CHAPTER 2: THE FALL BEGINS
The rooftop remained silent long after Ethan's words faded into the evening air.
Victoria stared at him as though she were looking at a stranger.
"No..." she whispered. "That's impossible."
Ethan slipped the diamond ring into his pocket.
"Impossible?" he asked calmly. "What's impossible is how long I allowed this to continue."
The guests exchanged nervous glances.
Everyone in the city knew the name Ethan Blackwell.
Or at least they thought they did.
What they didn't know was that the billionaire entrepreneur had spent the last eighteen months living under a false identity.
After surviving a near-fatal accident, Ethan had become obsessed with one question:
Who loved him for who he was?
And who loved him only for what he owned?
Victoria had provided the answer.
Painfully.
Publicly.
She took a desperate step toward him.
"Ethan, please. You don't understand."
He laughed.
For the first time.
A cold laugh.
"I understand perfectly."
His assistant appeared from the elevator carrying a leather folder.
Ethan accepted it and handed it to Victoria.
Her hands trembled as she opened it.
Inside were termination notices.
Property transfers.
Account closures.
Investment withdrawals.
One by one.
Everything she possessed had vanished.
The luxury penthouse?
Owned by Ethan.
The sports car?
Owned by Ethan.
The fashion company she claimed to have built?
Funded entirely by Ethan's private investment group.
Within minutes she had gone from wealthy socialite to nearly bankrupt.
The realization hit her like a truck.
"You can't do this."
"I already did."
The elevator doors opened again.
Security arrived.
But this time they weren't there for Ethan.
They were there for her.
As Victoria was escorted away, she turned back one last time.
"Ethan! I love you!"
He looked at her without emotion.
"No."
Then the doors closed.
May you like
"You loved my empire."
And for the first time in her life, Victoria had nothing left to say.
