Chapter 7 - The Unwelcome Summoner
The heavy-set man in the gray suit adjusted his tie, stepping fully into the cramped hospital room and letting the door click shut behind him. His presence instantly shifted the atmosphere from one of medical recovery to corporate warfare. He didn't look at Sarah or the baby in the bassinet; his hard, calculating gaze was fixed entirely on Ethan.
Ethan instinctively stepped away from the bassinet, squaring his shoulders despite the absurdity of facing a corporate hitman while wearing a tuxedo and a crushed boutonniere. "Mr. Vance sent you, didn't he?" Ethan asked, his voice flat and devoid of fear.
"Mr. Vance is currently standing in a very expensive ballroom explaining to three hundred confused guests why his daughter is locked in her bridal suite crying her eyes out," the man replied, his voice a gravelly monotone. He opened the manila folder, sliding a single sheet of heavy cardstock out onto the metal rolling table. "He wants you to know that your employment contract with Vance Enterprises was terminated precisely four minutes ago."
Sarah pulled herself up slightly, her eyes narrowing at the intruder. "Who gave you the right to come in here and threaten him in a maternity ward?" she demanded, her voice carrying an edge of steel.
The man in the gray suit finally glanced at her, his expression entirely unimpressed. "Ma'am, this isn't a threat. It’s a notification. Mr. Vance’s legal team has already frozen all joint accounts, repossessed the company car parked outside the church, and filed an injunction against the title of the downtown penthouse." He looked back at Ethan. "You came to the city with nothing, Ethan. By midnight tonight, you’ll have even less."
Ethan looked down at the termination notice, feeling a strange, liberating sensation wash over him. For three years, he had lived in constant terror of losing the golden cage Mr. Vance had built for him. Now that the cage was gone, he realized how heavy the bars had actually been.
"Tell Mr. Vance he can keep the penthouse," Ethan said calmly, looking the corporate lawyer dead in the eye. "Tell him he can keep the car, the stock options, and every last cent in the corporate accounts."
The lawyer raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised by the lack of groveling. "You’re walking away from a million-dollar-a-year executive position for a woman in a hospital gown and a newborn baby with zero prospects?"
"I'm walking away because I finally have a reason to stay," Ethan replied firmly.
The lawyer closed the manila folder with a sharp snap. "You’re a fool, Ethan. A broke, unemployed fool in a silly costume." He turned on his heel and strode out of the room, leaving the door slightly ajar.
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As the echoes of his footsteps faded down the hallway, a soft knock came from the open door. A nurse stepped in holding a clipboard, looking apologetic. "Mr. Davis? There's someone at the front desk asking for you. They said it's an urgent matter regarding your legal identity."
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