Chapter 5 – Mr. King, Please Take A Number

No one spoke.

The silence inside the boardroom stretched so long that it became uncomfortable.

Evelyn sat at the head of the table with her hands resting lightly on the polished surface.

Across from her, Adrian remained frozen.

He looked at her as if the room had suddenly stopped making sense.

For years, he had known exactly who Evelyn Hart was.

Or at least he thought he did.

A loyal wife.

A quiet presence.

A woman who waited.

A woman who forgave.

A woman who always stayed.

Yet the person sitting before him now looked strangely unfamiliar.

The board members exchanged uneasy glances.

One of them finally cleared his throat.

"Miss Hart..."

The older man immediately corrected himself.

"Mrs. Hart?"

Evelyn smiled politely.

"Ms. Hart is fine."

The correction landed harder than expected.

Several executives lowered their eyes.

Everyone knew what that meant.

The divorce wasn't finalized yet.

But emotionally?

She was already gone.

Adrian's jaw tightened.

"Evelyn."

His voice was low.

Controlled.

The same tone he used when negotiating acquisitions.

Unfortunately for him, this wasn't a negotiation he controlled anymore.

She turned toward him.

"Mr. King."

Again.

The formal title.

The distance.

The separation.

Something flickered in his eyes.

Annoyance.

Confusion.

Maybe both.

"What is this?" he asked.

Evelyn tilted her head slightly.

"The meeting?"

His expression darkened.

"You know exactly what I mean."

A few people shifted awkwardly in their seats.

The tension wasn't corporate anymore.

It was personal.

Very personal.

Evelyn folded her hands together.

"I believe your board requested a meeting with NovaGene's controlling authority."

The words were calm.

Professional.

Deliberately detached.

One executive immediately jumped in.

"Yes."

He looked relieved someone was finally discussing business.

"We appreciate you agreeing to meet us."

Evelyn nodded.

"No problem."

The executive continued.

"King Corporation would like to discuss strategic cooperation."

Before he could continue, another board member interrupted.

"Actually, we'd like to understand why NovaGene suddenly acquired positions in three of our primary suppliers."

The room became quieter.

Adrian's eyes narrowed.

Clearly, he hadn't known that detail.

Interesting.

Evelyn noticed immediately.

So did everyone else.

The board had begun discovering problems faster than their CEO.

Not a good sign.

She looked toward the speaker.

"Those acquisitions were legal."

"No one said they weren't."

"Then what's the concern?"

The executive hesitated.

Because the concern was obvious.

NovaGene now possessed leverage.

A lot of leverage.

And leverage made people nervous.

Especially wealthy men accustomed to holding all the cards.

Evelyn understood that feeling.

She had lived through it herself.

For years.

Only from the opposite side.

Another director leaned forward.

"We're trying to determine intent."

"Intent?"

"Whether NovaGene intends to continue increasing pressure."

Evelyn considered the question.

Then answered honestly.

"I haven't instructed anyone to target King Corporation."

That statement was true.

Mostly.

The directors exchanged glances.

One of them visibly relaxed.

Adrian did not.

Because unlike everyone else, he wasn't focused on NovaGene.

He was focused on her.

His gaze hadn't left her for more than a few seconds since she entered.

Evelyn could feel it.

The weight of it.

The questions.

The disbelief.

The anger.

Eventually, he spoke again.

"When were you planning to tell me?"

There it was.

Not business.

Personal.

Evelyn met his eyes.

"Tell you what?"

"Stop doing that."

His voice sharpened slightly.

"Answer the question."

She sat back comfortably.

"When were you planning to tell me you were proposing to Vanessa?"

The room froze.

Several executives immediately looked away.

One man became deeply interested in his notepad.

Another suddenly found the water pitcher fascinating.

Nobody wanted to be here anymore.

Adrian's expression hardened.

"Evelyn."

"No," she said quietly.

"You asked a question."

She held his gaze.

"So did I."

Neither moved.

The air between them felt tight.

Finally, Adrian looked away first.

The victory was small.

But Evelyn noticed it.

For years she had been the one retreating.

The one apologizing.

The one explaining.

Not today.

Today she simply sat there.

And somehow that unsettled him more than tears ever had.

The meeting continued.

Financial reports appeared on screens.

Charts.

Forecasts.

Risk assessments.

Ordinarily, Evelyn would have found the discussion interesting.

Today she found something else more interesting.

Watching people react to her.

Every answer she gave created another ripple.

Another surprised glance.

Another silent calculation.

Because these people were trying to reconcile two versions of reality.

The woman they thought they knew.

And the woman sitting before them.

The gap between those two people was enormous.

After nearly forty minutes, a secretary entered quietly.

She approached Adrian.

Whispered something into his ear.

His expression changed instantly.

Evelyn noticed.

So did Damien.

He had entered twenty minutes earlier and taken a seat near the back of the room.

Silent.

Observant.

Dangerous.

The kind of man who didn't need attention because he naturally attracted it.

Adrian stood abruptly.

"What happened?"

The secretary swallowed.

"Our largest overseas client just suspended negotiations."

The room exploded.

"What?"

"Why?"

"That contract is worth hundreds of millions."

Adrian's face turned cold.

"Reason."

The secretary hesitated.

Then answered.

"They signed with NovaGene."

Silence crashed into the room.

Every eye turned toward Evelyn.

She blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Then slowly looked toward Damien.

He appeared entirely unsurprised.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Adrian noticed that glance immediately.

His eyes narrowed.

"You knew."

Damien finally spoke.

His voice remained calm.

"I know many things."

The response did not help.

Adrian took a step forward.

"Did you arrange this?"

Damien leaned back.

"No."

"Then why aren't you surprised?"

A faint smile appeared.

Small.

Almost invisible.

"Because competent companies tend to choose competent partners."

Several executives nearly choked.

One actually coughed.

Hard.

Evelyn pressed her lips together.

Was Damien provoking him intentionally?

Probably.

The frightening part was how effortlessly he did it.

Adrian's expression darkened further.

For the first time since Evelyn met him years ago, he looked genuinely rattled.

Not angry.

Not irritated.

Threatened.

A subtle difference.

But an important one.

Then Damien looked directly at him and said something that made the entire room go silent again.

"Mr. King."

His voice was smooth.

Polite.

Almost friendly.

"NovaGene receives hundreds of partnership requests every month."

A pause.

Then:

"If you're seeking assistance, please follow standard procedure."

Adrian stared at him.

Damien continued.

"You can submit an application."

Another pause.

Then the final blow.

"And take a number."

Nobody breathed.

Nobody moved.

Even Evelyn felt stunned.

Because she suddenly realized something.

This wasn't merely business.

Damien knew far more than he had revealed.

Far more than anyone realized.

And judging from the look in Adrian's eyes...

He knew it too.

At that exact moment, Evelyn's phone vibrated.

A message appeared.

Unknown Sender.

She opened it.

One sentence.

Just one.

Her blood ran cold.

CHECK THE ORIGINAL NOVAGENE FOUNDER FILE.

YOUR HEART DISEASE WAS NOT AN ACCIDENT.

Evelyn stared at the screen.

The room around her disappeared.

Because for the first time since her diagnosis...

Something felt far more dangerous than dying.

Someone had been lying to her.

And the lie was much bigger than she imagined.