Chapter 5 - The Ultimatum
The grand ballroom emptied faster than anyone could have predicted.
The wealthy guests whispered fiercely to each other as they hurried out into the cold winter night.
Inside the private family study, a massive storm was brewing.
Vanessa was pacing the floor in a borrowed bathrobe, her hair still sticky with dried champagne.
Her mother and father had stayed behind, glaring furiously at Ethan from the leather sofas.
Ethan's grandfather, the imposing patriarch of the Whitmore family, sat silently behind his massive desk.
"I want that maid arrested and thrown in jail!" Vanessa screamed, pointing wildly at the door.
"She humiliated me in front of the entire city!"
Ethan stood by the fireplace, his arms crossed tightly over his chest.
"Naomi didn't do anything wrong," Ethan replied calmly.
"You attacked her, and she simply defended herself."
Vanessa's father stood up, his face red with indignation.
"Ethan, you cannot possibly take the side of a common servant over your future wife!" he bellowed.
"If you do not fire that woman tonight, the Sterling family will pull all of our investments from your new project."
It was a massive financial threat meant to force Ethan into submission.
The room grew incredibly quiet, waiting for Ethan to cave to the pressure.
Ethan looked at his grandfather, but the old man just watched him with sharp, calculating eyes.
Ethan took a deep breath, feeling a massive weight suddenly lift from his shoulders.
"Keep your money," Ethan said clearly.
Vanessa froze, staring at him as if he had lost his mind.
"What did you just say?" she whispered.
"I said keep your money, and keep your daughter," Ethan repeated, his voice absolutely steady.
"This engagement is officially canceled."
He took the expensive velvet ring box out of his pocket and placed it on the desk.
Vanessa let out a choked gasp, completely destroyed by the sudden rejection.
"You are throwing away our entire future for a worthless maid?" she cried hysterically.
"She is worth ten of you," Ethan fired back without hesitation.
"Get out of my house, Vanessa."
The Sterlings stormed out of the study, threatening lawsuits and public ruin.
May you like
When the door slammed shut, Ethan's grandfather finally chuckled softly from his chair.
"Well," the old man smiled. "I always thought she was a terrible choice."
