Chapter 6 - THE UNRAVELING OF AN EMPIRE
While Ethan was inside the library, the front entrance of the Harmon estate was a scene of controlled chaos. Two security guards stood on either side of Natalie Voss as she furiously zipped up three oversized designer suitcases, her face flushed with humiliation and rage.
“Do you know who I am?” Natalie hissed at the head security guard, a burly ex-marine named Miller. “When Ethan realizes what a colossal mistake he’s making, he’ll fire every single one of you! I’m going to be Mrs. Harmon!”
“Not according to Mr. Harmon, ma’am,” Miller replied stonily, holding the front door open for her. “My orders are to escort you off the property and ensure none of your personal belongings remain inside the perimeter.”
“This isn't over!” Natalie shrieked, grabbing her handbag and storming out into the driveway where a waiting town car had been summoned. As she slammed the car door, she swore vengeance. She knew secrets about Harmon Capital—financial maneuvers, pending acquisitions, confidential patents—that could crater Ethan’s stock prices overnight if leaked to the press.
Inside his glass-walled office overlooking the Sound, Ethan watched through the floor-to-ceiling windows as Natalie’s car sped down the private driveway and disappeared through the iron gates. He didn't feel anger. He felt a profound sense of cleansing, like clearing out an infection that had festered too long.
His phone buzzed on the mahogany desk. It was his chief legal counsel, Marcus Vance (no relation to Clara).
“Ethan,” Marcus’s voice came through the speakerphone, sharp and urgent. “We just monitored a suspicious data transfer from an external IP address linked to Natalie’s tablet. She’s trying to access the Q4 acquisition files for Apex Tech.”
“Let her try,” Ethan replied calmly, leaning back in his leather chair. “Every file she downloaded was routed through a sandbox environment with encrypted tracking. If she tries to leak or sell those documents to our competitors, the SEC and federal prosecutors will have an airtight case of corporate espionage against her within forty-eight hours.”
“Brutal,” Marcus chuckled on the other end. “Just like old times. By the way, Patel mentioned something strange in his daily report. He said you spent the morning in the library with the housekeeper. Everything alright?”
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“More than alright, Marcus,” Ethan said, his gaze drifting toward the door connecting to the library, where he could faintly hear Lily’s cheerful laughter. “I just found out I have family I never knew existed.”
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