BEAUTY AND BEHOLDER

THE ULTIMATUM “If this is about controlling me, just say it.” Ryan Salvador stood in the center of the boardroom, her voice calm but sharp. The room was too quiet, too polished. The kind of quiet that warned you something was coming. Ryan was silent in the crowd, she hated to stress herself to communicate with another. Her father, Mateo Salvador, didn’t answer right away. He gave silence to what she had just said as he sat at the head of the long glass table, fingers steepled, expression unreadable. The Salvador Global logo gleamed behind him like a crown. So pleasant to be of such a legacy. “This is about the future,” Mateo said. “And your place in it.” Ryan crossed her arms. “My place? I’ve worked for it. I earned it. You made it seem as if I bought it for myself cause I'm a born of the family. No dad. I made that happen”. Casandra, her mother, sat on the other side of the table. Perfect posture. Diamond earrings. Cold eyes. “This is bigger than what ‘ you have ‘ earned, Ryan. It’s about securing what the company needs to survive. It's about protecting the family legacy. It's about leading Salvador to another higher era. Do you think about that?” Mateo nodded. “We’re merging with the Smiths Capital. To seal that alliance, you’ll marry his son, Richardo Smith. You surely must have heard of him.” Ryan froze. “Marry who?” “Ricardo is smart, well-connected, and from a clean legacy. When I say a clean legacy, I mean a legacy that one can be attached to “, Mateo said. “The union benefits both families. It sends the right message to shareholders.” Ryan stared at him. “You want me to marry a man I barely know... for business? Dad, are you that desperate?” “It’s strategic,” Casandra said. “Not personal.” “I’m not a pawn,” Ryan snapped. “ I am your daughter, Dad.” Nelly’s soft voice cut through the room like a knife through silk. “No one said you were, Ryan.” Ryan turned. Her step-sister was sitting at the far end of the table, legs crossed, expression calm. Always calm. “Of course you’d agree with them, since it isn't about you,” Ryan said. “I’m just being realistic,” Nelly said. “Richardo is a good choice. And if you don’t want the role, the board will need someone... dependable.” Ryan narrowed her eyes. “You mean yourself? If you are keen on occupying that space why not take the role and marry Richardo?” Nelly didn’t answer. She didn’t have to. Mateo leaned forward. “The board votes in six months. If you’re married to Ricardo by then, we’ll announce your promotion. If not, we’ll consider other candidates.” Ryan shook her head. “This is a setup. I won't be a part of this .” “No,” Mateo said. “This is your opportunity. A lifetime opportunity. Come on think about it, baby.” “I won’t do it,” Ryan said. “I’m not going to tie myself to a man for a headline. So, no show.” “You’d rather throw away everything you’ve built?” Casandra asked. “I built it without marrying anyone, and I’ll keep building it. My way,” Ryan said. Nelly’s voice was soft, almost kind. “Not everything is a fight, Ryan.” “That’s easy to say when the world hands you everything,” Ryan said. “I had to work and earn it.” Mateo stood. “This is your decision. But if you walk away from this, don’t expect the board—or me—to back you.” Ryan looked around the room. Her family. Her enemies. Maybe both. “I’d rather lose the company than lose myself,” she said. Then she turned and walked out—heels clicking, heart racing, jaw set. Behind her, Mateo’s voice followed like a shadow. “You’re making a mistake, Ryan.” She didn’t look back. “No,” she muttered to herself. “You did.” As she exited the building from the entrance, she debated whether she was a trueborn of the family. “This isn't the right way to go in order to sustain the company, definitely not”. She thought to herself. “ and this isn't a good way to acquire a position I have long worker for”. She walked up to her ride as her heels kept clicking on the marbled floor.