Chapter 4 - The Boardroom Showdown
The board meeting was scheduled for 9:00 AM. Nathan went in with a single file folder—the proof of the Sterling family's embezzlement and illegal mergers. I watched from the lobby, my hands clasped together, praying that the truth was enough to stop a monster.
An hour later, the doors opened. Elena walked out first, her face a mask of fury. She stopped when she saw me.
"Enjoy your little victory," she hissed. "But the shareholders are voting to remove him by noon. He might have the truth, but I have the votes."
I didn't wait. I ran toward the executive wing, passing security, and pushed my way into the boardroom. Nathan was sitting alone at the head of the long table, the room silent.
"They're going to vote you out," I said, breathless.
Nathan looked up, his expression strangely calm. "I know."
"Then why are you sitting here?"
"Because," he said, standing up, "I just found something even more important than the company."
He walked over to me, taking my hand. "I’ve spent my life building a throne, Maya. But a throne is a lonely place to sit. I just told the board that I’m stepping down voluntarily. I’m taking my personal shares, liquidating my stake, and starting over. I’m done with the games."
The room was still buzzing with shock. The other board members were whispering, looking at him like he was insane.
"You did this for me?" I asked.
May you like
"I did this for us," he corrected.
He didn't care about the cameras or the reporters waiting in the hallway. He leaned down and kissed me, a soft, deliberate, and deeply real kiss that silenced every doubt I had ever harbored about who he was.
