Chapter 9
Chapter 9: Total Eclipse
"Get out of my way, Ethan."
The gala was winding down, and Ethan had finally cornered Clara in the private, dimly lit outdoor terrace overlooking the city skyline. Marcus Vance was nowhere to be seen, leaving Clara alone under the moonlight.
"Clara, please, just give me two minutes," Ethan begged, his hands reaching out but stopping short of touching her crimson dress. "I’ve been dying inside for three weeks. I didn't know who she was. I didn't know what she was planning. The moment I saw her hands on you, I swear to God, I wanted to kill her myself."
Clara turned around slowly, the gold mask on her face catching the moonlight. "And yet, you stayed in that house for six months while she tortured me with her words, Ethan. You noticed my quiet whispers. You noticed my cold shoulders. But you chose your corporate meetings over my safety."
"I was trying to build a kingdom for us!" Ethan yelled, tears finally spilling down his face. "I wanted to take the company away from her so we could be free!"
"Well, congratulations, because you won't have a company left to take," Clara said, her voice smooth and cold as ice. She stepped closer, the scent of her new, sharp jasmine perfume replacing the small-town vanilla scent he used to love. "Tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM, the bank is going to freeze all Vanguard assets. Marcus Vance and my father’s administration have just bought out 51% of your company's debt. We own you, Ethan."
Ethan stared at her, shocked. "You... you used Marcus to destroy my family’s bank?"
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"No, I used my brain," Clara corrected sharply. "Your mother called me a stain on this family. She said I was a small-town nobody trying to play princess. Tell her she was right. I’m done playing princess. Now, I’m the queen, and this is my court."
She walked past him, her crimson dress brushing against his legs. "Don't follow me, Ethan. It's time for me to go pay a visit to your mother."
