thought I loved you?" She leaned in, her voice dropping to something venomous. "Having you take the blame was the plan all along. Two years ago, I'd already met Drake. I just needed you out of the way. And you?" She smiled sweetly. "You walked right into it. Like the obedient little dog you've always been."

The words landed like stones, each one sinking deeper.

Ethan's chest tightened, but not with the heartbreak she expected.

It was something colder. Sharper.

He'd sacrificed everything for her—his reputation, his freedom, three years of his life locked away in this hellhole—all because he'd believed in her. In them.

And it had all been a lie.

Sarah tapped her nails on the divorce papers. "Now sign. I don't have all day. Drake's waiting."

Ethan reached for the pen.

He didn't hesitate. Didn't beg. Didn't plead.

He signed his name with steady, deliberate strokes, then slid the papers back across the table.

Sarah blinked, surprised by how easily he'd complied.

Ethan leaned back, his expression unreadable. Then he laughed—a low, cold sound that made Sarah's smirk falter.

"You'll regret this," he said quietly. "You have no idea what you just threw away."

For three years, Ethan had refused the Phoenix Ring. The former Chairman of the Southern Territory—a man with more power than most politicians dared to dream of—had offered it to him. The ring wasn't just a symbol. It was a key. A network of influence stretching across the East Coast, into the West Coast's business elite, and deep into the underground world most people pretended didn't exist.

But Ethan had said no. Again and again.

Because all he'd wanted was a quiet life. A simple life. With Sarah.

How naive he'd been.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Stop fantasizing, Ethan. You're nothing. You'll always be nothing." She stood, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "Be grateful you're walking out of this prison alive. You're lucky you survived." She turned toward the door. "Enjoy your freedom. It's all you'll ever have."

The door slammed shut behind her, the sound echoing in the empty room.

Ethan sat motionless, staring at the steel table.

For a long moment, he didn't move.

Then, slowly, something shifted inside him.

He'd spent three years believing love was enough. That loyalty mattered. That if he sacrificed everything, it would be worth it.

But Sarah had just taught him the truth: power mattered. Status mattered. And without them, even love meant nothing.

Maybe it was time to stop being naive.

Maybe it was time to take back what was his.

Ethan stood, straightened his uniform, and walked out.

---

Outside, the warden and a line of guards stood waiting, their faces pale with anxiety.

The moment they saw him, they straightened, fear flickering in their eyes.

"Sir Ethan," the warden said quickly, bowing his head. "We're deeply sorry for what just happened. We heard everything. Please... accept this."

He extended a sleek black-gold card with both hands.

"One hundred million dollars," the warden said quietly. "Use it however you see fit. For revenge. For anything."

Ethan took the card without a word, turning it over in his hand.

The warden hesitated, then spoke again, his voice careful. "Sir Ethan... the Phoenix Ring. The Chairman asked me to offer it to you again." He paused, searching Ethan's face. "Forgive me for asking but… will you accept it this time? Or will you refuse again?"

Ethan looked down at the card in his hand, then at the warden's anxious expression.

Three years ago, he would have refused. He would have said no, walked away, and tried to live quietly.

But three years ago, he'd believed in love. In loyalty. In Sarah.

That man was gone.

Ethan's jaw tightened, his eyes cold and resolute.

"I'll accept it."