Chapter 4

"I'll personally visit your father-in-law next week and bring over a state-of-the-art neuro-acoustic sleep system from Switzerland," Ethan added eagerly.

Mr. Harrison's smile cooled slightly as he gave Ethan an unreadable glance, but Ethan was completely oblivious.

Ethan immediately pivoted into his pitch. "I heard Harrison Capital is looking to lead the next funding round for the new gaming studio under the Sterling Group. Vance Enterprises is aggressively expanding into VR gaming. We'd love the opportunity to partner with you again."

"Is that so?" Mr. Harrison murmured.

Ethan nodded vigorously.

"Will Chloe be heading this initiative as chief architect?" Mr. Harrison asked pointedly.

"Her? Absolutely not," Ethan scoffed, practically pushing me behind his shoulder. He pulled Hailey forward by the elbow. "Chloe is a housewife; she's completely out of touch with modern tech. Hailey Cole here is our newly appointed VP of Operations. She's the real powerhouse behind our latest successes."

"Mr. Harrison, you might have read about our recent Horizon rollout—Hailey orchestrated the entire launch."

Mr. Harrison gave a polite, distant nod. "Vance Enterprises certainly has an interesting roster. If an opportunity arises, my team will reach out."

Throughout the rest of the night, Ethan dragged Hailey across the floor, introducing her to prominent venture capitalists while leaving me completely stranded in the corner.

I saw right through him. He only brought me tonight because Mr. Harrison wouldn't have granted him face-to-face time otherwise.

To Ethan, I was nothing more than a stepping stone.

"Aren't you going to join your husband to network, Chloe?" a deep voice asked behind me.

I turned around to find Mr. Harrison standing with a glass of sparkling water. I offered a faint, self-deprecating smile.

Ethan thought shaking hands equaled securing deals. He had no idea that true value lay in whether you could actually deliver results.

"To be honest, Chloe, watching someone with your brilliant strategic mind waste away as a stay-at-home spouse feels like a tragedy for our industry," Mr. Harrison stated frankly.

"You overestimate me, Mr. Harrison. But if I ever decide to launch a venture of my own, I hope you'll consider reviewing my deck."

Mr. Harrison's eyes flashed with genuine interest. "That depends entirely on how much value you can bring to my portfolio."

After exchanging a few more insights with Mr. Harrison, I slipped outside to the poolside patio to catch my breath in the quiet night air.

I hadn't enjoyed the silence for five minutes before furious footsteps marched toward me.

It was Ethan.

"What did you say to Mr. Harrison just now?" he hissed, his face twisted in rage.

"Chloe, you did this on purpose! Do you have any idea how badly you just screwed me over?"

His outburst was as sudden as it was absurd.

I furrowed my brows. "What are you talking about? How did I screw you over?"

"You cornered him alone, didn't you? Well, right after talking to you, Mr. Harrison suffered a sudden acute seizure and had to be rushed out by paramedics!"

"I'm telling you right now: if this blows up our partnership, you're leaving our marriage with absolute zero! Not a single cent!"

Leaving with zero?

We'd see who walked away with nothing.

I refused to engage in his delusion and stepped forward, wanting to check on the situation inside.

Ethan grabbed my arm, blocking my path, and raised his voice so the surrounding guests could hear.

"Everyone! I need to clarify something right now! Whatever medical emergency Mr. Harrison just suffered had absolutely nothing to do with Vance Enterprises!"

"I wasn't present during their conversation. If Mr. Harrison wakes up, I hope everyone here can testify that this was an entirely personal interaction between him and Chloe!"

"Whatever happened is Chloe's sole responsibility!"

The patio instantly erupted into murmurs. Several socialites and executives clustered around, pointing and whispering.

"Wait, she caused Mr. Harrison's collapse?"

"Are they having an affair or something? What did she say to him..."

Before I could open my mouth to defend myself, a sharp, violent force struck me in the small of my back.

*SPLASH!*

Cold, suffocating water engulfed me instantly.

I couldn't swim.

In a terrifying split second, water flooded my nostrils, ears, and lungs. Panic tore through my chest as I wildly beat my arms, gasping between splashes: "Help! I can't swim—help me!"

Above the surface, Ethan stood by the edge, watching me with arms crossed, his face filled with cold contempt.

"Chloe, stop playing the victim!" he barked down at me. "The pool is barely five feet deep! Just stand up and climb out!"

"Stop being so dramatic, you're not going to drown!"

Ethan's harsh words reached my ears in muffled, distorted waves, mixed with the rush of chlorinated water filling my throat.

My limbs grew heavy, paralyzed by the freezing shock and the burning fever in my veins. My struggles grew weaker and weaker.

My vision went pitch black, and consciousness slipped away into the freezing depths.