Ex Wife's Collapse After Divorce novel Chapter 53

Chapter 53

The congratulations hit Ethan before he even reached his desk.

“Carter! Deputy head of marketing-man, you’re moving up fast!”

“Didn’t even finish probation. What’s your secret?”

A cluster of employees had formed around him, their faces a mix of genuine surprise and poorly hidden curiosity. One of the sales reps, a younger guy named Marcus who’d trained with Ethan during his first week, leaned in with a conspiratorial grin.

“Be honest,” Marcus said. “Are you, like, connected to the boss or something? I saw you sitting next to Ms. Sinclair at lunch last week.”

Ethan let out a slow breath. He had expected this.

He laughed, shaking his head. “If I were connected, you think I’d be stuck handling Sophie’s account? That order was a nightmare.”

A few of them chuckled. Sophie’s demands had become office legend in under a week.

“Just lucky timing,” Ethan added. “Right place, right moment.”

“Fair point,” Someone admitted, though her eyes still held a flicker of skepticism.

“Seriously, though,” Travis said, clapping Ethan on the shoulder. “You earned this.”

The crowd dispersed eventually, murmuring among themselves. Ethan exhaled, the weight of their stares finally lifting.

Ethan headed toward the marketing department, found the manager’s office and knocked.

Yvonne Marsh looked up from her screen. Mid-forties, sharp-featured, her expression unreadable.” Carter. I was told to expect you.”

“Yvonne.” Ethan stepped inside. “I’m here for the handover.”

She nodded, pushing a slim folder across her desk. “Department structure, key accounts, ongoing campaigns. You’ll report to Aurora directly, but I’ll handle the day-to-day. Any questions, check the file

first.”

“Understood. Thank you,” Ethan said with a smile.

Yvonne returned a brief but not unfriendly smile, and then took her leave.

A sharp, results-oriented leader. Ethan immediately made his preliminary assessment.

Ethan exhaled, settling into his new office. The room was spare-desk, window overlooking the city, a

stack of marketing reports already piled on the corner.

1/3

He’d barely begun sorting through them when a knock came.

+15 Bonus

11

A man stepped in. Dark hair, mid-thirties, mouth set in a thin line. He carried a heavy stack of binders and dropped them on Ethan’s desk with a thud.

Ethan narrowed his eyes. This man was far from friendly.

“More market data.” The voice was clipped, the glance dismissive. “Yvonne said you’d need it.”

“Thanks.” Ethan met his eyes and gave a short nod. “Didn’t catch your name.”

“Nathan Cross.” The man said simply and coldly, then turned and left.

The door closed. Ethan stared at it for a beat, then shrugged. Not everyone welcomed a sudden outsider. Normal enough.

But he had no idea just how unwelcome he was to Nathan.

After reviewing the materials for a while, Ethan decided to head to the breakroom for a cup of coffee. As he drew near, voices drifted out through the gap of the half-open door.

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