Khloe had been back at the Morrison Group for days, yet the shareholders were giving her the silent treatment, systematically locking her out of all corporate intelligence.
She knew exactly who was behind it: Clarice, pulling the strings of both the board and the C-suite, methodically boxing her out. If this continued, her position within the company would become entirely ornamental.
A sharp knock echoed, and the office door opened as soon as she responded. Ethan strode in, placing a slim folder on the vast expanse of her polished blackwood desk. With a single, dismissive glance from him, the assistant scurried out.
Khloe scanned the documents. It was a post-mortem report on one of Morrison Group’s failing subsidiaries-a project bleeding billions with a severed funding chain.
“What’s this?” Khloe asked, looking up to meet Ethan’s gaze, her expression a mask of cool amusement.
“I heard you’re quite capable, especially when it comes to project management,” he said, settling smoothly into the Italian leather chair beside her desk. The sunlight caught the exquisite fabric of his tailored suit, radiating an air of effortless privilege.
“Your team isn’t lacking for talent, Ethan. And as you know, I’m in management now. I don’t handle individual projects,” Khloe replied, her voice even, refusing to take the bait.
“Naturally,” Ethan said, steepling his fingers. “Morrison Group is brimming with talent. I know you’re eager to dive in, but if you can’t win the confidence of the executives and shareholders… forcing a transition would make both Mother and me look irresponsible.”
“Isn’t their confidence something you and Clarice ultimately… influence?” Khloe’s voice was soft, but the challenge in it was unmistakable.
Their eyes locked. Both were smiling, but the air between them crackled with a silent, spreading tension.
“Let’s not make this adversarial, Khloe. We’re family,” Ethan said, the pleasantry not quite reaching his eyes. “I simply believe that if you can salvage a doomed project and prove your capabilities, then assuming a leadership role would be… justified.”
“On one condition,” he added. “You do it entirely on your own. No company resources. No use of any corporate assets. Prove your merit and earn everyone’s trust.”
He made it sound so reasonable, but the trap was exquisitely laid: he wanted her to balk.
And he had chosen wisely. The project on her desk was the company’s white elephant-a subsidiary whose funding had dried up six months ago, where three rounds of partners had failed, and even Ethan’s own hand- picked team had thrown in the towel.
But as Khloe flipped to the section on potential partners and saw the Cameron Group listed, a slow, knowing smile touched her lips.
By any objective measure, the project was a lost cause. But this was her project-the Cameron Group deal she had personally managed before. The very same one Angela and Trey had just spectacularly failed to close. Now, it had landed in her lap as the perfect key.
When it came to deals like this domestically, she was second to none-and everyone who mattered knew it. This deal had always been hers. If she could snatch it back from Fox Group, she wouldn’t just be saving a Morrison subsidiary; she’d be forcing Trey and Angela to swallow a very public defeat.
Khloe lifted her gaze to meet Ethan’s, a faint, confident smile now playing on her lips.
“If you believe I’m the one for the job, then I’ll take the project. But understand this-it will be run by my rules.”
Ethan wasn’t entirely wrong. The Morrison Group’s hold on top talent was legendary; he himself had grinded his way up from the bottom, repeatedly driving the company past critical market milestones before securing his current, powerful seat.
For Khloe to seize real control and permanently silence her opposition, the barriers extended far beyond just Ethan and Clarice.
“Fine,” Ethan conceded, his tone deceptively casual.
“But how can you guarantee that successfully completing this project on my own will grant me the authority to manage the company?” Khloe pressed, her voice calm but incisive.
A thin, ironic smile played on Ethan’s lips. He had assumed she was ignorant of the finer details, and he was prepared. With a few taps on his phone, a contract instantly appeared on Khloe’s desktop monitor: a performance- based agreement.
“Sign this, and it’s binding. Deliver on the project, and you’ll have management authority equal to mine,” he stated. “Naturally, Mother still retains certain exclusive powers.”
Before his words had even fully settled in the room, a soft chime confirmed Khloe had already clicked to sign. Watching her profile illuminated by the screen’s glow, a flicker of amusement crossed Ethan’s eyes as he glanced at his watch.
“Oh, and one more thing,” he added lightly. “You have exactly one week. No extensions. Good luck.”
Evening had settled over the Fox residence.
Stella was at the card table with a few of her socialite friends when a servant approached, carrying a package.
“Madam, a document has arrived for you.”
“Who’s it from?” she asked, not looking up from her hand.
Lately, Stella’s nerves had been frayed. Her husband, Arthur, had forbidden her from attending to Alicia during her postpartum confinement because of the whole Khloe situation; her daughter was constantly calling with complaints, and while Alicia and Stanley weren’t headed for divorce, their arguments were relentless.
“Madam, it’s anonymous-an encrypted, private courier,” the servant replied.
Stella’s cards were terrible; irritation flashed across her face. “Well, open it. Let’s see what this is about.”
The servant complied. Inside was a stack of photographs, which he handed over.
Stella’s friend scanned them.
“Well, isn’t this ‘Trey? And the woman with him… I don’t recognize her. This isn’t Khloe, is it? What’s all this? Has he finally taken a mistress?”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.