Chapter 19: A Sliver of Scandal
889 Words
The entire floor was buzzing.
It wasn’t loud or obvious. It was worse than that—it was quiet, like the tension before a storm. Elena stepped into the office Tuesday morning and immediately felt the shift.
Too many eyes. Too many fake smiles. And the unmistakable silence that always followed someone who just walked through a rumor.
She went straight to her desk, dropped her bag, and opened her laptop with trembling fingers.
An email from HR was already waiting for her.
Subject: Compliance Reminder: Relationships in the Workplace
From: Human Resources Department
Time: 7:42 AM
> “This is a general reminder of the company’s code of conduct regarding professional boundaries in the workplace. Romantic or s****l relationships between employees and those in direct supervisory roles are strongly discouraged and must be reported to HR immediately, per company policy…”
Her stomach dropped.
This wasn’t a general reminder.
This was a shot across the bow.
Elena glanced up at Marie’s desk.
The older woman looked poised and smug as she typed away on her computer, completely ignoring Elena’s presence—but something in the slight arch of her eyebrow said everything.
She knew.
And now, so did HR.
---
By noon, Dominic still hadn’t appeared in the office.
Elena’s nerves frayed as she tried to focus on spreadsheets, numbers blurring behind her anxious thoughts. Her phone stayed quiet. No messages. No updates.
Just silence.
Finally, at 1:13 PM, she got a short text:
Dominic:
Need you. Conference room 4B. Now.
She got up and slipped inside the nearest hallway before anyone could question her.
When she stepped into the room, Dominic was pacing, his jacket off and sleeves rolled up. His phone sat on the table, screen glowing with emails. The expression on his face made her heart stutter.
“What happened?” she asked.
“I had a meeting with two board members this morning. Marie’s been talking.”
“I figured,” Elena said, closing the door behind her. “I got the HR email.”
Dominic exhaled sharply. “They didn’t say anything outright, but it was clear they’re fishing. Trying to push me into making a mistake.”
“Like what?”
“Like pretending you’re a distraction. Like distancing myself from you professionally so they can feel ‘comfortable’ again.”
Elena’s stomach twisted. “Are they threatening your position?”
“No. Not yet. But they’re definitely watching both of us now.”
He looked at her, jaw tense. “If this gets out officially before we control the story… they’ll use it against you.”
“I know.”
“You could lose your job.”
“I know.”
“Elena,” he said, voice low and intense, “I need to ask you something. And I need you to be honest.”
She nodded slowly.
“If I went public with us—if I told the board everything and stood by it—would you stay? Or would you run?”
Elena froze.
Dominic stepped closer. “I don’t care about optics. I care about you. But I also know this isn’t what you signed up for. You didn’t ask to be dragged into politics and rumors and damage control.”
“I didn’t,” she whispered. “But I knew it would happen. Eventually.”
“Then what do you want?”
She took a breath, held it… and let it go.
“I want you,” she said. “But I want to fight smart. Not impulsively.”
His brows raised. “Meaning?”
“Meaning let me handle the whispers. Let me do my job, perfectly, flawlessly, while you prepare the board. Give me two weeks. Then… we go public. On our terms.”
Dominic studied her, pride flickering in his eyes.
“You’d really do that?”
“For us? Absolutely.”
He reached for her hand and squeezed. “I knew there was a reason I couldn’t let you go.”
Just then, the door opened—abrupt, unexpected.
And there stood Marie.
Her cool, neutral expression shifted for half a second into something sharper.
“Oh,” she said. “Apologies. I didn’t realize this room was occupied.”
Dominic’s body stiffened.
Elena stayed calm. “Just a strategy meeting, Marie. You know, the kind your department usually schedules?”
Marie’s lips curled into a tight smile. “Of course. Carry on.”
She stepped back out, but they both knew the damage was done.
Dominic let out a slow breath. “She’s going to twist that.”
“I know,” Elena said. “So we’d better move fast.”
---
Later That Night – Elena’s Apartment
Elena sat cross-legged on her bed, laptop open, planning her next moves.
The whispers would only get louder now. The stakes were higher than ever. If she wanted to stay in the company and keep Dominic, she had to be smart, calculated, untouchable.
Her phone buzzed again.
Unknown Number:
Be careful who you trust.
She froze.
Her fingers hovered over the screen.
Another message came through a second later.
Unknown Number:
He’s not who you think he is.
Her pulse raced.
She stared at the texts, icy fear creeping down her spine.
Who the hell was texting her?
And what did they know?
- Writer
