Boardroom Bloodspot
652 Words
Boardroom Bloodspot
The boardroom smelled like expensive coffee and impending doom.
Sophia adjusted her blazer for the twelfth time, clutching her meticulously prepared report. Across the glass table, Daniel Vaughn smirked at her like a wolf spotting injured prey. His custom Rolex gleamed under the recessed lighting as he whispered to the CFO—Robert Langley, who suddenly couldn't meet her eyes.
Damien entered last.
Power rolled off him in waves, his navy suit cutting an intimidating silhouette against the floor-to-ceiling windows. He didn't glance at Sophia. Didn't acknowledge their middle-of-the-night encounter. Just took his seat at the head of the table and said, "Begin."
Vaughn launched first.
"—Kensington's withdrawal proves systemic incompetence in our analytics team," he declared, projecting a damning email chain onto the screen. "We need complete restructuring."
Sophia's nails bit into her palms. Every "incriminating" email had been sent *after* Vaughn's suspicious transactions. She waited for Damien to intervene, but he just sipped his black coffee, watching the room like a bored panther.
Her turn.
She stood on unsteady legs. "Actually, the data suggests an internal leak." A few board members chuckled. Vaughn's smile didn't reach his eyes.
"Sweetheart," he drawled, "maybe stick to fetching coffee?"
The room laughed. Heat crawled up Sophia's neck—until a single *clink* silenced everyone.
Damien had set down his cup.
"Continue, Miss Carter."
His quiet command sent a shiver down her spine. She handed out copies of her report, watching Vaughn's face as he flipped to the transaction records. His knuckles whitened.
"These transfers match Kensington's losses exactly," she said. "All authorized by—"
"Outrageous!" Vaughn slammed the table. "You're accusing *me*? Funny, because I know *your* secret." He tossed a file at Damien. "She's Ethan Cho's sister. That Columbia recommendation? Fraud."
The room erupted.
Sophia's blood turned to ice. *Half*-sister, technically. They shared a father who'd left before she was born. She hadn't seen Ethan in years—not since he'd gotten into Columbia's MBA program ahead of her.
Damien examined the file with infuriating calm. "True?"
She lifted her chin. "I didn't know about the recommendation. But the numbers don't lie." She pointed to Vaughn's records. "He's setting you up."
Vaughn laughed. "Pathetic. Damien, surely you're not—"
"She stays."
Damien's voice cut through the chatter like a blade.
Vaughn gaped. "*What*?"
"Miss Carter uncovered what *your* team missed." Damien stood, buttoning his suit jacket. "Vaughn—my office. Now." He paused at the door. "Carter? Don't make me regret this."
The second they left, Robert rushed over. "Holy hell, kid. You just declared war."
Sophia's hands shook. "Did I win?"
Robert handed her a Xanax and a whiskey. "Ask me Friday."
---
11:47 PM - KNIGHT INDUSTRIES
Sophia was elbow-deep in Kensington's tax filings when Damien's shadow fell across her desk.
"You're here late."
She didn't look up. "You're avoiding your office."
A beat. Then he sat on the edge of her desk, loosening his tie. The scent of bourbon and cedar enveloped her. Up close, she could see the exhaustion lining his eyes.
"Vaughn resigned," he said.
Sophia's pen stilled. "Just like that?"
"He'll get a severance. Discretion guaranteed." Damien swiped her whiskey and took a sip. "Corporate warfare 101—never leave corpses in the open."
She should've been relieved. Instead, frustration bubbled up. "So he gets rewarded for sabotage?"
"Justice is a fantasy, Carter." Damien studied her over the glass rim. "Why didn't you tell me about Cho?"
The question hung between them, heavy with unspoken implications. *Would you have fired me?*
Sophia met his gaze. "Would it have mattered?"
Something flickered in his eyes. He set down the glass with deliberate slowness, his fingers brushing hers. A jolt of electricity shot up her arm.
"Don't lie to me again," he murmured.
Then he was gone, leaving only his tie draped over her monitor and a challenge thrumming in her veins.
- Writer
