Chapter 5 facing the music

Chapter 5: Facing the Music

Diana’s POV

By the time the office day ended and everyone had left for their respective homes, I was already on my way back to the hospital.

I needed to see my mother.

Not just because she needed me, but because I needed her. Even if she was weak, even if she barely had the strength to speak, her presence was the only thing grounding me in the middle of this storm I couldn’t seem to escape.

John.

The divorce papers.

The trauma.

The fact that I could never give birth.

The one-night stand with a stranger whose name I didn’t even know.

It was all suffocating me, pulling me deeper into a pit I wasn’t sure I could crawl out of.

I had to take a break. Just for today.

Tomorrow could wait. Tomorrow, I would go with my lawyer and officially submit my divorce papers to John for signing.

I needed air. I needed silence.

Akira’s POV

The office was dead silent.

Every employee sat stiffly in their chairs, pretending to focus on their work but secretly holding their breath as the sound of polished shoes echoed against the marble floor.

Then he walked in.

Xander Knight. The new CEO, I guess.

The air seemed to thicken with his presence. Dressed in a tailored black suit, his sharp features were unreadable, but his cold gaze missed nothing. He didn’t have to announce himself.. his mere existence demanded attention.

He moved with the quiet confidence of a man who owned everything in this room.

And then he stopped.

His piercing eyes landed on the only empty chair.

The energy shift was immediate. His expression remained unreadable, but the tension in his jaw gave away his displeasure. He slowly turned to the manager, his voice cutting through the silence.

“Who owns that seat?”

The manager hesitated, looking like he would rather be anywhere else. “Sir, that…”

Before he could finish, Mercy’s voice rang out, smooth and laced with fake sympathy.

“Diana George.”

She sighed dramatically, shaking her head as if the situation pained her. “But, well… you know how some people are.”

Xander’s gaze slowly shifted to her. “Explain.”

Mercy placed a hand on her chest, as if deeply concerned. “Diana has been sneaking around lately and missing work,” she said, lowering her voice to a whisper, as if she were sharing a secret. “She’s been acting unstable lately. I mean, she’s been drinking a lot, disappearing at night, hanging out with different men, and showing up looking like a mess…”

She shook her head in fake disappointment. “Honestly, I heard she is having affairs with different married men. And lately she has been caught by her husband and they are processing their divorce currently.”

Murmurs spread across the room. A muscle in Xander’s jaw twitched.

But Mercy wasn’t done.

“And the worst part?” She let out a small, fake laugh. “She thought she could sleep her way to the top with married men.”

A sharp, suffocating silence fell over the room.

Even the boldest of employees widened their eyes in shock.

I stood up so fast my chair scraped against the floor. “You lying bit”

Xander held up a single hand, cutting off any further interruptions. His gaze was locked onto Mercy, and for the first time, she seemed to realize she had gone too far.

He took a step forward.

Mercy immediately straightened, her smug expression faltering.

Xander’s voice was dangerously low when he finally spoke.

“Who is closest to her?”

Mercy, still trying to recover, quickly pointed at me. “Her bodyguard,” she blurted.

Xander turned his gaze to me. “Then I will deliver this message.”

The weight of his stare was suffocating.

“Diana is to be in my office first thing tomorrow morning.”

And just like that, he turned and walked away.

But the silence he left behind was louder than anything Mercy had said.

Diana’s POV

Akira’s call jolted me from my restless sleep. I groggily reached for my phone, my fingers barely gripping it as I pressed it to my ear.

“Diana!” Akira’s voice was sharp, urgent. “Where the hell are you?!”

I sat up, my heart pounding. “What? What happened?”

“He came!” she nearly shouted.

“Who?”

“The New CEO, Diana! Xander Knight! He showed up at the office today!”

My stomach twisted violently. “But…”

“But nothing! He walked in, told everyone to stay in their seats, and then asked about the person who was supposed to be in your chair.”

I swallowed hard. No. No, no, no.

“And do you know what happened next?” Akira continued, her voice dropping. “No one spoke. It was dead silent. And then Mercy… that witch… laughed and shouted your name, saying you were probably somewhere crying about your failed marriage.”

I felt the blood drain from my face.

Akira’s voice lowered, almost like she was afraid to say it.

“He told them that whoever owns that seat should be in his office tomorrow morning.”

So the one day I chose to stay away… it was the day he finally showed up.

I went rigid. Tomorrow morning. He wanted to see me.

Panic surged through my veins, cold and suffocating, as if the walls of my room were closing in. My chest tightened, my breath caught in uneven gasps, and for a second I thought I might collapse. Questions tumbled in my mind…why now, why me, what would he say, what did he already know? Sleep was no longer an option.

I had stayed away for just one day, thinking it wouldn’t matter. But now…

Now, I was walking straight into the lion’s den.

And for some reason… something about it made my stomach churn in a way I didn’t understand.

By 7 AM, I was already at the office. Too early.

But I couldn’t help it. The anxiety from yesterday sat heavy in my chest, twisting and turning like a knife. I had barely slept, and the pounding in my head from last night’s alcohol still lingered.

As soon as I walked in, the whispers started.

Laughter. Murmurs. Judgmental stares.

I gave them all deaf ears. Let them talk. Let them laugh.

A lot had been happening to me lately, but at this point, I had learned one thing… only God could judge me.

I moved through the office, my hands clenched into fists, my heartbeat drumming in my ears. I just needed to get through today. Just today.

Then, out of nowhere, the manager appeared in front of me.

“The CEO is in his office,” he said, his voice low but firm. “He wants to see you.”

A sharp shiver ran down my spine.

I swallowed hard and nodded before forcing my feet to move.

With every step toward that office door, my breath grew more unsteady.

Just get this over with, Diana.

I stopped in front of the door, inhaled deeply, and knocked.

A few seconds of silence.

Then….

“Come in.”

I froze.

His voice.

There was something about it.

Something familiar.

A cold chill spread through my chest as my fingers trembled on the doorknob.

No.

There was no way it was who I was thinking about.