THE ACQUISITION
1359 Words
Chapter Five
The Acquisition
By Thursday morning, I had decided that Adrian Vale was going to become one of those strange stories I told years later.
You know the kind.
Once, I went to a wedding and the groom accused me of being his missing wife.
It would make a great story.
Once I stopped being the person it happened to.
Unfortunately, my life had other plans.
I was halfway through my first coffee when my boss walked into the studio looking like someone had just told him the building was on fire.
“Conference room. Ten minutes.”
Nobody moved.
He looked around at the room full of designers, stylists, assistants, and account managers.
“Everyone.”
That got our attention.
Sophie glanced at me from across the room.
I shrugged.
Whatever was happening, I was fairly sure it wasn't good.
Ten minutes later, we were packed into the largest conference room in the office. My laptop sat open in front of me, although I hadn't touched it since I sat down.
People were whispering.
“What do you think it is?”
“Did we lose the Laurent account?”
“Maybe there's an audit.”
“Why would an audit require everyone?”
I listened without contributing.
Our managing director finally walked in.
He wasn't alone.
The room went silent.
Adrian Vale walked in behind him.
I felt my stomach sink.
Of course.
He wore a charcoal suit, no tie, and the same expression he seemed to reserve for situations that annoyed him.
He didn't look at me.
That somehow made me more nervous than if he had.
The managing director took his place at the front of the room.
“I'll get straight to the point. As of this morning, Vale Holdings has completed the acquisition of Brooks & Laurent Creative.”
Silence.
Someone actually whispered, “What?”
I stared at him.
Acquisition?
Our company?
The managing director continued speaking, explaining figures, restructuring plans, investment, expansion, and a dozen other things that suddenly sounded like meaningless corporate noise.
I looked at Adrian.
He was reading something on his tablet.
Completely calm.
Like he hadn't just bought the company I'd spent years building my career in.
Sophie leaned toward me.
“Did you know about this?”
“No.”
“Did anyone?”
I shook my head.
Apparently not.
The managing director eventually stepped aside.
“Mr. Vale would like to say a few words.”
Adrian stood.
He didn't need a microphone.
The room went quiet anyway.
“Nothing about this acquisition changes the company's immediate operations,” he said. “There will be a review of every department over the next few weeks. Some positions may change. Some may not.”
A murmur passed through the room.
He continued as if he hadn't heard it.
“Our objective is expansion, not destruction. If you're good at your job, you have nothing to worry about.”
His eyes moved across the room.
Then stopped on me.
“For the most part.”
I narrowed my eyes.
He looked away.
I was beginning to dislike him again.
After the meeting, the office exploded into chaos.
People gathered around desks, whispering about who would be fired, who would be promoted, and whether Adrian Vale had a reputation for replacing entire management teams after acquisitions.
By lunchtime, someone had already created a spreadsheet.
Sophie dropped into the chair beside me.
“This is insane.”
“Very.”
“You know what's even more insane?”
I looked at her.
“You're now technically working for the man who thinks you're his dead wife.”
I closed my eyes.
“Please don't say that out loud.”
“Sorry.”
She lowered her voice.
“Your mysterious dead-wife billionaire is now your boss.”
“That's worse.”
“Much worse.”
I couldn't argue with that.
Before I could say anything else, my assistant appeared beside the desk.
“Lilian?”
“Yes?”
“Mr. Vale wants you upstairs.”
Sophie slowly smiled.
“No.”
I pointed at her.
“Don't.”
She held up both hands.
“I'm saying nothing.”
I took the elevator to the executive floor.
The atmosphere was completely different up there.
Quiet.
Expensive.
Intimidating.
Adrian's assistant led me into his office.
He was standing beside the windows, speaking on the phone.
I waited.
He ended the call and looked at me.
“Sit.”
I sat.
He remained standing.
“I reviewed the creative department.”
“Okay.”
“Your work is strong.”
That surprised me.
“Thank you.”
“Don't thank me yet.”
There it was.
I waited.
“I'm keeping your department intact.”
I stared at him.
“Why?”
“Because it's profitable.”
Fair enough.
“And because you're good at what you do,” he added.
I wasn't expecting that.
“Thank you.”
He returned to his desk.
“You'll report directly to the new executive director.”
“Who is?”
“Me, for now.”
Of course.
I resisted the urge to sigh.
“You're going to be very busy.”
“I am.”
“Then why are you personally overseeing my department?”
His eyes lifted to mine.
“Because I don't trust people easily.”
“That sounds exhausting.”
“It is.”
For the first time, something almost resembling amusement appeared in his expression.
It vanished quickly.
“You'll receive the new guidelines tomorrow.”
I stood.
“Is that all?”
“Yes.”
I reached the door.
“Lilian.”
I turned.
His expression had changed.
“Whatever you think happened between us, this acquisition has nothing to do with it.”
I stared at him.
“I didn't think it did.”
“Good.”
I left.
I had barely reached the elevator when I heard heels behind me.
A woman walked past me and entered Adrian's office without knocking.
She was elegant in a way that seemed effortless.
Dark hair.
Perfect makeup.
A cream-coloured suit that probably cost more than my monthly rent.
She stopped when she saw me.
For one brief second, something flickered across her face.
Recognition.
Or perhaps surprise.
Then it disappeared.
“I'm sorry,” she said politely. “Are you new?”
I smiled.
“No. I've worked here for three years.”
“Oh.”
Her eyes moved over me again.
There was something strange about the way she looked at me.
“My name is Camille,” she said.
“Lilian.”
“Lilian Brooks?”
I nodded.
She smiled.
But it didn't reach her eyes.
“Interesting.”
Before I could ask what she meant, Adrian's voice came from inside the office.
“Camille.”
She turned.
“I'll be right there.”
Then she looked at me again.
“Nice meeting you, Lilian.”
“You too.”
She walked inside.
The door closed.
I stood there for another second before getting into the elevator.
Inside Adrian's office, Camille placed her handbag on the chair.
“Who is she?”
Adrian looked up from his desk.
“Lilian Brooks.”
Camille frowned.
“I know her name.”
He said nothing.
She moved toward the windows.
“There was something familiar about her.”
Adrian's expression hardened.
“She's an employee.”
“I didn't say she wasn't.”
Camille glanced at him.
“She looks familiar.”
Adrian looked through the glass wall toward the elevator.
It was already gone.
“I wouldn't worry about it.”
Camille smiled faintly.
“I'm not worried.”
She picked up her handbag.
“Not yet.”
And neither of them noticed the woman standing in the elevator below, staring at her reflection in the mirrored wall.
I didn't know why Camille had looked at me that way.
I didn't know why Adrian had bought my company.
And I certainly didn't know why, for the first time in my life, I had begun to wonder whether the name I'd carried for twenty-nine years belonged to me at all.
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