Chapter 4

As I stepped out of the Miller mansion and into the bright morning sun, a flurry of motion and shouting erupted from the foot of the driveway. A pack of reporters, alerted to the drama, swarmed towards me like vultures. Cameras flashed, and microphones were shoved in my face.

"Mr. Hayes! Is it true the wedding was called off?"

"Were you thrown out of the Miller family?"

"Sources say Olivia Miller left you for her childhood sweetheart! Is it because you're just a gold digger who got caught?"

I saw him then. Alex, watching from an upstairs window, a triumphant smirk on his face. He had done this. He had called the press to orchestrate my public shaming. In my past life, this would have destroyed me. Now, it was just a pathetic, predictable move from a pathetic, predictable man.

I ignored the shouted questions and the jostling of the crowd. I walked calmly, my eyes fixed forward. But then one reporter, more aggressive than the rest, shoved a microphone right under my chin.

"Come on, Mr. Hayes! Give us a comment! You've been kicked out with nothing but the shirt on your back! How does it feel?"

I stopped. The other reporters quieted, sensing they were about to get their soundbite. I looked directly into the lens of the nearest camera, making sure my face was clear, my voice steady. I wasn't speaking to the reporters. I was speaking to the world, and to the people watching from the window of that house.

"To be clear," I said, my voice cutting through the morning air, "I was not kicked out. I resigned. From my position at the company, and from the family."

I paused for effect, letting the words sink in.

"And you can quote me on this," I continued, looking straight into the camera. "Without me, the Miller Corporation, and the empire they think is so secure, will crumble to dust in less than two years. Mark my words."

A wave of snickers and outright laughter rippled through the press corps.

"Big words from a guy who just got dumped on his wedding night!" one of them yelled.

"Yeah, what are you gonna do now, work at McDonald's?" another jeered.

Their mockery washed over me, meaningless. They saw a disgraced man in a wrinkled shirt. They had no idea who I really was, what I was capable of. Let them laugh. Their laughter would turn to shocked silence soon enough.

With my piece said, I turned and started walking again, pushing through their ranks. I held my head high, my back straight. Their taunts followed me down the long driveway, but they felt distant, like noise from another world.

I reached the main road, a man with no car, no wallet, and no destination. For a moment, I just stood there, breathing in the free air.

Then, a sleek black sedan pulled up beside me, its engine purring quietly. The tinted rear window slid down.

Inside sat General Thompson, a formidable figure from the Department of Defense. I had met him a few times during presentations for a security contract the Miller Corp was bidding on. He was a man who saw past corporate titles and pedigrees, a man who valued intellect and results above all else.

"Mr. Hayes," he said, his voice a low rumble. "I was just on my way to a meeting and saw the commotion. I heard what you said to those reporters."

He gave a slight, grim smile.

"Your talents are wasted building toys for rich boys. We have real problems to solve, problems that could use a mind like yours. The National Research Laboratory has a place for you, if you want it. A real challenge."

It wasn't a job offer. It was a lifeline. It was a new world opening up right as the old one closed behind me. In my past life, I had turned down a similar, less direct offer, choosing to stay loyal to the Millers. I saw now what a monumental mistake that had been.

I didn't hesitate.

I opened the car door and slid onto the cool leather seat.

"I'm ready to serve," I said.

The door closed with a solid, satisfying thud, shutting out the world of the Millers forever. The car pulled smoothly away from the curb, leaving the jeering reporters and the house of my past life behind in the rearview mirror.