CHAPTER 7:THE DEAL.
1424 Words
The rain followed us all the way to my apartment.
Neither of us spoke in the elevator. Adrian stood two feet away, hands in his pockets, dripping on my cheap floor.
"You live here?" he asked quietly when we got inside.
"Yes," I said. "Problem?"
"No," he said quickly. "I just... didn't know."
"That I wasn't rich? That I wasn't living in a penthouse?" I dropped my keys on the table. "Welcome to reality, Mr. Cole."
Adrian flinched but didn't argue.
I grabbed two towels and threw one at him. "Dry off. Then we talk."
He caught it. "About what?"
"About the deal," I said. "About the truth. About everything."
We sat at my tiny kitchen table. Two cups of coffee between us. The silence was heavy.
"You first," I said.
Adrian ran a hand through his wet hair. "Where do I start?"
"At the beginning," I said. "Meridian."
Adrian closed his eyes. "Six months ago. The board pressured me to approve the Meridian deal. It was risky. I knew it. But my father said if I didn't, they'd replace me."
"So you did it."
"I did it," he admitted. "And it failed. Lost the company 4 million dollars. The board wanted a scapegoat."
"And they chose me."
"They suggested it," Adrian said. "I didn't stop them. That's on me."
I sipped my coffee. It tasted bitter. "Why me?"
"Because you were new," Adrian said. "Because no one would question it. Because I was a coward."
The honesty hurt more than the lie.
"And the fake evidence?" I asked.
Adrian looked down. "After you were fired, I panicked. I thought the board would come after me next. So I made files. Just in case. I told myself I'd delete them. But I didn't."
"Rebecca found them," I said.
Adrian nodded. "She's been waiting for a reason to take over. She's wanted my position for years. Father always said she was more 'ruthless'. More 'CEO material'."
"And the texts?"
"Her," Adrian said. "She's been monitoring me. Monitoring you. She wanted me to break. Wanted you to hate me so I'd be distracted."
I was quiet for a long time.
"Why are you telling me all this?" I asked finally.
"Because you asked me to," Adrian said. "And because I'm tired of lying."
I believed him. Or at least, I wanted to.
"Okay," I said. "Deal."
Adrian looked up. "What?"
"You want to fix things? You want to be my investor? Here's the deal." I pulled out a notebook. "One: 2 million dollars. Seed money for my company."
"Done," Adrian said immediately.
"Two: You work for me. Not as CEO. As an advisor. You answer to me."
Adrian hesitated. "My father—"
"Is not part of this," I cut him off. "This is between you and me."
Adrian nodded slowly. "Okay."
"Three: Full transparency. No more secrets. No more lies. If you lie to me once, the deal is off and I walk."
Adrian met my eyes. "I can do that."
"Four," I said. "You help me clear my name. Publicly. No press release written by lawyers. You. On camera. Taking responsibility."
Adrian exhaled. "That will destroy me."
"It should have destroyed you 6 months ago," I said.
Adrian looked at me for a long time. Then he nodded. "Okay."
"Good," I said. "Now, what do you know about startups?"
Adrian blinked. "What?"
"My company," I said. "It's called Meridian Solutions. Irony, right? We consult for small businesses who got screwed by big corporations. We help them recover. We help them fight back."
Adrian almost smiled. "That's... fitting."
"I need someone who knows how corporations think," I said. "Someone who knows all the dirty tricks. That’s you."
"You want to hire me?" Adrian asked, like he couldn't believe it.
"I want to use you," I corrected. "There's a difference."
Adrian nodded. "Fair."
We spent the next 3 hours planning. Business names. Target clients. Marketing. Legal structure.
For the first time in 6 months, I felt in control.
At 8pm, Adrian's phone buzzed. He looked at it and cursed.
"What?" I asked.
"Board meeting," he said. "In an hour. Rebecca called it."
"Are you going?"
"I have to," Adrian said. "If I don't show up, they vote me out without me."
I stood up. "Then let's go."
Adrian looked surprised. "You want to come?"
"I want to see the look on Rebecca's face when you resign," I said. "On your terms."
Adrian stared at me. Then he smiled. A real smile. The first one I'd seen in months.
"Okay," he said. "Let's go."
---
The Cole Enterprises building was lit up like a fortress.
We walked in together. Security stared. Employees whispered.
Rebecca was waiting in the boardroom. 12 people sat around the table. All of them older. All of them looking at us like we were a scandal.
"Adrian," Rebecca said. "You're late."
"Am I?" Adrian said. He pulled out a chair for me. I sat.
Rebecca's eyes narrowed. "Who is this?"
"This is [Name]," Adrian said. "My business partner."
The room erupted in murmurs.
"Partner?" Rebecca laughed. "You mean the girl you fired?"
"I mean the woman I'm going to invest in," Adrian said. "And the woman I'm going to apologize to. Publicly."
The room went silent.
Rebecca stood up. "You can't be serious."
"I am," Adrian said. "Six months ago, I approved the Meridian deal. I knew it was risky. I did it anyway. When it failed, I let the board blame [Name]. She was innocent. And I did nothing."
He turned to me. "I'm sorry," he said. "For everything."
I nodded once.
Adrian turned back to the board. "I'm resigning as CEO. Effective immediately. But I'm not leaving. I'm starting a new company. And I'm taking my shares with me."
Rebecca slammed her hands on the table. "You can't do that! Father will—"
"Father can sue me," Adrian said calmly. "He won't win."
One of the board members spoke up. "Adrian, think about this. Your reputation—"
"My reputation is already ruined," Adrian said. "The only way to fix it is to do the right thing."
He looked at me again. "And the right thing is her."
Rebecca was shaking with rage. "You’re throwing away everything for her?"
"No," Adrian said. "I'm taking back everything. For her."
He stood up. "Meeting adjourned."
We walked out.
The moment the doors closed behind us, Adrian sagged against the wall.
"Did I just ruin my life?" he asked quietly.
"No," I said. "You just started it."
Adrian looked at me. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet," I said. "We have a company to build."
---
Two weeks later.
Meridian Solutions had an office. Small. Two rooms. But it was ours.
Adrian showed up every day at 9am. In jeans and a t-shirt. No suit. No bodyguards.
He answered phones. He made coffee. He sat in on client meetings and didn't say a word unless I asked him to.
The press release went viral. "CEO Takes Responsibility, Resigns, Apologizes to Former Employee."
People called him brave. Stupid. Reckless.
I called him my partner.
One night, we were working late. Just the two of us. Papers everywhere. Empty coffee cups.
"You don't have to do this," I said. "You could go back. Beg your father. Get your job back."
Adrian looked up from his laptop. "Why would I?"
"Because this is hard," I said. "Because we're broke. Because Rebecca is probably trying to destroy us right now."
Adrian smiled. "Because I want to."
"Why?" I asked.
Adrian set down his pen. "Because when I was CEO, I had everything. Money. Power. Respect. And I was miserable. Because I was lying. To the board. To my family. To myself."
He looked at me. "With you, I have nothing. And I'm happy."
The room went quiet.
"That's a good answer," I said softly.
Adrian stood up. Walked around the table. Stopped in front of me.
"[Name]," he said. "Can I ask you something?"
"What?"
"Do you... do you think we could try? Again. As us. Not as CEO and secretary. Not as victim and villain. Just... us."
My heart was pounding.
Six months ago, I would have said yes immediately.
Three weeks ago, I would have said no.
Today?
"Yes," I said. "But slowly."
Adrian smiled. "Slowly. I can do slowly."
He reached out and took my hand. His fingers were warm.
"Deal?" he asked.
"Deal," I said.
Outside, the city lights were bright.
And for the first time in a long time, so was I.
- Writer
