Throw Away the Ring and Build My Own Empire

Ethan lowered his head and stared at the signature at the bottom of the agreement.

The red imprint of his personal seal stood stark against the white paper.

The color drained from his face.

He staggered back two steps, knocking over the leather chair behind him.

The chair hit the tiled floor with a dull thud. a dull thud.

"Impossible," he said, his voice trembling.

He reached out to grab the agreement.

Jake moved faster.

He shoved Ethan aside and snatched the agreement from the table, flipping through the pages rapidly.

The pages rustled loudly as he turned them.

When Jake reached the final page, his eyes widened.

"My dividends are wiped out?" Jake slammed the agreement onto the table and pointed straight at Ethan. "Where the hell did all the company's money go? You incompetent fool!"

The other directors crowded around the table.

Some grabbed the agreement to read it, while others slammed their hands on the conference table.

"Ethan, you're going to explain this today!"

"My money's gone! I'm suing you!"

The conference room erupted into a chaotic storm of shouting and accusations.

Chloe shot up from her chair.

She screamed and lunged toward the conference table.

"This is fake! Nora, you bitch, you forged these documents to trick us!"

Her hand stretched across the table, reaching for the liquidation agreement.

I stepped forward.

I lifted my right foot and drove the pointed toe of my high heel straight into Chloe's shin.

"Ah!" Chloe screamed.

She pitched forward and slammed onto the tiled floor.

Clutching her leg, she rolled across the floor in pain.

"Oh my stomach!" Sweat poured down her face as she looked up at Ethan. "Ethan, help me up. Save our baby!"

Ethan's hand twitched, extending halfway toward her.

But when he saw the pile of debt notices covering the table, his legs remained frozen in place.

I walked up to him and looked down at him.

"Mr. Carrington, you can't even afford pregnancy medication for Chloe now."

Ethan's eyes were bloodshot, the whites filled with red veins.

He let out a hoarse roar and lunged toward my throat with both hands.

"I'll kill you! Cancel the liquidation process right now!"

The conference room door burst open.

More than a dozen security guards in black uniforms rushed in.

The ones in front tackled Ethan to the floor.

They twisted his arms behind his back and pressed his face hard against the floor.

His cheek was flattened against the cold tile.

He struggled wildly, drool spreading across the floor as he fought against them.

"Nora! Just wait! I have connections everywhere. I swear I'll find a way to destroy you!"

I took out my phone and opened a video.

I tapped the screen-cast button and projected the video onto the large screen in the conference room.

On the screen, Chloe was wrapped around a heavily tattooed street thug, the two of them lying together on white hotel sheets.

Chloe's voice echoed through the speakers.

"That idiot has no idea the baby came from you in that bar. Once I get the Carrington family's money, we'll disappear together."

The thug rubbed her stomach and burst out laughing.

Ethan's furious shouting died in his throat.

He stared at the screen in disbelief.

Chloe completely forgot about her supposed stomach pain.

She scrambled across the floor and clung desperately to Ethan's leg.

"Ethan, listen to me! It's fake! Nora set me up. She used AI to fabricate it!"

Ethan lifted the leg that wasn't restrained and kicked Chloe square in the chest.

She was sent flying nearly two meters away and collapsed on the floor, clutching her chest and gagging.

Ethan turned his head to look at me.

He stopped struggling, his voice suddenly full of desperation.

"Nora, she deceived me. I was wrong. Forgive me. Cancel the agreement and let's start over."

The phone on the table rang.

My father's name appeared on the screen.

I answered the call.

"Nora! Everyone outside is saying the Carrington family is bankrupt! What kind of stupidity did you pull this time? Get back here immediately!" my father roared through the phone.

I tapped the screen and ended the call.

Then I blocked the number entirely.

I straightened my suit jacket and turned to Stella standing nearby.

"Stella, the rest of the legal procedures are yours."

"No problem," Stella said, nodding.

I pushed open the conference room door and walked out, leaving Ethan behind in his helpless rage.