Rags to Riches: Becoming A Billionaire After Divorce

Chapter 6

Early in the morning, Bonnie woke from her sleep to find the room empty.

Wrapped in a blanket, she sat up, her head still throbbing from last night's revelry.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a note on the bedside table. After picking it up, she felt a wave of shame and humiliation surge through her.

The note read, "You must practice yoga, right? How else could you pull off so many positions?" Even though Ethan was gone, his mocking tone was palpable through his handwriting.

Annoyed, she scratched her head, overwhelmed by a sense of frustration, not knowing where to direct her anger.

However, she took some solace in the fact that the note seemed to suggest he had forgiven the events that transpired at the bank.

Just then, her phone rang—it was Daniel. "Bonnie, check out the gaming scores I sent you. I absolutely killed it last night, MVP ten times straight!" His voice, bubbling with excitement, was like sandpaper on her nerves.

'Your girlfriend spent the night with another man, and all you care about is video games?' She shouted, "Daniel, how old are you? Why are you still acting like a child? You promised we'd go house hunting before getting engaged. When is that happening? You mentioned money issues last time. When will they be sorted? Are we still getting engaged or what?"

Caught off guard, Daniel paused for a few seconds before hastily responding, "Bonnie, don't be mad. It's all that good-for-nothing Ethan's fault. I promise I'll get you your dream house soon."

'Ethan?' Bonnie stiffened, realizing last night's man shared the same name. On impulse, she asked, "Who's Ethan? Is he rich?"

"He's broke!" Daniel spat out, "He's my loser brother-in-law. Ever since my sister married him, they've lived in a rental. If he were rich, things would be easier."

Bonnie shook her head, scoffing at the absurdity. The Ethan Daniel was describing couldn't possibly be the holder of the Redbud Card. But curious, she asked, "What's he got to do with this?"

"He married my sister, so shouldn't he help out when I'm trying to buy a house for my marriage? Instead, he just throwing money at his dying mother in the hospital, not only refusing to help me at all but also divorcing my sister. Tell me, isn't he a jerk?"

Feeling suddenly nauseous, Bonnie couldn't take it anymore, "Let's just drop it. I worked all night. I need some sleep." She then ended the call, eager to escape the conversation.

***

"Where the hell have you been these past few days, Ethan?" As soon as Ethan walked into Grande Company, his visibly upset boss, Tommy Baker, yanked him into the general manager's office asked.

Ethan's brow furrowed. He had taken a few days off to care for Ruby, and now he was suddenly summoned back to the office by Tommy. Ethan said, "I've been at the hospital looking after my mom. What's going on?"

Tommy scoffed, "Your mom isn't dead yet? Look, Ethan, don't say I didn't warn you. Your mom is too sick; instead of letting her suffer, it'd be better to let her go peacefully so you can fully commit to your work."

A flicker of anger crossed Ethan's eyes as he restrained his fury and asked, "You rushed me back here with a phone call demanding I arrive within 20 minutes. What's the emergency?"

Thud!

Tommy slapped a document on the desk. "This is the contract for the redevelopment of Ghetto. Damn it. That woman from the contract proposers could drink like a fish; she got me so drunk that I signed this overpriced contract."

Ethan didn't even glance at the contract. It wasn't the first time Tommy had pulled something like this, so he wasn't surprised.

Seeing Ethan's lack of reaction, Tommy became agitated. The contract was a serious problem; the price was a whopping 30 million dollars higher than expected. If they were to complete the Ghetto redevelopment at this inflated price, the company wouldn't just fail to make a profit—it could go bankrupt. "You know what needs to be done, right?" Tommy threatened.

"So, you want me to take the fall again?" Ethan replied with a cold laugh.

Bang! Tommy slammed his hand down on the desk, erupting in anger.

After graduating from college, Ethan landed a job at Grande Company. Within a mere three years, he climbed up to a management position, securing the position of vice manager.

His ascent could have been even steeper if not for his boss, Tommy.

The reason Tommy could overshadow Ethan was simple—his brother-in-law Lucas Thompson was the CEO. This connection alone kept Tommy, who was otherwise incompetent and only interested in womanizing, comfortably in his role as the general manager.

Over the years, Ethan was the one who dealt with every issues at the company and the one who cleaned up every mess Tommy made. Consequently, the employees secretly nicknamed him "the scapegoat."

Tommy's voice spiked as he barked, "Bullshit! What do you mean 'take the fall'? You were supposed to handle this. I covered for you because you were off. Now there's a problem, and you expect me to take the fall?"

Ethan shrugged. "Sorry, but that's on you."

'What? Have you lost your mind?' Tommy was taken aback. Normally, Ethan would have simply agreed to such terms. Lucas was coming for an inspection that afternoon, and it was crucial that he didn't find out Tommy had signed this disastrous contract.

Tommy might be oblivious about many things, but he understood one thing clearly, this contract would bankrupt the company. However, with several companies under Lucas's management, as long as he kept his involvement a secret, he could just shift to another managerial role in another company and continue his carefree lifestyle.

Thus, as vice president, Ethan had to keep playing the scapegoat. 'Isn't it obvious that you should handle the problems and I take the credit?' Tommy thought.

"Ethan, what's with that attitude? Do you not want to f*****g work here anymore?" Tommy fumed, jabbing his finger at Ethan's nose. "Consider the hospital bills for your dead mother. Think about it—if you lose this vice managerial position, can you still afford her care?"

Ethan knitted his brows in rage. Before, Tommy's remarks would have cut deep, compelling Ethan to silently endure for the sake of Ruby's treatment. But things had changed.

Remembering the Redbud card in his pocket, Ethan internally smirked.

Now that he held a card with one billion dollars in cash, despite hating his father's method of solving problems with money, he had to admit that money really did give him more options and confidence.

Seeing Ethan remain silent, Tommy felt a twinge of satisfaction. He had always known about Ethan's situation and had used Ruby's condition as leverage several times over the past two years. He thought this time would be no different.

Changing his tone to one of faux concern, Tommy said, "Ethan, I know you care about your mom. I'm not going to let you be the scapegoat for nothing. Fifty thousand dollars! If you agree, I'll give you fifty thousand dollars—that should keep your mom in the hospital a little longer." Mastering the art of manipulation, Tommy knew how to wield both threats and incentives effectively.

"Come here," Ethan said, narrowing his eyes with a smirk. "I owe you thanks for your help."

Feeling reassured, Tommy walked up to Ethan with a sense of entitlement and slapped him on the shoulder. "We're friends, no thanks needed. Though your mom's getting worse, as long as you..."

Bam!

Before he could finish, Ethan landed a solid punch on Tommy's face. Tommy screamed, staggering back and clutching his bleeding nose. Panicking, he yelled, "Ethan, have you lost your damn mind?"

"You're f*****g right! Mess with me all you want, but curse my mother and I'll make you regret it!" Pure rage was etched across Ethan's face, he couldn't stand the disrespect towards Ruby. He lunged forward and kicked Tommy down, shouting, "I'll kill you!"

Tommy's painful cries filled the office, quickly drawing the other employees to the scene. They gathered outside, peering through the window in shock.

"You're a lunatic! You really don't want to work here anymore, do you? You're fired! Pack your stuff and get out! And yes, I hope your mother dies! Without this job, you might as well go die with her in the hospital!"

Thump, thump, thump...

Ethan took a step forward and raised his foot to viciously kick Tommy repeatedly. Despite his injuries, Tommy glared at Ethan with hatred. "You're done! You've sent your own mother to hell! Not even God can save your job now!"

Ethan looked down at Tommy, who was still ranting on the ground, and smiled coldly, his mind racing with vengeful thoughts.

He had initially planned to resign today, but leaving his three years of hard work in the hands of this scum and letting him continue to ruin things, was unthinkable. It was time to show his strength, starting with this company. Stooping down, Ethan patted Tommy's face. "I came here ready to quit, but now, I've changed my mind."

Tommy, who had been smirking at Ethan, suddenly looked alarmed. Then he watched as Ethan took out his phone, dialed a number, and said decisively after a few seconds, "Andrew, I want to buy Grande Company! Right now!" Ethan's voice was crisp and resolute.