The Callous CEO

Chapter 3 I made sure no one would employ you.

She knew he had nowhere to go and would tolerate anything, but there was something about her smile that unsettled him. It was as if she had never lost her husband, a chill indifference in her eyes.

He took a deep breath, summoning his determination. "I can't do this anymore. I want out," he declared firmly.

Her laughter pierced the air, a mocking symphony. She pointed a finger at him, her voice dripping with scorn. "Hahaha! He wants a divorce! How utterly amusing!"

Ethan struggled to keep his emotions in check, his face reddening with anger. "You think this is a joke? I mean it, Daphne. I want a divorce, and I want it now," he growled, his voice filled with an intensity that surprised even himself.

She looked at him with contempt, as if he were a pitiful creature. "You don't mean that, Ethan. You could never leave. Without my family and our wealth, you're nothing but a worthless piece of trash."

His fists clenched at her dismissive words. "You'll regret underestimating me, Daphne. I won't be held captive by your money and status any longer. I'll find my own way, with or without you."

Her eyes narrowed, a coldness enveloping her features. "You're delusional if you think you can survive without us. You're nothing more than a pathetic loser, incapable of anything significant."

His anger flared, and he shot back with fiery determination. "I'd rather be a loser than remain under your suffocating control. I'll prove you wrong. Just watch me."

Their words hung in the tense air, a battle of wills with divorce as the ultimate prize. In that moment, Ethan knew he had to break free from the chains that bound him, no matter the cost. The journey towards his independence had begun.

Ethan knew she was right. Without them, he was nothing. This family held significant influence in this part of the country, and crossing them would have dire consequences.

But he would rather leave and be a failure than stay here and suffer.

Ethan had never felt so devalued. Since she didn't see his worth in her life, it was better to be anywhere but here, listening to her and this guy he neither knew nor cared about.

So what if he was a failure?

Leaving and sleeping on the streets, even starving, would be better than staying with these heartless individuals who treated him like an object.

"Whether I'm a failure or not, I am the one who saved Amelia's life," he said with determination. "And if you think your words scare me, think again. I'm not afraid to leave people who possess hearts of stone. Mark my words, I'll become wealthy and make you regret what you've just said."

Daphne showed no signs of fear or concern. She believed he was just joking with his words. But even if he were serious, she didn't care.

"You know what? I considered giving you a chance at redemption," she said sarcastically. "But looking at you now, I don't think you deserve it. Continue building castles in the air. Even if given the opportunity, you'll never become rich. You're destined to be poor forever."

"Do you think he deserves a second chance?" the man who had cheated with her asked, hoping to witness some excitement or despair on Ethan's face.

To his disappointment, Ethan didn't appear as if he had lost his soul.

"He should consider himself lucky that I'm making things easy for him," Daphne replied, shaking her head with a concerned expression. "But he's just so... I don't even know how to continue."

"I don't need your favor or anything else from you. I meant it when I said I want a divorce," Ethan stated, struggling to hide his emotions. "You'll get it soon. Then we can all go our separate ways without caring about each other."

"Very well, it's your decision," she said, looking away without bothering to direct her breath toward him anymore.

Ethan looked away and left. He wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.

With the little money he had, he visited a lawyer and filed for divorce, promptly sending the documents to Daphne.

Though their marriage had been declared fake, he felt it necessary to handle things professionally to avoid any potential future implications.

Just because she claimed it was a sham marriage didn't mean he should leave it at that. What if she tried to use it against him later? It was better to act now and free himself from those people forever.

Two weeks later...

"Mr. Ethan, I'm sorry, but there are no vacancies at the moment. We will contact you in the future," said the manager.

Ethan appeared visibly stressed and felt close to giving up. Was this how life was going to treat him? Would he be stuck like this forever, never able to become wealthy? Sometimes he wished he could just sleep and never wake up, but he knew deep down that one day the sun would shine on him.

The newspaper had advertised job openings just the day before. However, when he arrived for the interview, he was turned away.

This marked the eleventh company that week to reject him.

Finding a job after leaving the Arthur  family had proven unsuccessful.

Nothing seemed to be going well for him.

He thought leaving would lead him to a job and a means to support himself.

He hadn't expected much, but now he felt like leaving had been a mistake.

"Thank you," he said, standing up with a disappointed look and taking his CV from the table.

It seemed like an endless string of rejections, with every opportunity slipping through his fingers. Doubt crept in, questioning his choices and leaving him feeling defeated. The weight of uncertainty pressed upon him, threatening to break his spirit.

Yet, amidst the disappointment, a glimmer of resilience sparked within him. He refused to succumb to despair. The journey to success was rarely a straight path, and setbacks were merely stepping stones.

The manager sighed in frustration after Ethan left. He couldn't help but feel disappointed that such a talented young man wouldn't be joining their company. It was a shame that the higher-ups didn't recognize Ethan's potential.

Shrugging his shoulders, the manager returned to his work, not wanting to involve himself in matters that weren't his concern. He understood that office politics and personal agendas often influenced decisions, and he didn't want to get caught up in that.

Meanwhile, Ethan stood outside the company, overwhelmed with emotions. He felt like crying, unable to understand why he was being rejected despite his well-prepared CV and his outstanding achievements as a bright student who had earned a scholarship and graduated with honors. He had always believed that his qualifications and hard work would guarantee him a job and a chance to earn a decent income, but his efforts seemed futile.

Months of unsuccessful interviews had taken their toll on Ethan, leaving him discouraged and disheartened. However, just when he thought all hope was lost, he received a call from Daphne, his ex-wife, with a proposal. At first, she made it seem like he had no other choice but to accept her offer, but when he resisted, she resorted to desperate measures, using her mother's life as leverage to manipulate him.

Daphne started frequenting his presence, offering him the promise of a position in her family's company if he agreed to provide blood transfusions for her mother. However, Ethan knew all too well who Daphne was from their college days. She was the girl who had stolen his heart, yet she had never seen him as someone worthy of her attention.

In an attempt to express his feelings, Ethan had once sent Daphne a love message in her locker, hoping she would be delighted to have a secret admirer. However, his hopes were shattered when she and her girlfriends mocked him, discarding the message without a second thought.

Now, fate had brought them together again, but Daphne remained unaware that Ethan was the one who had sent the love message. All she knew was that he had feelings for her. Using her selfish nature to her advantage, she had coerced him into marrying her, falsely leading him to believe that she would eventually fall in love with him.

However, the reality of their marriage was far from what Ethan had anticipated. They never shared a room, and he was treated as an insignificant presence in her family. All the while, Daphne used the façade of love to manipulate him and further her own ambitions.

Now, having escaped the toxic marriage and with nothing to his name, Ethan's world seemed to crumble even further. The buzzing of his phone interrupted his thoughts, and he hurriedly answered, hoping it might be one of the companies he had sent his resume to.

But to his dismay, it was Daphne on the other end of the line, taunting him as her "husband" or rather, her ex-husband. He took a deep breath, trying to maintain composure as he spoke to her in a soft voice, unwilling to waste his breath being angry.

"What do you want, Daphne?" Ethan said, his voice filled with resignation.

"Ohh, what happened? You sound so sad. Did something happen today?" she asked, feigning concern.

"Quit playing and just tell me why you're calling. If you don’t have anything to say, I will hang up," Ethan responded, his frustration apparent.

"Well, you should be grateful I'm wasting my precious time with you," Daphne retorted, as if she was doing him a favor.

Ethan remained quiet, waiting to hear what she was going to say next.

But instead of an explanation or a serious conversation, Ethan heard Daphne's laughter coming through the phone. He pulled the phone away from his ear, thinking she might be happy about something her son was showing her, or perhaps her new boyfriend.

"Ethan, Ethan, Ethan, you might have forgotten what I told you at the mansion that day," she said, reminding him of their last encounter.

Ethan tried to recall what she had said, but there were so many hurtful things exchanged that day, it was difficult to pinpoint the specific words.

Seeing his silence, Daphne realized he couldn't remember, and she took advantage of his confusion.

"I told you that without my family, you are nothing," she stated with a mocking tone. Ethan clenched his fist tightly, not wanting to show any sign of weakness by speaking up.

Everything became clear to Ethan. The reason he couldn't find a job, the constant rejections—he realized that these people had been interfering in his life all along.

"You know you can never get away with what you did to me," Daphne continued, her voice dripping with venom. "I made sure no company in the country would ever accept you. That is, if they want to be enemies with us. You and I both know that you can only depend on my family. And the only way to regain your old life is by offering blood to my mother. By the way, I even heard you sold your car. Think about it and call me later," she said, her tone oozing with confidence.

With that, Daphne hung up the phone, leaving Ethan feeling more desperate than ever. His world seemed to crumble further as he held his phone in his hands, contemplating his grim situation. How was he going to survive now that these people were actively sabotaging his life and opportunities?

On the verge of tears, Ethan sat by the side of the road, feeling utterly defeated. It was at this lowest point that a luxurious car stopped before him, capturing his attention and momentarily distracting him from his misery.