Three days later, I learned what true humiliation felt like.
The conference room was packed—
managers, supervisors, directors.
My father sat at the head of the table.
The atmosphere was heavy.
Judgmental.
Predatory.
"Ethan," the project director said, flipping through my report,
"explain this disaster."
My heart hammered.
This was my work.
My chance to prove myself.
My first real step into the Clark legacy.
And they were calling it a disaster?
"What… what's wrong with it?" I asked.
He slammed the report onto the table.
"Your numbers are wrong. All of them."
Whispers spread across the room like wildfire.
"Didn't he check his own work?"
"No wonder they didn't keep him."
"He's incompetent."
My ears burned.
"I did check it," I said desperately.
"I checked everything."
The director switched to the screen—
my presentation file.
My slides.
My data.
All corrupted.
Scrambled.
Wrong.
Impossible.
"I don't understand," I whispered.
Robert Clark cleared his throat.
"Ethan, this level of carelessness is unacceptable."
My own father looked at me like I was dirt on his shoe.
Something inside me cracked.
Hours later, I practically ran to the security department.
"I need last night's footage from my floor," I demanded.
The guard looked bored but pulled it up.
And then my world stopped.
There he was.
Leo.
Entering my office.
Opening my computer.
Plugging in a USB drive.
Typing.
Deleting.
Laughing.
Laughing.
Then walking out—
casual, relaxed, confident in the destruction he'd left behind.
My hands shook so badly I could barely save the file.
Why?
Why would he do this?
Why ruin my work?
Why humiliate me?
I rushed home.
Ava was sitting on the couch, looking beautiful and calm and cold.
"Ava," I said, breathless, "look at this."
I showed her the footage.
Her eyes widened briefly—
Shock.
Fear.
Panic.
Then her expression changed.
Softened.
Then hardened.
"Ava?" I whispered.
She sighed, standing up slowly.
"Ethan… listen to me."
"No," I snapped. "LISTEN TO ME. He sabotaged me!"
Ava grabbed my arm.
"You can't show this to anyone."
My blood ran cold.
"What?"
"You'll destroy your family relationships," she said quickly.
"You'll embarrass your parents. You'll ruin Leo's future—"
"He ruined my future!"
Ava's voice rose.
"And if you expose him, everyone will think you're petty! Jealous! Immature!"
My vision blurred with rage.
"So I'm supposed to let him destroy me?"
"To protect HIM?"
"To protect THEM?"
"To protect us!" she shouted back.
"No," I whispered.
And for the first time—
I saw her clearly.
"This isn't about us.
It was never about us.
It's always been about them."
Her silence confirmed it.