CHAPTER NINE
537 Words
Chapter Nine
Morning came too quickly. The sleepless night had left Briella with faint shadows beneath her eyes, though she covered them carefully before stepping into her office. Work was her shield, and she wore it proudly.
Her desk was stacked with documents, contracts that needed signing, emails that demanded her attention. She welcomed the distraction. If her mind stayed busy, maybe it would stop wandering back to him.
But fate had other plans.
A knock came at her door. Before she could answer, the handle turned and the man himself walked in—Chairman Cedric. He closed the door behind him, his presence filling the room like a winter storm.
“Good morning, Chairman,” Briella said evenly, refusing to let her voice betray her racing heart.
He didn’t reply. Instead, he placed a file on her desk. “Review this. I expect your approval before the end of the day.”
She glanced at the file, then back at him. “You could have sent this through your secretary.”
“I prefer efficiency,” he said coldly.
Her patience snapped, if only for a moment. “Efficiency or control?”
For the first time, his eyes flickered—something sharp, almost dangerous, before the mask slid back into place. “Watch your tone,” he warned.
Silence fell heavy in the room. The ticking of her desk clock was the only sound.
Finally, Briella pushed the file aside. “Why are you doing this, Marci?” she asked, her voice softer now. “We were—”
“I told you not to call me that,” he interrupted, but his tone lacked its usual bite.
She stood, her chair scraping against the floor. “Fine. Chairman Cedric. If that’s who you want to be. But don’t think you can erase who you were. Not from me.”
For a moment, they stared at each other, two wills clashing silently. Then he turned and walked out without another word, leaving the faint scent of his cologne lingering behind.
Briella sat back down, her chest heaving with the weight of unspoken words.
Later that afternoon, she stepped into the boardroom again, this time with several department heads present. They all stood respectfully when Marcellus entered, though the tension was palpable.
As discussions progressed, Briella noticed something subtle: the way he leaned ever so slightly toward her when she spoke, the way his eyes followed her movements even when his face remained expressionless. He was listening to her—truly listening—even if he never acknowledged it aloud.
By the end of the meeting, he made a surprising statement. “The CEO’s suggestion will be implemented. Adjust the schedule as she proposed.”
Gasps rippled around the table. He had dismissed her so harshly the day before, and now he was siding with her.
Briella didn’t react outwardly, but inside, her heart clenched. It was proof, however small, that the Marcellus she knew was still there, hidden beneath the cold exterior.
That night, as she drove home, the streets blurred before her eyes. She didn’t want to admit it, but she already knew: this was only the beginning.
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✨ End of Chapter Nine ✨
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