While Ethan Vale stood tall on the Thorne residence terrace facing the shadows of his past, across town, an empire was collapsing in a much more humiliating fashion. The main Wang Corp boardroom was typically a symbol of grandeur, with glass walls overlooking the heart of the financial district, but this morning, the room felt like a cold isolation cell.
Jasper Wang slammed a stack of documents onto the gleaming mahogany table. "You can't do this! I'm the face of this company! Who do you think brought in those major contracts last year?"
"Sit down, Jasper," said an old man at the end of the table. Mr. Han, the board chairman who was usually all smiles, now looked at him with a gaze as cold as arctic ice. "Your voice only makes these walls tremble, not our decision."
"But this is insane!
