The Ultimate Hidden Tycoon

Chapter 5

Madeline froze, her smirk faltering for a split second.

Then she burst out laughing.

"Your company? Ethan, stop embarrassing yourself!"

Robert smirked, arms crossed.

"Ethan, buddy, I get it. Life’s been tough for you. But you need some helps."

He clicked his tongue.

"This is Brightstar Corporation. The top conglomerate in Atlantis.”

“You think you can just waltz in here and claim it as yours? Do you need us to call the loony bin for you?"

"Listen, Ethan," Madeline said, her voice rising with every word.

"You may some introductions. This place is for the elite. For people with power, connections, and money."

She gave him a once-over.

"You? You’re nothing. Just go home before security throws you out for loitering."

Robert sighed, faking a sympathy smile.

"Ethan, as men, we should know when to quit. You’ve already lost. Don’t make it worse for yourself."

Madeline playfully nudged Robert’s arm.

"See? Robert is a real man. Look at his presence. That’s the kind of successful person who belongs here."

She turned back to Ethan, her smile widening.

"And you? You just look like a desperate nobody trying to get attention. It’s honestly embarrassing to watch."

Ethan’s gaze swept over them, cold and unimpressed.

He turned to leave, but Madeline stopped him again.

"Hold it right there!" Madeline called out.

“Ethan, since we’re divorced now, I don’t expect much from you. But there’s still a debt you owe me.”

Ethan paused, his back still to her.

Slowly, he turned, his eyes narrowing. “A debt?”

Madeline flipped her hair, her voice dripping with false sweetness.

“Three years of my life, Ethan. Three years I wasted on you. Don’t you think you should pay me more alimony as a consumption for that?”

Ethan scoffed.

“Compensation for what?”

“Compensation for cheating on me? For trampling on everything we had?”

Madeline’s face flushed with anger.

“You think you can just walk away like nothing happened? You ruined my life!”

Ethan took a step closer, his presence suddenly overwhelming.

“Madeline, let’s get one thing straight.”

“You’re the pathetic one who destroyed our marriage. Not me.”

"Oh, right," Madeline suddenly sneered. "Speaking of pathetic—remember that ring?"

“You picked my ring out of the trash after I threw it! And keep it in your cabinet! You freak!"

Robert snickered

from the side.

" Really? He actually fished it out of the trash? Ethan, man, were you that desperate? "

Ethan’s eyes darkened.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

“That ring was mine. You gave it to me years ago. Don’t you remember?”

Madeline scoffed, her voice dripping with disdain.

"Don't start with your nonsense. I threw that ring away ages ago. Never gave it to anyone.”

Ethan clenched his jaw.

"Madeline, have you really forgotten everything?"

Ethan’s expression was too serious.

Madeline frowned, a thought suddenly striking her.

Katherine - She had a ring just like that!

Her expression twisted with disgust.

"Wait. Did you steal it from Katherine?"

“I knew something was off. So that’s it—you’re nothing but a goddamn thief.”

Ethan froze. The name hit him like a bullet.

Katherine?

His mind spun.

Could he have been wrong?

The girl who saved him, the one who placed that silver ring in his hands…

Wasn’t Madeline?

Madeline saw the flicker of confusion in his eyes and smirked, mistaking it for guilt.

“Wow, Ethan. Just when I thought you couldn’t sink any lower.”

She jabbed a finger at his chest.

“I thought you were just poor. But a thief?”

“Stealing from my friend? Have you no shame?"

She folded her arms, like an arrogant hen.

“Honestly, I was already being kind asking for two million in alimony. If I take you to court, you’ll lose even more. You should be grateful for my generosity.”

Ethan snapped out of his daze.

He swatted her hand away. His voice was as cold as ice.

"Enough, Madeline."

"I have never stolen anything in my life."

She flinched for half a second but quickly recovered, tossing her hair back.

"Oh, so now you're yelling at me? You really are insane! A broke lunatic who can't even admit when he’s caught!"

Her voice rose, sharp and grating.

"Two million, Ethan. You promise to pay me, or I’ll make sure the entire Brightstar Corporation knows what kind of trash you are."

Madeline tapped her heel impatiently, enjoying the scene.

She didn’t actually care about the 2 million dollars.

She knew Ethan didn’t have a dime to his name.

Even if he sold his organs, he wouldn’t be able to pay.

But humiliating him in public? That was priceless.

Like teasing a monkey at the circus. The more it struggled, the harder the audience laughed.

And sure enough, whispers spread through the crowd of well-dressed employees.

“The man looks like a rag! He must’ve stalked his ex-wife here.”

“Can’t even afford alimony. What a broke leech!”

“Doesn’t matter the reason - a man should always pay up after a divorce.”

This was Atlantis City’s biggest corporate hub. Home to this kind of people.

This kind of materialistic people who flaunted their fake luxurious lives on social media, while mocking the poor.

Ethan ignored the murmurs.

His gaze locked onto Madeline’s, cold and eerily calm.

"Fine. Two million, right? I’ll give it to you now."

"Consider it charity."

“After that, you go your way, and I’ll go mine.”

Madeline blinked, thrown off for a moment.

Then, she burst into laughter.

“Ethan, do you seriously expect me to believe that?”

She wiped away fake tears of amusement.

“You? Two million now? Please.” She snorted. “Go sell some blood first. I can wait.”

Robert snickered from the side.

"Exactly. Stop embarrassing yourself, Ethan.”

“Tell you what—if you can actually pull out two million in cash, I’ll bark like a dog in the lobby.”

Ethan glanced at Madeline, then at Robert.

And smirked.

“Remember you said that.”

He pulled out his phone.

“The Shadow,” he ordered calmly. “Deliver two million in cash to Brightstar Corporation. 10 minutes.”

Madeline and Robert howled with laughter.

“The Shadow? Are you serious?”

“Why stop there? Why not summon the sun and moon while you’re at it?”

Robert shook his head.

"Damn, Ethan. You’ve lost your mind. Just quit while you’re ahead."

A few minutes later. The office was dead silent.

No money arrived.

Madeline tapped her foot impatiently.

"Ethan? Where’s your money? Or were you just bluffing?"

She sneered.

"You poor loser. Talk so big. If I weren’t such a nice person, I’d call the psych ward right now and have them take you away."

Ethan stayed silent, his cold gaze sweeping over Madeline and Robert.

His disgust for them burned like acid in his chest.

“Not 10 minutes yet,” he said calmly, “Wait for one more minute.”

Robert grinned, shaking his head.

“One more minute? Who do you think you are?”

“Madeline, looks like his two million is just a fantasy.”

"If I wait for a hundred years, the money won't show up."

Madeline, eager to twist the knife, wrapped her arm around Robert’s.

She planted a loud kiss on his cheek.

“Let’s go, darling. No point wasting time on this lunatic.”

They turned, laughing as they walked away.

Their voices echoing through the lobby.

Ethan didn’t flinch. He already knew the truth about the ring.

Madeline was nothing to him now.

Just then, the elevator dinged.

The doors slid open.

Exactly 10 minutes.

Not a second longer.

A man rushed out, drenched in sweat.

"Move, move! Don’t make Mr. Ethan wait!"

This is William, the general manager of Brightstar Corporation.

He stormed into the lobby, eyes scanning the room until they locked onto Ethan.

He bowed deeply. His tone almost groveling.

"Mr. Ethan, your two million in cash is here. My sincerest apologies for the delay."