Chapter 4

As the Rolls-Royce pulled away, Sarah turned to Ethan from the front seat.

"The boutique manager was quite talkative, sir. It seems Mr. Harrison has been keeping a tight leash on Ms. Davis' s spending. She tried to use his card for that handbag, and it was declined."

Ethan stared out the window at the blur of luxury storefronts. "I' m not surprised."

He remembered a birthday, years ago. He had spent weeks designing a custom piece of jewelry for Chloe-a simple silver locket, engraved with the constellation that was in the sky the night they met. When she opened it, her smile was thin, forced. Later, he found it tossed in the back of her drawer. She had wanted something gold, something with a brand name.

The memory no longer hurt. It just fueled the cold fire inside him.

His phone buzzed. It was a new number, but he knew who it was. He let it go to voicemail. A few seconds later, a text appeared.

Ethan, please. It' s me. I made a terrible mistake. Harrison is a monster. He' s controlling and cheap and I can' t stand him. Please, you have to help me.

Ethan laughed out loud, a harsh, humorless sound. He showed the text to Sarah.

He called the number. Chloe answered on the first ring, her voice thick with fake tears.

"Ethan? Oh, thank God, I knew you still cared-"

"Help you?" he cut her off, his voice like ice. "The way you helped me when you threw my life' s work on the floor? You made your choice, Chloe. You wanted a billionaire. You got one. Enjoy him."

He hung up before she could respond and blocked the number. He turned to Sarah.

"I want you to dig into Julian Harrison. I don' t want his corporate file. I want everything. His personal life, his hobbies, his secrets. Everything."

"Right away, Mr. Miller."

The report that landed on his desk two days later was thicker than he expected. Harrison wasn' t just a tech mogul. He was a so-called "patron of the arts." Specifically, he was the sole financial backer for a controversial performance artist known for his dark, exploitative work. The "art" involved manipulating and filming vulnerable young women in deeply compromising situations, all under the guise of avant-garde expression.

Ethan read through the details, a knot of disgust tightening in his stomach. He looked at the names of the women, the dates of the projects. Some were as recent as a few months ago, well into his relationship with Chloe.

A plan began to form in his mind, cold and precise.

He buzzed for his assistant. "Sarah."

"Yes, sir?"

"I want to sponsor an event. A massive tech expo. The biggest the city has ever seen. And I want the guest of honor to be Julian Harrison."

Sarah looked at him, a flicker of understanding in her professional gaze.

"And Sarah," Ethan added, a slow, predatory smile spreading across his face. "I want you to send a team to Harrison Dynamics. Tell them Zenith Corp wants to partner with him, to celebrate his contributions to the industry. Spare no expense. Make him feel like the king of the world."