At 8:30 p.m., Ethan sat at the head table with senior executives.
He had already received several congratulations.
His confidence was growing.
A woman named Vanessa Hart sat beside him.
She was one of the company’s senior marketing directors.
Beautiful, ambitious, and single.
Ethan had been flirting with her for months.
Tonight, he thought, was the perfect opportunity to take their relationship further.
Vanessa leaned toward him.
“Your wife isn’t coming?”
Ethan smiled.
“No.”
“Why?”
“She doesn’t enjoy these things.”
That wasn’t true.
But Ethan didn’t care.
Vanessa touched his arm.
“That’s a shame.”
Ethan smiled.
“Not really.”
Across the ballroom, Margaret Ellis entered.
She immediately caught the attention of several board members.
The chairman stood.
“Margaret?”
She approached him.
“Good evening, Richard.”
“What brings you here?”
“Business.”
The chairman frowned.
“Tonight?”
“Especially tonight.”
Before he could ask another question, the lights dimmed.
A spotlight appeared on the stage.
The CEO stepped forward.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us.”
Applause filled the ballroom.
“Tonight, we celebrate another successful year for Summit Core Industries.”
The audience applauded.
Ethan sat straighter.
“And tonight, we will announce our new Vice President of Operations.”
His heart began racing.
The CEO continued.
“But before we make that announcement, we have a very special guest.”
Ethan frowned.
“Someone whose involvement with this company goes back further than most people realize.”
The ballroom became quiet.
The CEO looked toward the entrance.
“Please welcome Mrs. Clara Rowe.”
Ethan’s blood turned cold.
The ballroom doors opened.
Clara entered.
In her red gown.
In her wheelchair.
But she wasn’t alone.
Daniel pushed her wheelchair.
Margaret walked beside her.
The room fell silent.
Ethan stared at her.
“No…”
Vanessa looked at him.
“That’s your wife?”
Ethan couldn’t answer.
Clara slowly moved toward the stage.
Every camera turned toward her.
The woman Ethan had been ashamed to stand beside was now the center of attention.
And she looked magnificent.
The CEO stepped down from the stage.
“Mrs. Rowe, welcome.”
“Thank you.”
Ethan’s hands began trembling.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Clara stopped beside the podium.
She looked directly at Ethan.
Their eyes met.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Clara smiled.
Not the broken smile of the woman he had left crying at home.
It was the calm smile of someone who already knew how the night would end.
Part 4 — The Announcement
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