PART 1
The ballroom of the Grand Regent Hotel was filled with New York's elite,
but all eyes were on the white linen table in the center.
A massive,
three-tiered vanilla cake sat there,
frosted with the words Happy Birthday,
Ethan.
Ethan Vance stood in his custom black tuxedo,
looking at his girlfriend,
Chloe.
He was twenty-eight,
a venture capitalist who handled billions,
but tonight,
he was just a man looking at the woman he loved.
Then,
the camera flashed.
Chloe was holding her phone,
her eyes wide with a manic excitement.
Thud.
Before Ethan could react,
Chloe’s hand slammed into the back of his head.
His face went straight into the thick,
sugary icing.
The impact cracked the cake base.
The crowd gasped,
then fell into a tense,
uncomfortable silence.
Chloe erupted into laughter,
holding her phone high to capture his ruined tuxedo and the white cream dripping from his nose.
"Come on,
relax!
This was just a fun joke for my livestream!"
Ethan didn't yell.
He didn't wipe his face immediately.
He stood perfectly still for three agonizing seconds,
his wide shoulders tense beneath the fabric of his suit.
His gray eyes,
when he finally raised his head,
were like shards of ice.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a clean white handkerchief,
slowly wiping the cream from his jawline with absolute,
chilling composure.
"A joke,"
Ethan muttered,
his voice dropping into a mechanical,
flat register.
"Oh,
don't be a party pooper,
Ethan!
The views are spiking!"
Chloe giggled,
reaching out to pat his arm.
Ethan stepped back,
avoiding her touch.
He reached into his inner jacket pocket.
He didn't pull out a towel.
He pulled out a small,
red velvet box.
He flipped the lid open.
A flawless,
six-carat emerald-cut diamond ring caught the light of the crystal chandelier,
blindingly bright.
The ballroom went dead silent.
Chloe’s laughter vanished.
Her phone slipped slightly in her hand.
"I prepared everything to propose to you this evening,
Chloe,"
Ethan said,
his voice carrying through the quiet room like a razor blade.
"The ring.
The merger between our families' firms.
Everything."
"Ethan..."
Chloe stammered,
her eyes darting from the diamond to his ruined face.
"I...
I didn't know."
"But your recent action just showed me clearly your nature and how you truly respect me,"
Ethan stated calmly.
He snapped the red box shut.
Click.
"You prefer clout over character.
You prefer views over loyalty."
He turned his back on her,
walking toward the grand exit without a single look behind him.
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