Lucian

I watched Lexi flee from the press conference, and every instinct I had screamed at me to follow her. But I had to finish this. I had to control the narrative before it spiraled completely out of control.

"Mr. Cross!" A reporter shouted. "Is it true that Miss Carter was living with you while working on company projects?"

"Miss Carter is a talented consultant who has brought tremendous value to Cross Media," I replied firmly. "Our personal relationship developed separately from our professional one."

"But isn't there a conflict of interest?" another reporter pressed.

"Miss Carter reports to the consulting department head, not directly to me. All protocols have been followed." It was a lie, but a necessary one.

"What about Giselle Laurent? Sources say she's been vocal about your new relationship."

I felt my jaw tighten. "I have no comment on Miss Laurent's opinions. This press conference is about setting the record straight regarding malicious rumors and invasion of privacy."

"So you're confirming the relationship?"

"I'm confirming that I'm in love with Lexi Carter, and anyone who has a problem with that can take it up with me directly." I let my voice carry the full weight of my position. "This company and its leadership will not be intimidated by gossip or manipulation."

I ended the press conference and immediately went looking for Lexi. Marcus intercepted me in the hallway.

"Sir, the board is requesting an immediate meeting."

"Where's Lexi?" I asked, ignoring his statement.

"She left through the parking garage. There were reporters following her." He replied.

Rage burned in my chest. "Get security to clear them out. And find her."

"Sir, the board…”

"Can wait." I was already heading for the elevator. "I need to find her first."

But by the time I reached the parking garage, she was gone. I tried calling her phone, but it went straight to voicemail.

An hour later, I was sitting in the boardroom facing twelve very unhappy board members.

"This is a disaster," Harrison Webb, the board chairman, said without preamble. "Our stock price has already dropped three points since that press conference."

"The market will recover," I replied calmly, partly distracted by Lexi.

"Will it? Because right now, every media outlet in the city is running stories about your inappropriate relationship with an employee. The optics are terrible, Lucian."

"There's nothing inappropriate about my relationship with Lexi."

"She works for you. She lives with you. She's financially dependent on you." Webb leaned forward. "Do you have any idea how this looks to our investors? To our clients?"

"I don't particularly care how it looks." I replied curtly, gazing at him.

"Well, you should care," board member Patricia Hayes snapped. "Because we're fielding calls from major investors threatening to pull their support if this scandal continues."

"Then let them pull it. Cross Media Entertainment will survive."

“This isn't just about the company," Webb said. "This is about your judgment. Your ability to lead. When you let your personal life interfere with business…”

"My personal life has never interfered with business," I cut him off. "My relationship with Lexi has made me a better leader, not a worse one."

"The media doesn't see it that way. And neither do our stakeholders." Hayes slid a tablet across the table to me. "Look at these headlines. Look at the comments. This woman is being portrayed as a gold digger who seduced you for money."

I looked at the screen and felt my blood boil. The headlines were even worse than I'd expected. And the comments about Lexi were vicious, personal attacks that made me want to hunt down every person who'd written them.

"This is exactly why we need damage control," Webb continued. "We need you to distance yourself from this situation. End the relationship, transfer the woman to another department, make it clear that this was a temporary lapse in judgment."

"No." I said.

"Lucian, be reasonable…" Webb said.

"No." I stood up, my patience finally snapping. "I will not end my relationship with Lexi. I will not transfer her. And I will not apologize for being in love."

"Then you're putting this entire company at risk," Hayes said coldly.

"The only thing at risk here is my patience with this board's interference in my personal life." I looked around the table at their disapproving faces. "I've tripled this company's value in five years. I've expanded our market reach, increased our profits, and built Cross Media Entertainment into one of the most successful companies in the country. And you want to throw that away because you don't approve of who I'm in love with?"

"We want to protect the company's reputation," Webb said.

"The company's reputation is built on success, not on my relationship status. And if you can't see that, then maybe it's time for some new board members."

I left them sitting there with their mouths hanging open and went straight to my office to call Marcus.

"Any word from Lexi?"

"She's not answering her phone. But sir, there are reporters camped outside her apartment building."

"Send security to clear them out. And keep trying to reach her."

But hours passed with no word from her. By evening, I was losing my mind with worry. The media circus was getting worse by the hour, and I couldn't find the woman I loved to make sure she was okay.

Finally, around nine PM, Marcus knocked on my office door.

"Sir? Miss Carter is here."

Relief flooded through me. "Send her in."

But when Lexi walked through my door, I knew immediately that something was wrong. Her face was pale, her eyes red from crying, and she was holding herself like she was about to shatter.

"Lexi, thank God. I've been trying to reach you all day." I stood up.

"I needed time to think."

"Are you okay? Marcus said there were reporters at your apartment."

"I'm fine." But her voice was hollow. "I stayed at a hotel."

"You should have come here. You should have called me."

"Should I have?" She looked at me with eyes full of pain. "Because I'm pretty sure your board of directors would disagree."

My heart sank.

"I heard about a lot of things today." She walked over to the window, staring out at the city lights. "I heard that your stock price dropped. I heard that investors are threatening to pull out. I heard that the board wants you to end our relationship."

"I don't care what the board wants."

"Well, I do." She turned to face me, and I saw the decision in her eyes. "I care about what this is doing to you, to your company, to your life."

"Lexi, no…"

"I'm resigning from Cross Media. And I'm moving out of your penthouse."

The words hit me like a physical blow. "You're not serious."

"I've never been more serious about anything in my life." Tears were streaming down her face, but her voice was steady. "This is exactly what Giselle said would happen. The media circus, the attacks on my character, the threat to your business. She was right about everything."

"She was right about nothing. She orchestrated this entire thing to drive us apart."

"And it worked." Lexi's voice broke on the words. "It worked, Lucian. Because I can't do this anymore. I can't be the reason your life falls apart."

I moved toward her, desperate to hold her, to convince her she was wrong. But she stepped back, putting up her hands to stop me.

"Don't. Please don't make this harder than it already is."

"I love you." I said softly.

"I love you too. That's why I have to go.” She said.

For the first time in decades, tears streamed down my face.