Her Billion Dollar Exit

THE ROSTER

EVELYN

I was watching the second meeting with my firm’s rep and the Hayes company from my office, a pen stuck between my teeth while my chair moved from side to side.

Reports, contracts, and half-finished notes were scattered everywhere, evidence of a workday I hadn’t been paying much attention to.

I tried to focus on everybody else, but for some reason, my eyes stayed on Arthur’s visibly annoyed face. His jaw looked tight, one hand drumming against the conference table while the others spoke. The thing was that I knew why he was annoyed, even if I wasn’t there with them. Or at least, I felt like I knew.

I shut the laptop with that thought in mind, the screen snapping closed louder than necessary. Then I leaned back in my chair and moved it side to side, staring at the ceiling while fighting the weird thoughts of Arthur in my head until they were impossible to keep fighting.

At some point, I guess my exhaustion won.

“Someone is here to see you, ma. Ma’am?”A voice dragged me out of my sleep.

I blinked several times, disoriented. My neck ached from sleeping at an awkward angle, and the pen I’d been chewing on earlier had rolled somewhere across the desk. My assistant still stood there, holding a small bouquet of lilies in her hands.

“Who?” I asked, most of the sleep clearing from my eyes.

She paused. Then cleared her throat and answered, “Mr Hayes, sir.”

My gaze immediately dropped to the flowers.

The look on her face told me she expected me to quickly send him off, ask her to shut the door in my ex’s face. Oh, how I’d have loved to do that.

But not today.

Today, after a moment of silence, I nodded at her like I was expecting him anyways. I smoothed down the front of my blouse, straightened in my chair, and blinked away the remaining traces of sleep.

“Bring him in.”

She nodded, carefully dropped the flowers on my table, and left.

Not up to a minute later, the door creaked open. Arthur appeared, easily filling out the frame. My breath hitched, an unwanted tingle shooting straight to my core at just the sheer size of him.

By the time he’d shut the door behind him, I’d locked my face into a cold, indifferent mask. As always, he looked infuriatingly good, buttoned up in a navy blue suit tailored to his frame. He wore a black shirt underneath, the top button undone and his tie slightly loosened.

Arthur always had this nonchalant beauty to him. The man never had to try. And the only reason I was grateful for this trait was because it was passed down to my Toby.

Even at five, my boy was elegant. Thanks to me, too, of course. But most of the credit—if I was being honest—went to Arthur.

“You can take a seat.” I gestured towards the chair in front of me, finally tearing my gaze off his body. I swallowed, and starting pushing around the content of my desk in search of the paper I’d spent all night writing and rewriting.

I heard him plop down on the seat. He spoke first,

“You weren’t at the meeting.” He accused.

I rolled my eyes, still looking for the paper.

“I told you I wasn’t coming.” I said, my fingers finally brushing the paper on the table. I picked it up and glanced up, locking eyes with him.

I didn’t know whether to be proud of myself for not having this blinding rage when I saw this man these days, or to be scared that I was relaxing around him.

During those first few days after he popped back into my life, I had to take pills just to sleep. I cried my eyes out the first night I saw him as it was like the memories slammed right into me like a freight train.

Now, it was easier. I guess time really healed things.

I would never be fully healed. But at least, I was not where I used to be.

“I asked you to come anyway. I told you we had important things to discuss.” His tone clipped the air between us. "I'm not comfortable with a representative showing up to these meetings. Don't I have a say in this? As a client?"

I watched him for a few seconds, letting the silence stretch. Then I shrugged. "I'll look into your request, Mr. Hayes. I'm a really busy wom—"

"I need you at the meetings, Evelyn." He cut me off.

A bitter laugh escaped my throat. "And I said I'll look into it."

I glared at him for a beat, then slammed the paper down on the desk, sliding it right in front of him.

"I would have texted you, but I had a gut feeling I'd see you soon anyway. It's Toby's schedule. And mine, for this week. Pick a slot where you're free, and we can meet."

He didn't touch the paper. He just stared at it, his face a perfect, unreadable mask. When he finally reached out and picked it up, his expression didn't even flicker.

A dark rage began to simmer in my chest.

Wow. He wasn't even excited? He was looking at his own son's schedule like it was a boring corporate contract.

Pissed, I broke the silence, the venom dripping from my words. "Would your wife have a problem with this? Because let me make one thing clear: do I need to get a restraining order like I did with Rebecca? If Samantha comes within an inch of my son, or tries anything stupid, she'll get the exact same treatment as your sister. Oh, and you lose all privileges of seeing him. I'll make sure of it. I don't mind fighting you until my last penny."

Arthur didn't snap back. Instead, his fingers tightened on the edge of the paper, crumpling the corner just a fraction.

He slowly glanced up at me. The arrogant, untouchable man was gone. In his eyes, I saw a jarring flicker of raw vulnerability that made my chest tighten.

"Do you think he'll like me?" He asked, his voice strained.

All the breath seized in my lungs for a second there. I realized how nervous he looked now, it was almost too painful to watch.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, forcing my voice to remain steady as I answered, “Only one way to find out, right?”