THE VALENTINE PROPOSAL

Chapter 15

LIORA

My phone would not stop ringing, repeatedly.

At first, I tried to ignore it. I really did. I left it on the table and walked away like it wasn’t my problem, as if giving it enough space would somehow make it stop.

But of course it didn’t.

The screen kept lighting up over and over again. Calls. Messages. Notifications piling on top of each other until I couldn’t even see the wallpaper anymore.

I already knew what it was. I didn’t need to check. Everything was out, every single thing was out.

I walked back, picked up the phone, and stared at the screen for a few seconds before switching it off completely.

The silence that followed didn’t feel like relief at all. It actually felt worse, unsettling in a way.

Like I had just cut myself off from the outside world, but it was still there, waiting.

Everett’s phone started ringing almost immediately after.

He didn’t answer it. He just stood there, staring at it, his jaw tight, his expression unreadable.

“This is spreading faster than I expected,” he said.

I leaned back against the counter, folding my arms.

“It’s a scandal involving you. Of course it is.” There was no point pretending otherwise.

A fake engagement, concerning one of the youngest top billionaires in the city, this kind of news was like sugar and the press were like ants, salivating to have a taste. It had everything people loved to tear apart.

A knock sounded at the door, sharp enough to make me straighten up immediately.

Everett walked over and opened it.

Margaret stepped inside, her usual calm demeanor replaced with urgency.

“The board has called an emergency meeting,” she said. “They want you there immediately.”

Everett nodded once.

“I’ll be there.”

She didn’t leave. Her eyes shifted to me instead.

“They’ve asked for Miss Jovan as well.”

Of course they had, it didn’t even come as a surprise to me anymore.

Everett’s expression hardened.

“She doesn’t need to be involved in this.” “I already am,” I said from where I stood.

He turned to me, like he wanted to argue, but I didn’t give him the chance.

“I’m coming along.”

For a moment, he just looked at me, like he was trying to decide if refusing me would actually discourage me, but we both knew it wouldn’t.

“Fine,” he said finally. “You’re coming along.”

The moment we stepped into the company building, I felt the difference.

Usually, people would stare at me with curiosity, but today, most of them were clearly looking at me with disgust, like I was some third grade call girl.

A few of them held their phones a little higher, pretending to look busy while secretly taking pictures.

I kept my head up and kept moving. If I let it get to me now, I wouldn’t make it through what was coming next.

The elevator ride felt longer than usual, even though no one said a word. Everett stood beside me, close enough that I could feel the tension radiating off him.

When the doors opened, the noise hit immediately. Voices poured out from the boardroom, overlapping and sharp.

“…completely unacceptable…”

“…this could affect investor confidence…”

“…how long did they think they could hide this…”

Everett didn’t slow down. He walked straight in like he owned the room, with me following closely behind him.

The moment we stepped inside, every conversation stopped.

Every single person in that room turned to look at me.

Zyler sat at the far end, calm as ever, like this was nothing more than a routine issue to handle. Ramsey Bellamy sat a few seats away, watching me with a faint smile that made my stomach twist.

Why the hell was he even here.

“Miss Jovan,” one of the board members said, sliding a tablet across the table. “Would you care to explain this?”

I didn’t need to look at the tablet, but I did anyway. The contract stared back at me, my signature and Everett’s signature clear as day.

There was no point even trying to deny it. The plain truth was all they would be getting.

“Yes,” I said, without showing them even the slightest bit of a reaction like they were probably expecting. “It’s real.”

Murmurs broke out immediately.

“Then the engagement was fake?”

“This is a serious breach.”

“You’ve misled the public, both of you.” I lifted my head, meeting their gazes.

“I didn’t say that the engagement was a fake one.” The noise in the room reduced slightly.

“Yes, the engagement started as a contract,” I continued. “We had an agreement.”

I could feel Everett beside me, like he was ready to step in if I needed him, but still wanted to give me the chance to speak for myself…for both of us.

“But my work didn’t come from that contract,” I added. “And neither did my position.” A few of them exchanged glances.

“You approved my campaign,” I said. “You saw the results. The numbers didn’t lie then, and they don’t lie now.”

No one interrupted me, partly because they knew I was right.

Ramsey leaned back slightly, his expression almost amused. “This isn’t about your campaign, Miss Jovan. This is about integrity.” I turned to him, my brows furrowed in a small frown.

“Then let’s talk about integrity, Mr Bellamy.”

The smile on his face waned, just a little.

“You’ve been feeding the press private information, and shaping the narrative to your own advantage.”

“Careful now,” he replied, his face hardening.

I guess my words must have hit him at just the right spot, which was exactly what I wanted.

“Why?” I asked, flashing a subtle smile. “Because you’d rather no one say it out loud?” The tension in the room tightened, the board members glancing Ramsey’s way.