CHAPTER 4 : THE BOARD
1327 Words
The estate was not a house. It was a fortress.
White stone. 20 bedrooms. Gates with guards. And me, in the back of the Rolls Royce, holding Liam’s hand so tight he squeaked.
“Mommy, I’m scared,” he whispered.
“Don’t be, baby,” I said. “We’re just meeting some of Daddy’s friends.”
Daddy. The word tasted wrong. Damian hadn’t corrected me in the car.
Damian was driving. No driver tonight. Just him, me, and Liam in the backseat.
He hadn’t spoken in 20 minutes.
“The Board is old money,” he said finally, eyes on the road. “They hate change. They hate me. And they’re going to hate you.”
“Thanks for the warning,” I said dryly.
“They don’t care about Liam,” Damian said. “To them, he’s proof you’re unstable. A liability.”
My stomach turned. “Then why bring him?”
“Because hiding him makes us look guilty,” Damian said. “We face them. Together.”
He glanced at me in the rearview mirror. For half a second, his mask cracked. He looked worried.
For me.
The gates opened.
Inside, 12 men were already waiting in the garden. Suits. Cigars. The smell of money and judgment.
And at the front: Richard Vance. Damian’s uncle. The one who wanted his seat.
“Damian,” Richard said, smiling. It didn’t reach his eyes. “And this must be the famous Mrs. Blackwood.”
His eyes slid to me. Then to Liam.
“So young,” Richard said. “And sick, I hear.”
Liam hid behind my legs.
Damian stepped in front of us. “State your business, Richard.”
“My business is this company,” Richard said. “And my business is making sure our CEO isn’t distracted by... personal matters.”
“Personal matters like a wife?” Damian’s voice was ice. “Like a son?”
“Son?” Richard laughed. “He’s not yours, Damian. We all know that.”
The air went still.
Liam’s hand squeezed mine.
“That’s enough,” Damian said quietly. Too quietly. “Ava is my wife. Liam is under my protection. That makes them family. Touch them, and you answer to me.”
“Family,” Richard scoffed. “You married a nurse with half a million in debt. The board sees this as blackmail. Or worse. Love.”
Damian’s jaw ticked. “Watch your mouth.”
“I’m just saying what everyone’s thinking,” Richard said. “You’re compromised.”
Before I could think, I stepped forward.
“Mr. Vance,” I said. My voice didn’t shake. “My son has leukemia. The treatment costs $500,000. Your nephew paid it. Not because he’s compromised. Because he’s the only person who offered to help without asking for anything in return.”
Lie. The contract asked for everything.
But I said it anyway.
Richard looked at me like I was dirt. “How touching. And what do you do for him, Mrs. Blackwood? Besides spend his money?”
I opened my mouth.
Liam spoke first.
“He brings me cars,” Liam said, small but clear. “And he told the mean nurse not to yell at Mommy.”
Every man in the garden went silent.
Damian didn’t look at me. But his hand found mine. Squeezed once.
“Any other questions?” Damian asked. “Or can we go inside?”
They followed. To the dining room. To a table that could seat 30.
Lunch was torture. Questions about my job. My past. Ryan.
“Where is the father?” one board member asked.
“Not relevant,” Damian said.
“I think it is,” Richard said. “We got a tip he’s been contacting Mrs. Blackwood. A security risk.”
My blood froze.
Damian set his glass down. “Who gave you that tip?”
“Does it matter?” Richard smiled. “The point is, Damian, you’re distracted. You’re emotional. You married in secret. You’re hiding a sick child. The board votes tonight. Confidence vote.”
“If you vote me out,” Damian said, “the company loses 30% of its value by morning. Because I am the company.”
“Maybe,” Richard said. “Or maybe we get a CEO who doesn’t bring his problems to work.”
He looked right at Liam.
That’s when I snapped.
“You want to talk about problems?” I stood up. “My son is 5. He’s fighting for his life. And the only reason he’s alive right now is because of the man you’re trying to destroy. So you can sit here with your cigars and your money and judge me? Go to hell.”
Gasps.
Damian stared at me. Shock. Then something else. Pride.
Richard slammed his hand on the table. “You will not speak to—”
“Actually,” Damian cut in, standing too. “She will. And you will listen.”
He pulled me to his side. His arm around my waist. Possessive. Protective. Real.
“This is my wife,” Damian said to the room. “This is my son. If you have a problem with them, you have a problem with me. And if you vote me out tonight, you better be ready to run the company without me.”
He looked at each man. One by one.
“Meeting adjourned.”
He led me out. Liam in my arms.
In the car, no one spoke for 10 minutes.
Then Liam, asleep in the back, mumbled, “Did I do good, Mommy?”
Damian answered before I could. “You did perfect, kid.”
We got back to the penthouse at sunset.
I put Liam to bed in the guest room I’d moved him into. He fell asleep holding the toy car.
When I came out, Damian was on the balcony. Whiskey in hand.
“That was stupid,” he said without turning. “What you did in there.”
“I know.”
“You could’ve ruined everything.”
“I know.”
He turned. “Why did you do it?”
“Because they were talking about my son like he was a problem,” I said. “And no one talks about my son like that.”
Damian studied me. “You’re reckless.”
“You’re welcome.”
A ghost of a smile.
“The vote is in 3 hours,” he said. “If I lose, the money stops. If I win, Richard will come after you. After Liam.”
“So what do we do?”
Damian set his glass down. Walked to me.
“We fight,” he said. “Together.”
He reached up and tucked hair behind my ear. His fingers lingered.
“The contract said 6 months,” he murmured. “But Ava, I don’t think I can let you go in 6 months.”
My heart stopped. “Damian—”
“My phone,” he said suddenly. Pulled it out. Read it. His face went pale.
“What?”
“Richard,” Damian said. “He found Ryan. And he’s bringing him to the vote.”
The world tilted.
“Why?” I whispered.
“To prove you’re still in contact with your ex,” Damian said. “To prove the marriage is a fraud. To take everything from us.”
He looked at me. Really looked at me.
“I told you not to fall in love with me,” he said. “But I think it’s too late for both of us.”
A knock on the door.
Damian’s security. “Sir. Mr. Vance and a Mr. Ryan Carter are here. For the board meeting.”
Ryan. Here.
Damian met my eyes.
“Get behind me,” he said. “And don’t let go.”
*[END OF CHAPTER 4]*
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