Reborn Tycoon; Ethan Wayne’s Rise

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Fuming, Mr. Thompson walked out of the meeting room and headed for his car. He was seething with anger at the thought of Ethan inheriting the company. It was supposed to be his, and now it was being handed over to a boy with no business experience

As he drove away from the Wayne estate, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Ethan had somehow played a part in his downfall. He clenched his teeth, determined to find a way to undermine the

Mr. Thompson stormed into his mansion, his mood dark and brooding. He didn’t bother taking off his coat or removing his shoes before he called for his family to gather for a meeting.

His wife and two children looked at him in concern as he stalked back and forth, his hands clenched into fists. 'We need to talk,' he said, his voice tight with suppressed rage.

Aurora, Mr. Thompson’s daughter, stepped forward, her face a mask of worry.

'What’s happened, Daddy ?' she asked, her voice soft.

Mr. Thompson stopped pacing and fixed her with a piercing stare.

'Everything. Everything we’ve worked for is about to be taken away from us.'

He paused, struggling to control his emotions. 'That brat Ethan is going to inherit the Wayne company, and we’ll be left with nothing.'

Aurora gasped.

Liam, Mr. Thompson’s son narrowed his eyes, his jaw clenched tight.

'This isn’t fair. The Wayne company belongs to us’.

His voice grew louder,

Liam’s anger was palpable. He clenched his fists at his sides, his voice rising in volume. 'This is outrageous! Williams Wayne promised the Wayne company to our family. It was supposed to be mine! I was supposed to inherit it after you.'

He shook his head,

'We can’t let this happen."

Mr. Thompson looked to his wife, who had remained silent throughout the conversation.

'We have to act quickly,' he said.

'And we need to be smart about it.

The Thompsons exchanged looks, their eyes gleaming with a newfound determination. Mr. Thompson spoke first. 'We need to discredit Ethan. Make him look bad in his grandfather’s eyes. We need to make him so undesirable that William Wayne will have no choice but to revoke his decision.'

Aurora nodded. 'But how do we do that? Ethan is the new golden boy of the Wayne family. How do we bring him down?'

Liam smirked, a devious glint in his eye.

Liam’s smirk turned into a full-blown grin.

'If we want to find dirt on Ethan, we have to dig deep.

Mr. Thompson considered Liam’s suggestion, his brow furrowed in thought.

‘but we need to be careful,

The Thompsons exchanged knowing glances, their eyes alight with a cold, calculating resolve. 'If we can’t find dirt on Ethan, then we’ll have to create it ourselves,' Mr. Thompson said, his voice hard and decisive.

Liam nodded in agreement. We'll enlist the help of some of the students at school. Plant false evidence, spread rumors. By the time we’re done with him, Ethan’s reputation will be in tatters.'

The next day At school

Ethan was minding his own business in the school cafeteria, reading a book while eating his lunch, when he felt someone slide into the seat across from him. He looked up, surprised to see Liam Thompson smiling at him.

'Hey, Ethan,' Liam said, his voice overly friendly. 'How’s it going?'

Ethan’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. He knew better than to trust a member of the Thompson family After the way Mr Thompson acted at the meeting.

Ethan nodded in response to Liam’s greeting, his voice guarded.

‘Just another day,’ he said, his tone clipped and dismissive.

They chatted for a few more minutes, the conversation surface-level and innocuous, until Liam suggested that they head to their next class together since the test was in 15 minutes . Ethan hesitated,something about Liam still didn’t sit right with him.but ultimately agreed, figuring it couldn’t hurt to be polite.

Ethan was focused on his test, his pen flying across the page as he jotted down the answers, when he felt Liam lean over and whisper in his ear.

'Hey, can I take a peek at your paper? I can't seem to remember the answer to number seven.'

Ethan tensed, his grip tightening on his pen. He turned his head slightly to glare at Liam. 'I'm not cheating for you, Liam. I suggest you focus on your own test.'

Ethan’s voice was firm, but as he turned back to his paper, the professor’s voice rang out.

'Ethan Wayne! Liam Thompson! Stand up, both of you.' The professor’s gaze was hard and unforgiving.

'It has been reported that you were cheating during this test . I will not tolerate any sort of academic dishonesty in my classroom.'

Ethan stood, his heart pounding in his chest. He opened his mouth to protest, but the professor’s next words stopped him in his tracks.

Ethan tried to interject, his voice rising in desperation. 'Professor, please. I wasn’t cheating. Liam was trying to cheat off me.'

But Professor David was unmoved. 'I don’t care who was cheating off whom, Mr. Wayne. You were both involved, and that is unacceptable. The two of you will leave my classroom at once, and I will be contacting the dean about this incident.'

With that, Professor David turned away, his expression cold and unyielding.

Ethan stood frozen for a moment, his mind reeling from the injustice of it all. This couldn’t be happening again. He felt as though he had been transported back to his past life, to that fateful day when he had been wrongly accused and expelled.

But he wasn’t the same person he had been back then. He was Ethan Wayne now.

As Ethan made his way out of the classroom, the whispers followed him like a cloud of smoke. He could feel the eyes of his classmates on him, their expressions a mix of shock, curiosity, and judgment.

But Ethan didn’t care about any of that. All he could think about was the call he would have to make to his grandfather, and the look of disappointment that would surely cross the older man’s face when he heard the news.

He was only a few feet from the classroom door when Liam caught up with him.

Liam approached Ethan with his hands held out in a gesture of peace. ‘Ethan, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. Please, you have to believe me.

Ethan spun around, his eyes blazing with anger

Before Ethan could respond, a voice rang out from the end of the hall.

'Mr. Wayne! Mr. Thompson! My office, now.'

Ethan and Liam turned to see the dean of Their faculty, his face drawn in a grim expression, beckoning them towards his office.

Their Footsteps echoing through the quiet hallway. The air felt thick with tension and dread, as if they were marching towards their own execution.