Wanting her

chapter six: Daniel's games 2

Sheila arrived at work the next morning with sore eyes, a hollow ache in her chest, and a spine straighter than it had been in weeks. Today was supposed to be a proud one—her first official day as a full-time employee after completing her internship. But it felt like walking into a battlefield, not a workplace.

She hadn’t gone home the night before. After leaving the bar in tears, she’d crashed at Ashley’s apartment, curled up on the couch in borrowed pajamas, her phone turned face down. She ignored every call that came through except one single message that lit her screen like a lifeline.

Lance: I’m here if you need me. But you don’t have to do this alone.

It wasn’t much.

But it meant more than anything Daniel had said in weeks.

She hadn’t told her parents about the breakup. She couldn’t bear the look of disappointment on her father’s face. And she knew him—knew how impulsive and protective he could be. One word about Daniel’s behavior and he might’ve made things very ugly at the company. And as satisfying as that would’ve been in theory, she didn’t want chaos. She wanted peace. A place to breathe.

The lobby was too quiet when she entered. Heads turned. Eyes followed. There were whispers—not loud, but sharp enough to prick her skin. Some faces looked at her with sympathy. Others with veiled judgment. A few—those aligned with Daniel—held a smug, anticipatory chill.

She kept her chin up and walked toward the elevator. This was her company too now. She reminded herself of that with every step.

When she reached her desk on the executive floor, her computer monitor blinked with a new notification.

Calendar Invite: URGENT – HR Review Meeting

Location: Daniel Kingston’s Office

Time: 9:00 AM

Her stomach dropped.

No explanation. No context. Just an order dressed as a formality.

Before she could process, her phone buzzed again.

Lance: Don’t say a word. I’ll be there in five.

The elevator chimed behind her, and she turned slowly, clutching her bag a little tighter. Whatever this was, Daniel was ready for a performance. And now she had to decide if she’d be part of it—or rise above it.

---

Daniel stood by the tall windows in his office, city skyline gleaming behind him, sipping espresso like it was a casual Monday. He didn’t look like a man who had just planned a corporate ambush. He looked smug. Composed. Cold.

His assistant opened the door and motioned her in.

“Sheila,” Daniel greeted, turning with that blade-sharp smile she used to find charming. “So glad you could make time for this. Sit.”

She remained standing, eyes narrowed. “What’s this about?”

Daniel didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he walked to the desk and slid a folder across the smooth surface. Inside were printed reports, attendance records, email snippets taken out of context. A carefully crafted smear campaign.

“It’s come to my attention,” he said smoothly, “that you misused company time and resources during your internship. Frequent absences. Emotional instability. A lack of focus. This isn’t personal, of course. It’s about professionalism.”

Sheila’s heart began to pound. “You can’t be serious.”

“I’m very serious,” he replied. “You’ve become a liability, Sheila. For the company, and frankly, for its image. Especially after your little outburst at the restaurant.”

Her voice caught in her throat. “You broke up with me. On my birthday. In public.”

“And now,” Daniel continued, “I’m giving you an opportunity to preserve what little dignity you have left. Resign quietly. Walk away before things get messy.”

Her hands trembled at her sides. “You don’t get to rewrite this story. You humiliated me. You made a personal matter into a corporate one.”

Daniel leaned forward slightly, that smug smirk still curving his mouth. “You’re clinging to something that’s over, Sheila. And I don’t allow distractions in my company.”

“I’m not a distraction,” she snapped. “I’m a co-owner. My father transferred his shares to me months ago.”

“And yet you’re here like an intern begging for scraps,” he said coolly. “Let me simplify it: step down, or I’ll make working here so miserable you’ll be begging to leave.”

Before she could react, the door flew open.

Lance Morgan walked in like a storm in human form—dark tailored suit, steady stride, expression carved from stone. His own assistant followed, briefcase in hand, silent and composed.

“You’ll want to walk that back, Kingston,” Lance said, voice low and edged with steel.

Daniel turned, scowling. “You weren’t invited, Morgan.”

“No,” Lance replied, stepping further inside. “But I heard you were trying to fire one of my consultants under a company that neither of you own outright.”

He tossed a file onto the desk.

Daniel glanced down at it, his jaw tightening as he recognized the MorganTech letterhead.

“Sheila entered into a dual-employment contract last month,” Lance said calmly. “She’s been consulting for MorganTech while on paid sabbatical—sabbatical approved by your father before he passed.”

Sheila blinked. “I... what?”

Lance looked at her then, his expression softening for a fraction of a second. “I didn’t want you trapped here. I wanted you to grow on your own terms. This place was never the limit of your worth.”

Daniel’s expression darkened. “You went behind my back?”

“No,” Lance countered, stepping closer, tone sharper. “I stepped in after you tore her apart. What you’re doing now? This is harassment. It’s retaliation. And it’s stupid.”

He gestured to the assistant beside him, who handed him another document. Lance placed it gently on the desk.

“Also, for clarity—Sheila is a major shareholder. You have no authority to ask her to resign. She can do as she pleases with her time here.”

He fixed Daniel with a cold stare. “Push this, and I’ll drag you through a lawsuit that’ll paint this company—and you—as toxic. You’ll be the liability. Not her.”

Daniel stood rigid, chest rising and falling, fists clenched at his sides. The mask of indifference cracked.

“She’s not worth it,” he said finally, voice rough.

“Then stop chasing what you threw away,” Lance snapped.

He turned to Sheila, offering his hand.

“Come with me.”

She hesitated only a moment, then stepped forward and walked beside him.

The hallway outside was full of eyes—some stunned, others gleaming with interest. The rumor mill would burn after this. She knew that. But for the first time in weeks, she didn’t feel small.

They reached the elevator in silence. Just before the doors closed, Sheila turned and looked up at Lance.

“You did all that... for me?”

Lance looked at her, his voice soft. “I’d do worse. If it meant no one ever made you feel less than what you are again.”

The doors shut behind them with a soft click.

And in his office, Daniel slammed his fist into the glass desk, a spiderweb of cracks spreading under his knuckles.

He had just made his first real enemy.

And he knew it