Chapter five
819 Words
Maya
7:59 AM.
Damien's tie was in my bag.
Again.
My hair was up, but not the way it started. Two pieces had escaped. My lipstick was gone. Again. And my blazer had a wrinkle on the sleeve that no amount of tugging would fix.
Damien looked perfect.
Of course he did.
He always did after.
"I hate you," I muttered as we walked to the boardroom doors.
"No, you don't." He didn't look at me. Boardroom face on. CEO mask back. "Walk in like nothing happened."
"Everyone will know."
"Let them think it."
The doors opened.
Silence.
Twelve board members. Legal. CFO. My one remaining senior analyst, Jenna, who looked like she'd seen a ghost.
And every single one of them looked at us.
At me.
At my hair.
At my mouth.
At the two minutes we were late.
Damien didn't flinch.
"Apologies," he said, taking his seat at the head. "Power issues last night. Ms. Chen and I were finalizing terms."
Finalizing terms.
Right.
Jenna's eyes went wide. She knew. She'd been with me for three years. She knew what my "finalized" face looked like.
I sat. Head high. Folder in front of me. Empty. Because we didn't sign anything.
Because we chose something else instead.
"Let's begin," Damien said.
The CFO cleared his throat. "Mr. Hale. The acquisition vote. Chen Analytics."
Damien opened his laptop. "Motion to withdraw."
The room froze.
"What?" Legal sat up. "Sir, we've spent—"
"I said withdraw." His voice didn't rise. It didn't have to. "Chen Analytics remains independent. Hale Dynamics will enter a strategic partnership. 20% stake. Board seat for Ms. Chen."
My head snapped to him.
He didn't look at me.
"What?" Jenna whispered.
A board member, Mr. Vance, leaned forward. "Damien. That's not the recommendation. We're here to acquire—"
"We're not."
"May I ask why?" Vance's eyes cut to me. Then back. "Has something... changed?"
Yes.
Last night. On a desk.
Damien met his gaze. Cold. "The numbers changed."
Lie.
The numbers were worse this morning.
Another board member, a woman named Elise, spoke up. "Mr. Hale, with respect. You were very clear last quarter. 'Destroy or be destroyed.'"
Damien leaned back. Tie perfect. Hands flat on the table.
"I changed my mind."
The silence was worse than yelling.
Because they all knew.
They saw it. The way I wouldn't look at him. The way he wouldn't look at me. The way the air in the room was too hot.
Jenna finally spoke. "Ms. Chen? Do you accept the partnership terms?"
I forced myself to nod. "Yes."
My voice was steady. Barely.
"Then we vote," Damien said.
They voted.
7 to 5.
It passed. Barely.
Because he was Damien Hale. And because no one could prove why he'd changed his mind.
Meeting adjourned.
Chairs scraped. People left fast, eyes everywhere except on us.
Jenna lingered.
"Can I talk to you?" she asked me. Quiet.
"Later," I said.
She looked at Damien. Then at me. Then left.
The room emptied.
Until it was just us.
Damien stood. Walked to the window. Hands in his pockets. The same pose from last night.
"You didn't have to do that," I said.
"I did."
"You'll be ousted."
"Probably." He turned. "Worth it."
My chest hurt.
"This is going to be a nightmare," I said. "Rumors. Press. Your board—"
"I know." He walked to me. Stopped at my chair. "Maya."
I looked up.
"You can still walk away," he said. "Take the partnership. Take your company. Leave me."
It would be smart.
It would be safe.
I stood instead.
"I'm not leaving," I said.
His exhale was almost a sound.
"Good." His hand came up. Didn't touch me. Hovered near my face. "Because I don't know how to do this without ruining you."
"Then don't be careful."
The door opened.
We jumped apart.
Jenna.
She stopped. Saw us. Two feet apart. Not touching. But too close.
"Sorry," she said. "I forgot my laptop."
She grabbed it. Didn't look at us again.
The door closed.
Damien swore under his breath.
"We're done," he said. "For today."
"I know."
"Go home. Brooklyn. Sleep."
"I will."
He nodded. Once. CEO again.
I walked out.
The elevator was full. Three assistants. Two analysts. All of them glanced at me. At my hair. At my mouth.
No one said anything.
But they knew.
By noon, the whole building would know.
By 6 PM, the internet would know.
Damien Hale and Maya Chen.
Partnership.
And the lie we were telling.
My phone buzzed in my bag when I hit the lobby.
Damien.
Subject: No Subject.
Body: My apartment. 9 PM. No tie this time.
I stopped in the middle of the lobby.
People walked around me.
I typed back with shaking fingers.
Body: No promises.
Send.
Rule #5 of the boardroom: Never let them see you fall.
I was already on the way down.
- Writer
