Unaware I Owned the $20B Company That Just Made Her CEO, My Wife Made Me the Joke of Her Celebration
Chapter 4
The CEO celebration became larger than Clara expected.
Board members.
Investors.
Senior executives.
Major clients.
Journalists.
The ballroom was filled with people who wanted to be seen beside the new face of Sterling Meridian.
Clara loved every second.
Her old friends surrounded her.
“You finally escaped the ordinary life.”
She smiled.
“My husband is still trying to understand.”
One friend laughed.
“You mean Ethan?”
“Who else?”
They all laughed.
Clara looked across the room.
Ethan stood alone.
No one approached him.
No one knew him.
He looked exactly like what Clara had spent years calling him.
Ordinary.
Her friend whispered:
“You should divorce him now that you’re CEO.”
Clara laughed.
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Why not?”
“He’s harmless.”
Ethan heard.
His expression didn’t change.
Later that evening, Clara walked onto the stage again.
“This company is entering a new era.”
Applause.
“I want people to remember that leadership isn’t about who you marry.”
She paused.
“It’s about what you build yourself.”
Ethan looked down at his glass.
Clara smiled toward him.
“Some people are comfortable staying small.”
The room laughed again.
Ethan finally looked directly at her.
She didn’t see anger.
She saw something colder.
Disappointment.
