THE VALENTINE PROPOSAL

Chapter 16 Rooftop

LIORA

Mr Zylar finally spoke, his tone calm.

“This isn’t the place for accusations, Miss Jovan.”

“No,” I said, meeting his gaze with a challenging fire in my eyes. “This is the place where you decide whether I deserve to be here or not.” I looked around the table.

“If you’re going to judge me, then judge my work,” I said. “Not who I’m with or how we got together.”

A brief silence followed after my words.

One of the board members cleared his throat.

“The campaign has performed exceptionally well.” “That’s true,” another nodded in agreement.

It wasn’t full support, but it was enough to shift things slightly in my favour, I hoped.

“We’ll need time to review everything,” another board member said. “Both the contract and your position.”

“Take all the time you need. I’m sure y’all can come to the most reasonable decision.” “If you’ll excuse me.”

Without waiting for anything else, or anyone to give me permission to leave, I turned and walked out.

I didn’t stop walking, still maintaining my facade of confidence until I was out of the room and halfway down the hallway.

Only then did my steps slow down.

My chest felt tight, like I had been holding my breath the entire time without even realizing it. I leaned back against the wall, trying to breathe.

“That was intense,” I shut my eyes, exhaling.

Everett didn’t come out with me. He was probably still addressing the board himself.

I didn’t know how long I stood there for, but I was certain a few long minutes passed before my eyes opened and I stood straight.

“Liora.”

Everett’s voice came from my side. I turned to see him approaching me, his strides steady.

“Are you okay?” was the first thing he asked.

I nodded, forcing a small smile even though I was too tired to even smile properly.

“Still kicking here,” I responded with a light chuckle.

“You know, you shouldn’t have done what you did. I could have spoken for the both of us,” his fist clenched. “More effort should have been put in to ensure the contract never got out to the press.”

“I know.”

“But you did it anyway.”

I let out a small breath. “Someone had to. I couldn’t let them put all the blame on you.”

He stepped closer, his expression softer than it had been all morning.

“I meant what I said in there,” I added. “About my job.”

“I know.”

“And I’m not leaving,” I said. “Not because of this. Not because of them.” Something shifted in his eyes at my words, but I couldn’t tell what it was.

Before he could respond, Margaret’s voice cut through the hallway.

“Miss Jovan.”

We both turned.

Margaret was walking toward us, her expression tight.

“What now?” I muttered under my breath.

“The press is downstairs,” she said. “They’ve gathered outside the building. They’re asking for a statement.”

Of course they were. It was just as expected of them.

I let out a low breath, glancing toward the elevators.

Everett’s jaw tightened again. “They’re not getting one.”

“They have to get one,” Margaret replied calmly. “If they don’t, it might only make things worse than it already is.” Silence settled between us.

I could already picture it. Cameras. Questions. Fresh headlines waiting to be written.

I looked back at Everett.

“If we don’t say anything, they’ll say it for us,” I said.

His gaze held mine for a moment.

“I’m not letting you go out there,” he said, his voice firm.

“But—” I started, but he cut me off very quickly.

“Liora, you’re tired. I mean, we’re both tired,” he let out a sigh. “The press can wait for one bloody day.”

“But I can’t ignore them. They’re right outside the building.”

“I may have a solution for that problem.”

He took out his phone from his suit pocket, dialing a number.

“Bring the chopper to my rooftop. My company building,” he said to whomever was on the phone, causing my eyes to widen.

A helicopter.

No way I was hearing correctly. Just no way.

When the call ended, he flashed me a smile.

“We’re not leaving through the main entrance. We’re flying over those damn media mongers.”

“W-what,” I found myself stuttering, wondering if he was being serious right now.

But I saw the look in his eyes. The look of a man who didn’t care at that moment, and it excited me.

I took his hand and he led me to the elevator.

“What are the both of you doing?” Margaret looked appalled, staring at both of us like we had just lost our mental marbles.

“The press are still outside. You can’t just leave.”

“Margaret,” Everett called once, his expression serious. “You can handle the press for one day.” He pressed the button for the rooftop.

Before the door closed, I could see the stunned look on Margaret’s face.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” I looked at Everett, making sure this wasn’t some spur-of-the-moment decision he would later come to regret.

He leaned in closer.

“I’m sure,” he whispered in my ear, his deep voice tickling my nerves and sending warmth through my belly.

This wasn’t like him at all, but who was I to complain. I liked this part of him, the slightly carefree part.

When we reached the rooftop, the helicopter blades were blowing steadily. Everett covered my hair with his hands as we both arched our backs and ran toward the helicopter, getting on board.

This was my first time ever getting on one of these things, and I must confess, it felt very different from a plane.

From above, I could see the crowd piling up in front of the building, both journalists from media houses and bloggers, and all the rest just waiting down.

Too bad they won’t be getting any story today.