Ethan's POV

The car rolled to a stop in front of Sterling Enterprises. I checked my wristwatch. 10:15am.

I stepped out, the weight of the day pressing on me like a storm cloud. I didn’t answer the greetings thrown my way. I didn’t even glance at them. My focus was fixed ahead.

The elevator doors closed behind me and the silence inside pressed in. By the time they slid open on the top floor, I had already schooled my face into stone.

The hallway was unnervingly quiet for mid-morning. Too quiet.

My shoes clicked against the polished marble, each step echoing in the stillness. Luca trailed behind, tablet in hand, scribbling notes at my pace. He didn’t try to speak. He knew better.

The shirt I was wearing was not the one I left home in. The original one was in a crumpled heap back at my penthouse, stained with a drink that had been “accidentally” spilled on me by the waitress.

Right now, I had a room full of board members who thought I was an easy target.

I stopped outside the conference room door, my hand on the knob. Voices leaked through the crack.

“How could we be waiting for an incoming president? This proves incompetence,” a voice sneered.

“I know right? Better to find someone who actually fits for the job,” another added.

“This never happened during his father’s time,” came a third.

My jaw locked. I didn’t need to hear more.

I pushed the door open and stepped inside. The silence was instant, sharp, and satisfying.

Every pair of eyes turned to me. Some darted away quickly. Cowards.

Luca slipped inside behind me and stationed himself against the wall. I walked to the head of the long table, buttoning my suit jacket. My movements were slow, deliberate.

I pulled out my chair and sat. “Apologies for the delay,” I said evenly. “Let’s begin.”

Papers rustled. Throats cleared. Marcus jumped in first. “We have been working on the Q3 financial strategy, specifically the partnership with Hexatek and how it might affect the AI development wing.”

“How is it going?” I asked.

Marcus hesitated. “There are… concerns. They want access to our proprietary data before the agreement is signed.”

I leaned back in my chair, folding my arms. “Then why are we still entertaining them?”

Helena jumped in. “They’re offering a twenty-five percent stake in the Southeast project. That could boost our profit margins”

“Profit margins mean nothing if they cost us our security,” I cut in. My voice didn’t rise, but the words landed like a blow. “Hexatek gets nothing until I have a signed contract. Make that clear.”

Helena’s shoulders dropped.

I swept my gaze around the table. “And let’s be clear about something else. I do not tolerate speculation when I’m not in the room. If you have a problem, you say it to me. Not about me.”

Silence.

I let it stretch until I could feel the discomfort dripping off them. Then I tapped my pen. “Next.”

The meeting limped on for another forty-five minutes. Charts. Arguments. Half-baked proposals. I wasn’t late because I was careless. It was coincidence and I'm glad I was able to hear their thoughts. Comparing me to my father was a sin that I wouldn't forgive but I decided not to cause a sin.

Finally, I stood. “This meeting is over.”

No protests. No questions. Just relief in their eyes as they began gathering their things.

I walked out without looking back. Luca followed.

The tension in my jaw didn’t ease until I stepped into my office. I tossed my suit jacket onto the couch and began pacing.

“You think someone’s undermining your authority?” Luca asked carefully.

“I don’t think,” I said, turning to face him. “I know.”

He nodded slowly. “Should I set up one-on-ones with the department heads?”

“Not yet,” I said. “Let them wonder.”

I moved to the whiteboard and began writing. Realignment. Departmental audits. Reassignment of leaders. Surveillance of the ones who had grown too comfortable.

“Schedule a meeting with Legal. I want every Hexatek clause in front of me. And bring me the full internal communications report.”

“You think someone’s leaking information?”

“Don’t question me.”

“I’m sorry sir”

When he left, I opened my desk drawer and pulled out the framed photo of me and my father. His eyes looked the same in every picture, sharp, unyielding. I set it back down, face-first.

I had been in this company long before the title “president” was attached to my name. I had earned every inch of this office. But now they were whispering. They want to ruin the company for me, and they are even comparing me to my father.

Let them.

Because the next time we sat at that table, they’d remember exactly who was in charge.

And as for last night, the drink, the stranger, the blackout, I had a feeling that story wasn’t over either.