The Boardroom

When the boardroom doors had opened to a dozen lawyers and PR executives, Cassian had let Selene go, but the feeling of his fingers remained a persistent distraction for her. It was infuriating how quickly her body melted under his touch, even when her mind was screaming at her to get away.

"Take a seat," Cassian said.

He didn't wait for her, walking straight to the head of the table to pull out his chair and sit down.

Selene chose a seat halfway down the left side, but before she could even adjust her jacket, Daniel pulled out the chair directly next to her and sat down. He was close enough that she could catch the scent of his cologne on him, and though she kept her eyes glued to her tablet, her shoulders went instantly still at his proximity.

Cassian leaned back, crossing his arms as he surveyed the room. "Let’s get straight to the point. What’s the legal team's assessment of the situation?"

A senior lawyer at the end of the table cleared his throat, tapping his tablet as he spoke. "The blogs picked it up instantly, Mr. Vale, and within three hours, search traffic for both the Vale family and Vellum Creative spiked by four hundred percent. The narrative is highly speculative, focusing heavily on marital trouble and a conflict of interest regarding the Sterling launch fund."

Selene’s grip on her tablet tightened, Vellum was her life's work, yet they were discussing it like a mere inconvenience. "The metrics are inflated because of the timing. It's a standard midday traffic peak, and it will level out by evening if we don't feed it."

"The Vale name depends on stability," Cassian said, ignoring her intervention entirely. "I won't have it dragged down by a few tabloid photos, so what is PR suggesting?"

"We suggest distancing the company from the scandal immediately," the PR director said, leaning forward to address the table. "We issue a statement framing the dinner as a strictly professional meeting, but to make sure the narrative dies down completely, we should put a temporary hold on the launch. We need to let the dust settle before we get involved with Mr. Sterling again in the public eye, and a three-week delay should suffice to clear the news cycle."

"A hold?" Selene’s voice cut through the room as she sat up, staring directly at the director. "Absolutely not. The gallery is booked and the press has already received their invitations, so if we delay now, it looks like we’re hiding something. A delay is nothing more than a confession."

"It’s risk management, Mrs. Vale," the lawyer countered. “If we go ahead, the press won't care about the art because they’ll be entirely focused on your personal lives. That’s a distraction we simply can't afford right before stock valuation, and we have to think about the shareholders first."

Selene’s hand clenched in her lap as she looked at Cassian. He was letting his team do the dirty work, actively boxing her into a corner so she’d have to ask for his protection and admit she couldn't handle the fallout of her own choices.

Then, she felt a sudden squeeze on her thigh.

Selene froze instantly. Under the table, Daniel’s hand was resting firmly on her leg. His eyes were fixed on the lawyer who was still talking, his palm was incredibly warm as it pressed through the thin fabric of her trousers.

The sheer risk of it made her dizzy because they were in a room full of people, with her husband sitting mere feet away at the head of the table, and Daniel was touching her.

She tensed, trying to shift away, but his grip tightened just enough to keep her still.

Selene looked up, immediately meeting Cassian’s eyes.

Cassian wasn't looking at the lawyer anymore; he was staring directly at her. He knew her too well, noticing the exact second her posture went rigid and her chest stopped moving as she held her breath. Although he couldn't see under the table, his eyes dropped to her lap before slowly rising back to her face, his jaw clenching as he stared at her across the room.

The silence between her and Cassian was suffocating, yet Daniel’s hand remained on her leg, trapping her between them as she tried to maintain her composure without drawing the attention of the room.

"We don't need a delay," Daniel said, cutting through the lawyers' murmuring.

Selene’s eyes snapped back to him. He was leaning back, completely relaxed, without moving his hand from her thigh, he looked directly at Cassian.

"A delay makes you look weak, you're the Vales. You own half the real estate in this city, yet you're letting a few tabloid photos dictate your schedule? If you postpone, you lose control of the story, and you lose the stock value you’re so worried about."

Cassian’s eyes narrowed dangerously. "You are an artist, Mr. Sterling, not a PR specialist, and my team has handled corporate crises for decades."

"They play defense," Daniel said, his thumb brushing slightly against her skin and sending a spike of heat straight up her leg. "I don't. And neither does Selene."

The sound of her name on his lips made Selene’s throat go dry, realizing she had to take control of this conversation before the room completely imploded.

"Daniel is right, playing defense is a mistake, and we need to go on the offensive."

Cassian slowly shifted his gaze back to her. "Explain."

Selene leaned forward, the movement finally forcing Daniel’s hand to slide off her leg, and though she ignored the sudden coldness where his palm had just been, she focused entirely on the strategy.

"The paparazzi photos are dark, only showing us leaving a restaurant. If we issue a defensive statement, we validate the idea of a scandal, so instead, we suprise them by releasing the official promotional campaign photos today; specifically the ones of Daniel and me working together in the studio."

The PR director blinked, caught off guard. "The campaign photos?"

"Yes, we frame the dinner as a celebration after finalizing the campaign, releasing the images with a caption about the upcoming launch. It makes the tabloid photos look like a leaked, amateur teaser for the main event, turning their gossip into our marketing so that by tonight, the story isn't about an affair, but an exclusive first look."

Silence fell over the room as the lawyers looked at each other, the PR director slowly nodded, tapping a pen against her folder.

"It’s aggressive," the director admitted, looking up at Cassian. "But it works. It neutralizes the leak, keeps the launch on schedule, and ultimately protects the stock."

Selene kept her eyes on Cassian, knowing he wanted to use this crisis to make her yield, but he was also a businessman, and his pride would never let him take a financial hit just to spite her.

"Do it," Cassian said, his voice completely flat as he stood up and fastened the single button of his suit jacket. "Release the photos within the hour. The meeting is adjourned."

The board members and lawyers packed up quickly, whispering as they filed out, and while some offered Selene polite nods on their way, she barely registered them.

She stayed in her seat, her fingers lightly tapping her folder because the sudden drop of adrenaline left her exhausted.

Daniel didn't move either, sitting quietly beside her and watching the empty doorway until the doors finally closed, leaving only the three of them inside.

The silence in the room changed instantly, the pretense disappearing, as Cassian walked down the table towards her.

"You think you're clever, don't you?" He whispered, looking down at her.