Chapter 4
575 Words
That evening, a video blew up across the internet.
In it, Ethan was wearing a worn-out shirt, his face sallow, his eye sockets sunken.
He looked into the camera, his lips trembling.
"My wife has been abusing me for four years. Today, I'm done being silent. Harper Weston, CEO of Harvest Tech, has been unfaithful during our marriage and has subjected me to years of physical and emotional abuse."
He slowly lifted his shirt.
His chest, stomach, and back were covered in massive bruises, purple and blue, layered on top of each other. It was horrifying.
Then his mother appeared on screen, tears streaming down her face.
"That woman forced my son to get a vasectomy for the sake of her career and treated him like a servant! She's ruined his life!"
The comments section filled with so-called insiders.
A: [I went to college with Harper Weston. She'd do anything for a scholarship back then. Terrible person.]
B: [These so-called career women are all the same. They step on men to climb the ladder, use them up, and throw them away.]
C: [Poor guy. Someone call the police and lock this psycho up!]
The backlash hit like an avalanche.
"#HarvestTechCEOAccusedofDomesticAbuse" shot straight to the top of every trending list.
Several partners in the middle of negotiations sent emails one after another, every single one a termination notice.
Ms. Weston, the market is highly sensitive to brand image. We can't afford this risk.
Ms. Weston, perhaps you should sort out your personal matters first.
I sat in my office, watching the stock price plummet off a cliff.
My phone rang.
Ethan's voice came through the speaker, carrying the calm of a man who knew he'd already won.
"Harper, I didn't want things to get this ugly. Apologize to Lily in person. Promise you'll leave us alone. I'll record a follow-up video and say it was just a misunderstanding between husband and wife."
"You're negotiating terms with me?"
I let out a cold laugh.
He went silent for a few seconds.
"You know what your problem is? You're too hard. Lily is a woman. She understands what tenderness means. You never will."
The line went dead.
Before I could even process it, a group of people in uniforms barged into my office.
"Ms. Weston, a formal complaint has been filed alleging that your company is involved in illegal fundraising. We need you to cooperate with our investigation."
Every server was seized. The office was turned inside out.
I was taken in for questioning. Within the hour, the news was everywhere.
The building entrance was swarmed with reporters and influencers livestreaming on their phones.
After finishing my statement at the regulatory office, I had my driver take me straight back to the company.
In the conference room, every board member was already seated.
I stood in front of the projection screen and laid out the response plan.
No one spoke.
Chairman Perry, the most senior member, removed his glasses and wiped them slowly.
"Ms. Weston, you can see the situation as clearly as we can. The brand is in freefall. The stock is in freefall. Our investors are already asking about exit strategies. We need to give the public an answer."
"And what does the board suggest?"
I looked around the room, scanning every face.
The door opened.
Ethan walked in wearing a perfectly tailored custom suit, a completely different man from the haggard figure in the video.
- Writer
