The Maid Who Owned The Empire

Chapter 5

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*Title: Chapter 5 – You Can Fire Me, But You Won’t*

*Kain Corp. 47th Floor. 8:03 AM.*

I didn’t sleep.

When I got back to my room, I lay down, but Damian’s kiss kept replaying in my head.

Desperate. Angry. Real.

And then what he said: _“We talk in the morning.”_

Now it’s morning.

8 AM sharp. Conference Room 47A.

Just me and him.

I knocked once, then walked in.

Damian was sitting at the end of the long table. Suit on, no tie. His hair was still messy from lack of sleep. Two coffees sat in front of him.

“Sit,” he said, not looking up.

I sat.

Silence.

The air was heavy.

“Selina’s trap didn’t work,” he said finally. “I closed the backdoor. Project Omega is safe.”

“Good,” I replied.

“Good,” he repeated, like he was waiting for me to say more. I didn’t.

He finally looked up. His eyes were red from lack of sleep, but sharp as ever.

“So,” he said. “Talk.”

“About what?” I played dumb.

“Don’t,” Damian said quietly. “Don’t make me drag it out of you.”

I took a deep breath.

“Fine. I’m Luna Morales. I’m Victor Kain’s granddaughter. I own 51% of Kain Corp. Happy now?”

Damian just nodded, like he’d expected it.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked.

“Because you would’ve fired me on day one,” I said. “You said it yourself. You don’t trust anyone.”

“And now?” Damian leaned forward. “Do you trust me?”

That question hit me straight in the chest.

Do I?

After the kiss? After he stayed up 48 hours with me to save the company?

“Yes,” I said. Quiet, but true.

Damian paused, like he hadn’t expected that answer.

“Then why hide it still?” he asked.

“Because if I tell the board, Selina will know I’m a threat. She’ll come after me. After my brother. I can’t risk that yet.”

Damian nodded. “Makes sense.”

I blinked. I expected him to be angry. To call it betrayal.

“That’s it?” I asked. “Nothing else to say?”

Damian stood and walked to the window. He stared out at the Makati skyline.

“You’re the owner,” he said. “I work for you. Always have.”

“So you’re not mad?”

Damian turned back to me. He gave a small smirk—the kind that made the board nervous.

“Mad? No. Impressed? Yes. You infiltrated your own company, stayed undetected for months, and saved it twice. If I were you, I’d do the same.”

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.

“So… I’m not fired?”

Damian walked back to the table and picked up one of the coffees. He held it out to me.

“You’re not fired, Luna,” he said. “But things are changing.”

I took the coffee. “What do you mean?”

“From now on, no more lies,” he said. “If you know something, you tell me. If I know something, I tell you. We’re partners now.”

Partners.

Weird word to hear from him.

“Partners?” I asked.

Damian nodded. “You own the company. I run it. We can’t do that if we’re keeping secrets.”

“Deal,” I said.

He held out his hand.

I stared at it. “What?”

“Shake on it,” he said. “Formal contract.”

I let out a small laugh, then took his hand.

His grip was warm. Firm. Confident.

“Deal,” I said again.

When he let go, his expression turned serious.

“One more thing,” he said.

“What?”

“About last night,” he said, voice lower. “The kiss.”

I swallowed.

“Was that a mistake?” he asked.

I looked at him. He was serious. He wasn’t playing.

“No,” I said. “It wasn’t a mistake.”

Damian nodded, like that relieved him.

“Good,” he said. “Because I don’t make the same mistake twice.”

Before I could process that, his phone buzzed.

Damian checked it, and his expression changed instantly.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Board meeting,” he said. “30 minutes. Emergency.”

I stood up fast. “About Project Omega?”

“No,” he said. “About you.”

I froze.

“Selina leaked it,” he said. “She told the board there’s an ‘unknown heir’ with 51% shares. They want to meet you.”

“s**t,” I muttered.

Damian stepped closer. “You don’t have to go. I can handle it.”

“No,” I said. “If they want the owner, I’ll show up as the owner.”

Damian looked at me for a long time.

“Ready?” he asked.

I wasn’t ready. But there was no turning back now.

“Ready,” I said.

“Then let’s go. And Luna?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t let them see you sweat.”

I smiled. “I don’t sweat. I hack.”

Damian chuckled quietly. “Good. Keep that energy.”

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*9:15 AM. Board Room. 50th Floor.*

The room was full. 12 board members. All eyes on me.

Selina was there too. Smiling, but her eyes were full of venom.

Damian stood beside me. Silent, but I felt his presence—protective.

“So,” Chairman Reyes said. “You’re Luna Morales?”

I stood up.

“Yes,” I said, voice clear and steady. “I am Luna Morales. Granddaughter of Victor Kain. Owner of 51% of Kain Corp.”

Murmurs spread through the room.

“Proof?” Selina asked, voice sweet but laced with poison.

I pulled out my tablet and showed them the scanned copy of Victor Kain’s will.

“Verified by Kain Corp’s legal team last night,” Damian said. “It’s authentic.”

The room went quiet.

Selina kept smiling. “Impressive. But owning shares doesn’t mean you can run a company, Miss Morales.”

“True,” I said. “Which is why I’m not here to run it. I’m here to make sure you don’t destroy the company my grandfather built.”

“Bold words,” Reyes said.

“True words,” I replied. “Last night, Selina tried to sell Project Omega to WeiTech. I stopped her. Again.”

The board looked shocked.

Selina stood up. “That’s a lie!”

“Check the logs,” I said. “Server Shanghai. 3:47 AM. Backdoor closed. Trap set. Want me to show you the IP address?”

Selina went pale.

“Miss Morales,” Reyes said, “if what you say is true…”

“It is true,” I said. “And from now on, every decision about Project Omega goes through me.”

Damian glanced at me. There was pride in his eyes.

“I motion to appoint Luna Morales as Chairwoman of Project Omega,” he said.

“Second,” said another board member.

“All in favor?” Reyes asked.

Eleven hands went up.

Selina was the only one who didn’t.

“Motion passed,” Reyes said. “Welcome to the board, Ms. Morales.”

I sat down. My heart was pounding.

I did it.

I claimed my position.

But it wasn’t over.

Selina stood and walked toward me.

“Congratulations, niece,” she whispered. “But this isn’t over.”

“I know,” I whispered back. “And neither am I.”

She left, furious.

As soon as she was gone, the room erupted in applause.

I looked at Damian. He was smiling. Small, but real.

“See?” he whispered. “I told you not to sweat.”

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*11:42 AM. CEO Office.*

When we got back, Damian shut the door.

“Congratulations, Chairwoman,” he said.

“Don’t call me that,” I said. “It’s cringe.”

Damian laughed. “Too late. It’s official.”

I walked up to his desk. “So what now? Are we still partners?”

Damian stood and stepped closer to me.

“More than partners now,” he said.

“What do you mean?”

He lifted my chin with his finger, slowly.

“I mean, Luna Morales, you can fire me,” he said. “But you won’t.”

“Why not?” I asked.

“Because,” he said, stepping closer, “I think you like having me around too much.”

Before I could answer, he kissed me again.

This time it was slower. More deliberate.

And this time, I didn’t push him away.

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*End of Chapter 5*