Chapter 3

The next morning, Ethan packed a single bag. He left behind the broken monitor, the half-finished game, and the ghost of Chloe Davis. He didn't look back. When he arrived at the private airfield, a jet was waiting for him.

His father was there to meet him on the tarmac. He was older, grayer, but his eyes were the same-sharp and shrewd. He pulled Ethan into a firm hug.

"It' s good to have you back, son."

His mother was waiting at the family estate, a sprawling mansion that overlooked the ocean. Her relief was palpable.

"You' re done playing your games?" she asked, her voice gentle.

"I am," Ethan said. "I' m ready to come back to Zenith."

Zenith Corp. The family business. A global tech conglomerate that dwarfed Harrison Dynamics. Ethan wasn't just some indie developer. He was Ethan Miller, the sole heir to a multi-billion-dollar empire. He had walked away from it all years ago, wanting to build something of his own, to find someone who loved him for himself. He had found Chloe, and he had been wrong.

Weeks passed. The Ethan in the worn-out hoodie was gone, replaced by a man in tailored suits with a presence that commanded a room. He absorbed board reports, analyzed market trends, and dismantled corporate strategies with a frightening intelligence he had long suppressed. He was his father' s son.

One afternoon, his assistant, Sarah, reminded him he needed new attire for an upcoming merger announcement. He went to a hyper-exclusive boutique on Rodeo Drive, a place so expensive it didn' t have price tags.

As he was examining a row of silk ties, he heard a familiar, sharp voice.

"But Julian, it' s the last one in the country! I need it!"

"It' s a handbag, Chloe, not a kidney. The price is obscene."

Ethan turned slowly. There they were. Chloe, looking stressed, was pulling on Harrison' s arm. Harrison looked bored and annoyed, his generosity apparently not extending to five-figure accessories.

Chloe saw him. Her eyes went wide. She looked from his perfectly tailored suit to the attentive store manager at his side. Confusion warred with shock on her face.

Ethan met her gaze for a split second, a flicker of cold amusement in his eyes, then turned back to the manager. He gestured vaguely at the entire rack of suits.

"I' ll take the new collection. All of it. Have it sent to my penthouse."

The manager beamed. "Of course, Mr. Miller. Right away."

Ethan pulled a sleek black card from his wallet. It was a Zenith Corp Centurion card, an invitation-only piece of metal that screamed of impossible wealth. Chloe' s jaw literally dropped. Harrison, who recognized the card, narrowed his eyes, a flicker of professional jealousy crossing his face.

Chloe disengaged from Harrison and took a tentative step towards him.

"Ethan? What... what is all this?"

He looked at her as if she were a stranger who had mistaken him for someone else.

"I' m sorry," he said, his voice cool and distant. "Have we met?"

Her face went pale. "Ethan, it' s me. Chloe."

"Ah," he said, a slow, dismissive nod. "I' m afraid you have me at a disadvantage." He turned to Sarah. "We' re leaving. And please finalize the arrangements for the engagement party. I want it to be perfect."

Chloe flinched as if he had slapped her. "Engagement?"

Just then, a gleaming Rolls-Royce Phantom pulled up to the curb outside. Sarah opened the rear door for him. Ethan stepped out of the boutique without a backward glance, leaving Chloe standing amidst the racks of clothes she couldn't have, staring after a man she thought she knew.