You Are Mine To Desecrate

Chapter 5 - Another 2 weeks threat

Ava's POV

The silence that followed my father’s words was deafening. It pressed in on me, thick and suffocating, like I’d been shoved underwater and expected to breathe. My fingers clenched the edge of the table hard enough to hurt, the polished mahogany biting into my skin. The ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner suddenly felt unbearably loud. Each tick echoed like a countdown to everything slipping through my fingers.

And then I heard it—the clicking of heels on marble.

Of course.

She always made an entrance.

Felicia strolled into the dining room with the air of a queen who’d just watched a rival fall. Her honey-blonde hair was in perfect waves, her makeup soft but precise. She wore a cream silk robe that looked far too expensive for someone who didn’t actually work. Her smile was syrupy-sweet, stretched wide across her face like it had been waiting all evening to make an appearance.

Behind her, right on cue, came Caleb.

He had the same arrogant smirk I remembered from childhood. That same relaxed, lazy strut that screamed, “I’ve never had to earn a damn thing in my life.” His black button-down was rolled up at the sleeves, revealing a luxury watch that could pay someone’s rent for a year. I didn’t miss the way his eyes glinted as they locked onto mine.

“Well, well,” Felicia purred, sauntering toward her seat at the end of the table. “I couldn’t help but overhear the… passionate discussion.”

Of course she did. She probably had her ear glued to the door the moment I walked in.

I gritted my teeth, keeping my voice neutral. “Was this dinner or an ambush?”

She laughed softly, pouring herself a glass of wine like we were about to toast something wonderful. “Oh, darling. No need to be so tense. We’re family. This is just... a conversation.”

Her “conversation” felt like the kind people have before they skin something alive.

Caleb took the seat beside her, sprawling casually as if he owned the house. “Relax, Ava,” he said, his voice oozing false innocence. “We all want what’s best for Morales Tech.”

I stared at him, my stomach turning. “You mean you want what’s best for you.”

He held up his hands, mock surrender. “I’m just here to support Dad’s decision.”

Bullshit.

Felicia dabbed the corner of her lip with a linen napkin. “Your father has made a difficult but necessary choice, sweetheart. You’ve tried your best. No one doubts your effort.”

The words landed like poisoned honey.

I looked at my father, still seated at the head of the table, his face a granite sculpture—emotionless, unreadable. He didn’t say a word. Just watched us all.

So this was how it would happen. I was being erased, slowly and politely, with wine glasses and silk robes and backhanded sympathy.

No.

Not like this.

“I’m not stepping down,” I said, my voice sharp and unwavering.

Felicia’s smile barely twitched, but there was something gleaming behind her eyes. Satisfaction. She wanted me to fight. She expected me to beg.

I leaned forward, my voice steady. “Give me two weeks. Just two. I’ll turn the numbers around. I’ll show you exactly why Morales Tech is mine to lead.”

Caleb scoffed. “You’re dreaming. The board already thinks you’re in over your head.”

“They’re not the ones who built this company,” I snapped. “I was in the trenches. I made the calls. I sacrificed everything to keep it afloat. You were on f*****g yachts while I was bleeding for it.”

“Ava,” my father said quietly. The way he said my name—firm, a warning—was enough to make me pause.

Felicia placed a manicured hand gently on his arm. “Darling, maybe we shouldn’t draw this out. She’s clearly exhausted. The pressure’s been too much—”

“Don’t talk about me like I’m not here,” I hissed.

She blinked, feigning surprise. “I’m simply concerned.”

“You’re thrilled,” I corrected. “You’ve been waiting for this.”

My father stood slowly, the scrape of his chair against the floor loud in the silence. “Enough.”

We all froze.

He looked at me for a long moment. Then Caleb. Then back at me.

“Two weeks,” he said. “That’s all I can give you.”

My breath caught.

Felicia blinked, surprised.

Caleb’s smile faltered for a second, then returned, crooked and smug. “If you say so, Dad.”

“Don’t celebrate yet,” I said, glaring at him. “This isn’t over.”

Felicia rose, taking a long sip of her wine. “Of course not, dear. I admire your... determination.”

Her tone made it sound like I was a child playing dress-up in a CEO’s chair.

They didn’t believe I could do it. That’s what made them so cocky. They were already picturing the coronation. Caleb’s big moment.

Good.

Let them.

Because nothing fuels me more than being underestimated.

---

The air in the house felt heavier now. Like I was walking through molasses. I left the dining room without saying another word, my heels clacking against the marble as I passed the staff who all averted their eyes. A butler bowed his head slightly. A maid stood frozen near the stairway with a tray of wine glasses.

I didn’t look at them.

I couldn’t.

Not when my throat was tight and my heart was beating like a war drum in my chest.

I reached the car before I let out the scream building in my lungs. It was muffled, barely more than a gasp, but it was enough to make my entire body shake.

I slammed the door shut behind me and curled my fingers around the steering wheel. My nails dug into the leather, and I didn’t care. I needed to feel something physical. Something real. Because everything else had been smoke and illusions tonight.

Caleb. Felicia. My father.

They were so sure I’d fail.

But I didn’t survive all these years just to be shoved aside like an inconvenient memory.

I stared through the windshield, the lights from the mansion glowing like a twisted fairytale castle behind me. One where the evil queen didn’t bother hiding her fangs.

I could still feel Felicia’s smugness clinging to my skin. The way Caleb looked at me like he was already picking out a new office. Like he thought I’d roll over.

They had no idea who I really was.

I’d burn this company to the ground before I let it fall into their hands.

And if I had to make a deal with the devil himself to save it…

Well.

He’d already shown up in my dreams.