Chapter 3 - The Shadow of the Boardroom
The "test" backfired in a way Ethan hadn't anticipated. Word had gotten out in the high-society circles that the "boy king" of real estate had a housekeeper with a young child living on the estate. To his rivals, this was blood in the water.
Sterling, a rival developer who had been trying to undermine Ethan’s Nashville project for months, sensed weakness. He sent an associate to "interview" the staff, under the guise of an estate appraisal, looking for dirt.
Ethan found the man—a slick suit named Peterson—prying questions out of the gardener. He hauled him into the study.
"You’re done," Ethan said, his voice quiet, dangerous.
"I’m just doing my job, Cole," Peterson sneered. "We all know you’ve lost your edge. You’re playing house with a maid and a brat. The shareholders are laughing at you."
"The shareholders are making record returns," Ethan said. "And you are trespassing."
He escorted Peterson out, but the incident left Ethan rattled. He realized that by letting Maria and Mia into his home, he had exposed them to the shark tank of his professional life. He sat in his library, the silence of the room feeling more oppressive than ever. He wasn't protecting them; he was endangering them by keeping them in his sphere of influence.
He called Maria into the study.
"I’m doubling your salary," he said without preamble. "But you need to move to the guest cottage near the gate. I’ll hire private security to monitor the perimeter. You and Mia stay there. Don't come into the main house after dark."
Maria stood straight. "Why, Mr. Cole? Because I’m a liability? Or because you’re ashamed of us?"
"I’m protecting you," Ethan said, his voice rising.
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"You’re protecting your walls," Maria corrected, her voice soft but fierce. "You’re afraid that if people see you being kind, they’ll see you as soft. But you’re not soft, Ethan. You’re just lonely."
She turned and left. Ethan sat alone, the silence finally deafening.
