THE BOARD MEETING
1399 Words
*Chapter 5:
The boardroom smelled like old money and alpha testosterone.
20 directors. All men. All wolves. All staring at me like I was trash Damien dragged in.
“Executive secretary?” One of them, Chief Adebayo, snorted. He was 60, thick neck, Alpha of a smaller pack. “Since when does Blackwood Industries hire girls with no pack name?”
My pen froze mid-note. I kept my face blank. But my wolf bared her teeth inside me.
Damien didn’t look up from his laptop at the head of the table. “Since she built a 2.3 billion naira company from ₦2,000. Since she graduated top of her class while sleeping in bus parks. Since she’s worth 10 of us combined.”
Silence.
Chief Adebayo’s face turned red. “Watch your tone, boy. I knew your father.”
“And I know you voted to reject me 3 years ago,” Damien said softly. Too softly. “Sit down, Chief. Meeting starts now.”
The room went quiet. Real quiet.
I typed faster. Hands shaking. Not from fear. From the mate bond buzzing under my skin. With him this close, 3 years of suppression felt like trying to hold back a flood with my hands.
“First item,” Damien said. “Starlight Corp acquisition. Miss Cole will present projections.”
All eyes snapped to me.
I stood. Legs steady. Voice steady. “Thank you, Alpha Blackwood.” I used his title. Cold. Professional. “In the last 3 years, Starlight Corp grew 400% annually. Our AI scripting tool reduced content production time by 70% for 500+ YouTube channels. Post-acquisition, Blackwood Industries will dominate digital content in West Africa within 18 months.”
Numbers. Data. Nothing personal. That’s how I survived 3 years.
One director raised his hand. “Question for Miss Cole. If you’re so good, why sell? Why not compete?”
Because I’m tired. Because 2.3 billion means never being hungry again. Because he’s offering it.
“Because Blackwood Industries has resources I don’t,” I said instead. “Distribution. Influence. Pack connections.”
“Pack connections.” Chief Adebayo laughed. “Right. Your pack disowned you. What connections?”
The air changed. Damien’s chair scraped back.
“Chief,” he said. Silver eyes now gold. Alpha power rolling off him in waves. “Miss Cole’s past is not on the agenda. Her work is. You have 2 options: discuss the projections, or leave my boardroom.”
Chief Adebayo sat down fast.
I swallowed. That was for me. He was defending me. In front of 20 Alphas.
My wolf whined. Stupid thing.
The meeting dragged 2 hours. Numbers, forecasts, legal terms. I took notes, poured water, stayed invisible. Professional ghost.
Until Vanessa walked in.
She didn’t knock. Just breezed through the doors in a red dress that screamed _look at me_.
“Sorry I’m late, baby,” she purred. Walked straight to Damien. Dropped a kiss on his mouth. In front of everyone.
The room froze.
Damien went still. Then pulled back. “Vanessa. We’re in a meeting.”
“Board meetings are boring.” She perched on the arm of his chair. Hand on his shoulder. Eyes on me. “Hi, secretary. Still here? I thought you’d quit after last night.”
Jealousy clawed my throat. But I typed. Click click. Let them see I didn’t care.
“Liar,” she whispered. Only I could hear. “You’re jealous. I can smell it.”
Damien stood. Vanessa stumbled off his chair. “Outside. Now.”
“No.” She crossed her arms. “I’m an investor’s daughter. I have rights. And my father says you should marry me, not hire some orphan girl to play house.”
20 directors heard that. 20 wolves heard the word _orphan_.
Shame burned my face.
Damien’s wolf eyes flashed full gold. The room temperature dropped 10 degrees.
“Vanessa,” he said. Voice flat. Deadly. “You have 3 seconds to leave before I have security escort you out. And tell your father: Blackwood Industries does not arrange marriages. Not anymore. Not ever.”
Vanessa’s face crumpled. “You’re choosing her? A rejected mate? Over me?”
“I’m choosing competence,” Damien said. “Over drama. Now get out.”
Security appeared. Vanessa shot me one last hateful look before they dragged her out.
The door closed.
20 directors stared at their papers. Pretending they didn’t just witness an Alpha choose a rejected girl over an investor’s daughter.
Damien sat back down. “Continue, Miss Cole.”
My voice shook when I spoke. “Um… next slide.”
“Water.” He pushed his glass across the table to me. His glass. Where his lips had been.
I drank it. Because my mouth was dry. Because my wolf wanted his scent.
Stupid. So stupid.
Meeting ended. Directors filed out, avoiding my eyes. Avoiding Damien’s.
Chief Adebayo stopped at the door. “Your father would be ashamed, Damien.”
Damien didn’t answer. Just looked at me. Like Chief wasn’t even there.
When the room emptied, he stood. Walked to me.
“You okay?”
“Fine.” I closed my laptop. “Professional courtesy.”
“You’re not fine.” He took the laptop from my hands. Set it down. “Your hands are shaking.”
“Remove your hand.”
He did. But didn’t step back. “Vanessa was wrong. About you. About everything.”
“Don’t.” I wrapped my arms around myself. “Don’t defend me. Don’t look at me like that. You lost that right.”
“I know.” He ran a hand through his hair. Looked exhausted. “But I can’t stop. 3 years watching you from afar, Favour. Seeing you build Starlight Corp while I drowned in board meetings and pack politics. I told myself it was regret. It wasn’t. It was grief.”
“Grief is for the dead.”
“I was grieving you.” The words hit me like a punch. “Every day you weren’t in my bed, in my office, in my life… I was grieving the future we were supposed to have.”
Tears pricked my eyes. I blinked them back hard. “Save it. You made your choice.”
“I made the wrong choice.” He stepped closer. “Let me make it right. Not with words. With actions. 1 month, Favour. Let me prove it.”
The mate bond pulled. Hard. My body leaned toward him before my brain caught up.
His scent wrapped around me. Pine, storm, and something warmer now. Home.
“Don’t,” I whispered. But I didn’t move away.
His hand lifted. Hovered near my cheek. Like 3 nights ago. Like he wanted to touch but was afraid I’d slap him again.
“May I?” he asked. Alpha Damien Blackwood. Asking permission.
That broke me more than the rejection did.
I closed my eyes. Nodded once. Tiny.
His thumb brushed my cheek. Gentle. Like I was glass. Wiping away a tear I didn’t know had fallen.
“It’s okay,” he murmured. “You don’t have to forgive me. Not today. Not ever. Just… let me try.”
For 5 seconds, I let myself pretend. Pretend the last 3 years didn’t happen. Pretend he didn’t break me under the moonlight.
Then the door opened.
“Alpha Blackwood, the 2pm site—” My new assistant froze. Saw us. Saw his hand on my face.
Damien dropped his hand instantly. Mask back on. Cold CEO again.
“What is it, Kemi?”
“Site visit. The investors are waiting.”
“Right.” He grabbed his suit jacket. Didn’t look at me again. “Miss Cole. Bring the projections. Car in 5 minutes.”
He walked out. Leaving me with the ghost of his touch on my skin.
Kemi stared at me. “Wow. He actually defended you. In front of Chief Adebayo. Nobody does that.”
I picked up my laptop. “Let’s go.”
But my hands were still shaking. And my wolf… my wolf was smiling.
1 month.
What the hell had I just agreed to?
Because Alpha Damien Blackwood didn’t just tear up a contract tonight.
He tore down 3 years of walls I built around my heart.
And I wasn’t sure I wanted him to stop.
_[End of Chapter 5 - To be continued…]_
- Writer
