THE SABOTAGE
989 Words
*8:00 AM. Hale Tower.*
I wasn’t supposed to be nervous.
It was just a meeting.
Just me. Starling. And 8 board members who thought I was a gold digger.
I wore the navy dress Elise picked. "Powerful but approachable."
My hands were shaking anyway.
Starling was already in the boardroom when I got there.
No suit jacket. Sleeves rolled up.
He looked like he hadn’t slept.
“You’re late,” he said without looking up.
“It’s 7:59.”
“Close enough.”
The doors opened.
Damian walked in first. Smirk. Perfect.
Vanessa behind him. Chanel. Victory smile.
“Good morning,” Damian said. “Shall we discuss the... situation?”
He clicked a remote.
The big screen lit up.
Photo 1: Me and Starling on the Vogue rooftop. Kissing.
Photo 2: Mom’s lawsuit headline from 5 years ago.
Photo 3: My old i********: from 3 years ago. Caption: `He broke my heart and I’m still picking up the pieces.`
“Interesting timeline,” Vanessa said sweetly.
“You broke up 3 years ago. He offers you $50,000 now. And suddenly you’re engaged?”
The room went silent.
Starling stood. “That’s enough.”
“Is it?” Damian said. “Because the board has concerns, cousin. About judgment. About stability. About whether this engagement is... real.”
He looked at me. “Ms. Carter. Did you know about the lawsuit when you signed the contract?”
My mouth went dry.
Starling’s eyes flicked to me. Warning. _Stick to the script._
“No,” I lied. My voice didn’t shake. “I didn’t.”
“Liar,” Vanessa said under her breath.
“Vanessa,” Starling snapped. “That’s out of line.”
“Is it?” she said. “Because I have emails, Starling. From your assistant. Booking a car for Ms. Carter the day before the offer. You planned this.”
Damian smiled. “So it _is_ staged.”
Starling slammed his hand on the table.
“It’s not staged. We love each other. We got back together. That’s it.”
“Then prove it,” Damian said. “Board vote is in 12 days. If you can convince us this is real by then, you keep the company. If not... I take over.”
He looked at me. “Good luck, Ms. Carter. You’ll need it.”
They left.
---
*10 minutes later. Starling’s office.*
I was shaking. Angry.
“You told me to lie,” I said.
“I told you to survive,” he shot back.
“Survive? They think I’m using you!”
“Aren’t you?”
The words hit me like a slap.
“Excuse me?”
“You needed money,” Starling said. He was pacing now. “I needed a fiancée. Don’t pretend this is anything else.”
“It’s not?” My voice cracked. “Then what was that kiss yesterday? What was that on the rooftop?”
“That was for the camera!” he yelled.
“LIAR!” I yelled back. “You kissed me like you meant it!”
He stopped pacing. Stared at me.
“For a second,” he said quietly. “I did.”
The air left my lungs.
“Don’t,” I whispered.
“Don’t what? Be honest?”
“Don’t do this. We have 12 days. We can’t—”
“We can’t what, Jessica? Fall for each other again?”
“Yes!” I was crying now and I hated it. “Because when this is over, you’ll go back to being CEO Starling Hale and I’ll go back to Brooklyn and we’ll both pretend this never happened!”
He came closer.
“Maybe I don’t want to pretend.”
My heart stopped.
The office door opened.
Elise. “Mr. Hale, the press is here. They want a statement about the board meeting.”
Starling didn’t look away from me.
“What do you want me to say?” he asked me. Quiet. Just for me.
I wiped my face.
“Tell the truth,” I said. “Or as much of it as we can.”
---
*30 minutes later. Press Conference.*
Cameras. Microphones.
Starling at the podium. Me beside him. Hand in mine.
“Thank you for coming,” he said.
“Yes, the board has concerns. Yes, Jessica’s mother sued Hale Enterprises 5 years ago. No, I didn’t know when we got back together.”
Reporters started shouting.
“Mr. Hale! Is it true you paid her!”
“Ms. Carter! Did you take the money!”
Starling squeezed my hand. Hard.
“Let me be clear,” he said. Voice steel.
“I did not pay Jessica to be my fiancée. I asked her. Because I love her. I loved her 3 years ago. I love her now. And I’m not going to let my cousin or the board or any of you tell me who I can love.”
The room exploded.
I stared at him.
That wasn’t the script.
That wasn’t part of the contract.
He turned to me.
“Was that okay?” he whispered.
I nodded. Couldn’t speak.
Later, in the car, neither of us talked.
Until he did.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“For what?”
“For calling you a gold digger. For yelling. For... everything.”
I looked at him. “Why did you say that? About loving me?”
“Because it’s true,” he said simply.
“And because in 12 days, I might lose everything. And I’m tired of losing you too.”
My phone buzzed.
Mom: `Saw the press conference baby. He’s a good man.`
Vanessa: `Cute speech. Won’t save you.`
Damian: `12 days, cousin.`
Starling reached over and took my hand.
“12 days,” he said.
“Then what?” I asked.
“Then we figure out what’s real,” he said.
“And what was just for the contract.”
- Writer
