My Domination Begins With A Divorce

6

"Break his arm and you are dead!"

Richard White stormed across the marble floor. He pushed past the terrified employees and marched directly toward the security desk.

Eric froze with the heavy metal baton raised in the air. The guard lowered the weapon and swallowed hard. He recognized the chief executive officer of Apex Logistics immediately.

"Mr. White," Eric stammered. "We were just clearing the lobby for your arrival. This beggar refused to use the back entrance."

White did not even look at the guard. He stopped three feet away from Ethan and bowed at a sharp ninety degree angle.

"Boss," White said. His voice carried across the silent lobby. "I apologize for the delay. The acquisition paperwork took longer than expected."

The baton slipped out of Eric's hand and clattered against the stone floor. Davis backed away with wide eyes. The two guards stared in horror as the most powerful shipping magnate in the region bowed to the man they had just threatened to beat.

Ethan adjusted the cuffs of his bespoke suit. He looked down at the metal baton resting on the floor.

"Fire them," Ethan commanded. "Make sure they never work in this city again."

"It is already done," White replied. He snapped his fingers at his own security detail. "Remove these two from the building. If they resist, break their legs."

The Apex guards seized Eric and Davis by their collars and dragged them toward the exit. Ethan did not watch them leave. He turned his attention to the elevator bank.

"Are they waiting upstairs?" Ethan asked.

"Evelyn and Sarah Sterling are in the executive boardroom," White confirmed. He pressed the elevator call button. "They believe I am coming up to sign the ten year logistics contract. The divorce papers are sitting right next to the signature line."

"Let us go break their hearts," Ethan said.

The Sterling boardroom sat on the fiftieth floor. Massive windows offered a sweeping view of the financial district. Evelyn sat at the head of the long mahogany table with a triumphant smile on her face.

"Where is that useless husband of yours?" Evelyn asked. She tapped her manicured nails against the polished wood. "He should have been here twenty minutes ago to sign these papers."

Sarah checked her gold watch and sighed. "He probably walked here because he cannot afford a bus ticket. I told security to send him up the freight elevator."

"Good," Evelyn said. "I want him to smell like garbage when he signs away his legal rights. This contract with Apex will triple our valuation by tomorrow morning. We cannot have a beggar dragging down our public image."

The heavy oak doors of the boardroom swung open.

Evelyn stood up and smoothed the wrinkles from her designer skirt. She put on her warmest smile to welcome the man who would save her failing empire.

Ethan walked into the room.

The smile vanished from Evelyn's face. She stared at the expensive fabric hugging his broad shoulders. He looked nothing like the broken man who had crawled on her banquet floor twelve hours prior.

"What are you doing using the main doors?" Evelyn demanded. Her voice grew shrill with immediate anger. "I told security to keep you out of sight."

Sarah stood up and grabbed the divorce documents from the table. She shoved them toward the edge of the wood.

"Sign these and get out," Sarah ordered. "Mr. White will be here any second and I will not let you ruin this deal for us."

Richard White stepped through the doorway and stood right behind Ethan.

Evelyn gasped and rushed forward. "Mr. White! I am so sorry. This man is just a disgruntled former employee. We are having him removed right now."

White ignored the older woman. He kept his eyes fixed on the back of Ethan's head and waited for a command.

"Have a seat, Evelyn," Ethan said. He walked slowly toward the center of the room. "We have business to discuss."

"I have no business with you!" Evelyn shrieked. She turned to the visiting executive. "Mr. White, please call your security. This man is trespassing."

White stepped forward and picked up the thick stack of contract documents from the table. The legal papers represented the salvation of the Sterling family.

"Are these the shipping agreements?" White asked.

"Yes," Sarah answered quickly. She shot a nervous glare at Ethan. "Everything is drafted exactly to your specifications. If you sign the last page, we can begin the supply chain integration today."

White gripped the thick stack of papers in both hands. He twisted his wrists and ripped the entire contract in half.

The sound of tearing paper echoed like a gunshot in the quiet room.

Evelyn let out a choked gasp. She gripped the back of her chair to steady herself.

"What are you doing?" Evelyn whispered.

White tossed the shredded pieces of paper onto the mahogany table. They scattered across the polished wood like dead leaves.

"Apex Logistics will not sign this contract," White announced. His voice was cold and professional. "We are severing all existing ties with the Sterling corporation effective immediately. We will no longer transport your goods or supply your factories."

"You cannot do this!" Sarah screamed. Panic leaked into her voice. "We have a verbal agreement. Our factories will shut down by tomorrow if you pull out of this deal."

"My previous agreements are void," White stated. "Apex Logistics was acquired in a hostile takeover four hours ago. The new parent company issued a strict mandate to destroy your supply chain."

Evelyn scrambled to grab her tablet from the table. Her hands shook as she opened her financial tracking software. The screen displayed a plunging red line dropping straight toward zero.

"Our stock is crashing," Evelyn cried. Tears welled up in her eyes. "The market already knows the deal fell through. Our investors are selling everything. We are ruined."

She looked up at White with wide and desperate eyes.

"Who bought you?" Evelyn begged. "Who would spend billions of dollars just to acquire a shipping company in the middle of the night? Who gave the order to destroy my family?"

Ethan walked to the head of the table. He pulled out the massive leather chair reserved for the chairman of the board and sat down. He crossed his legs and looked up at the two women.

"I did," Ethan said.

Evelyn froze. She stared at Ethan as if he had grown a second head.

"Do not be ridiculous," Sarah scoffed. She crossed her arms and glared at her husband. "You do not even have five dollars to your name. Stop playing these stupid games and tell us what is really going on."

White stepped up to the table and stood beside Ethan.

"You are speaking to the sole owner of Sovereign Global," White said. He glared at Sarah with undisguised contempt. "He owns my company. He owns the bank that holds your mortgages. He holds your entire miserable lives in the palm of his hand."

The room fell dead silent. The truth hit Evelyn like a physical blow. She remembered the strange deposit notification Ethan had received at the banquet. She remembered the way the hospital had suddenly granted him priority access.

The puzzle pieces snapped together and painted a terrifying picture.

Sarah backed away from the table. Her confident posture crumbled. She looked at the expensive fabric of Ethan's suit and then at the shredded contract ruining her future.

"Ethan," Sarah whispered. Her voice trembled. "Is this true?"

Ethan did not answer her question. He reached across the table and picked up the divorce papers she had prepared. He read the top page and then slid the documents back across the smooth wood until they stopped right in front of Sarah.

"Sign them," Ethan commanded.