Charges Lifted

Ethan groaned as his alarm buzzed.

He slapped his hand over his phone, silencing it, and let out a deep sigh.

His phone screen glowed faintly, displaying a timestamp that read 6:15 AM. It had been a long night.

He stretched, his body protesting after hours of staying up late texting Lila.

Their conversation had been surprisingly lively — full of jokes, bits of her college life, and stories he never thought he'd hear from someone so reserved.

She'd been shy when they first met, but the more they talked, the more her personality shone through.

Ethan swung his legs over the side of the bed, running a hand through his messy hair.

'Why does she make it so easy to stay up late?' he wondered, chuckling to himself as he stood.

He grabbed his toothbrush, stuck it in his mouth, and shuffled down to the kitchen in his boxers and an old T-shirt.

As he moved, he thumbed through a few messages on his phone. His employees had already sent their morning updates: all the trucks were prepped and out at their designated spots.

With how smoothly things were running now, he no longer needed to micromanage every detail.

Plopping down on the couch, Ethan grabbed the remote and flipped on the TV. The morning news was just starting, the headline music buzzing through the room.

He leaned back, absentmindedly brushing his teeth as he glanced at the screen.

Then he froze.

The headline at the bottom of the screen read:

"Local Tech Giant Exonerates Former Employee of Wrongdoing — Video Proven Fake."

Ethan's eyes widened, his toothbrush slipping from his hand and clattering onto the coffee table.

The anchor's voice filled the room:

"Breaking news this morning: Newton Development Corp. has issued a public statement retracting allegations against a former employee. Police investigations confirm that the harassment video circulated last year was digitally manipulated. The company has terminated all individuals involved in the incident. The exonerated individual, once accused of embezzlement and harassment, is now free of all charges."

Ethan stared at the screen, his mouth slightly open. He didn't need to hear his name — it wasn't mentioned, but he knew exactly who the report was about.

Leaning forward, he rubbed his face, processing the news.

His former workplace had taken everything from him — his job, his reputation, and nearly his will to keep going.

And now, after all this time, they were trying to clean their hands by firing those responsible and making it seem like they were the heroes of the story.

"Figures," he muttered bitterly. And they wouldn't return the money he had paid off as well, since that had settled the debt but he didn't care about it – they could keep it for all he cared, it wasn't important to him anymore.

The charges had been cleared and though his life couldn't return to the way it once was, he was happy it was like this and that he had left that goddamn company while he still had the chance – if not he might have still been a man slaving away for an average salary. This was much better than any job could offer.

The anger bubbling up inside him was quickly replaced by something calmer. Relief. No one could use those accusations against him anymore. His name was officially cleared.

Still, he wasn't about to celebrate.

Ethan turned off the TV, tossing the remote aside. "Too little, too late," he said to no one in particular.

He got up, pulling on his tracksuit, and tied the strings tight around his waist. If there was one thing that could help him shake off the remnants of anger, it was a good run.

The cool morning air greeted him as he stepped outside.

The sun was still low, painting the sky with soft pink and orange hues. The neighborhood was quiet, save for the occasional bark of a dog or the faint hum of a car in the distance.

Ethan slid his earbuds in, tapping play on his workout spotify playlist, and began jogging down the street.

With each step, his thoughts churned.

He thought about how far he'd come since those dark days when the charges were first made public. The nights spent staring at his apartment ceiling, wondering if he'd ever find his way back.

The stares, the whispers, the rejection from people who had once called themselves friends.

And yet, he'd risen above it all.

He thought of Lila's laugh from last night and the way she'd shared pieces of her life with him, bit by bit.

He thought of the food truck business that had gone from a desperate experiment to a thriving enterprise, employing people and bringing good food to the city.

And he thought of the second Apartment building that he had bought.

'This is just the beginning,' he told himself as his pace quickened.

By the time Ethan returned home, sweat dripped from his forehead, and his muscles burned pleasantly. He felt lighter, like the run had stripped away some of the weight he'd been carrying since seeing the news.

Back inside, he grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and sank into the couch. His phone buzzed, and he glanced at the screen.

It was a text from Marty, his go-to guy for the renovation.

[Marty]

[Hey boss, just wanted to let you know the new windows are going in today. Should be done by noon.]

Ethan smiled faintly, typing back a quick reply.

[Ethan]

[Thanks, Marty. Appreciate it.]

Setting the phone down, he leaned back and closed his eyes for a moment. The path ahead was clear now. He just needed to follow it wherever it would take him, and he was sure it would take him to the path of a Billionaire.