Chapter 44: Boardroom or Battlefield

The mahogany-paneled boardroom on the top floor of Mason Equity Group in New York was as cold as it was expensive. Twelve chairs circled the long table, each one filled with a face sharpened by decades of corporate power. And at the head sat Clara Jenkins — interim chairwoman of the newly reshuffled Board of Directors, head of HR, and woman with ice in her spine.

They were waiting.

Sebastian entered the room like he owned it. Because, for all intents and purposes, he still did.

Tailored suit. Calm expression. Slight, unreadable smile.

He paused just inside the doorway, letting the silence stretch, before nodding.

“Good morning.”

Some of them replied. Some didn’t.

He moved to his seat — not at the far end, but halfway down the table. A deliberate choice.

“I’m sure everyone’s read the headlines,” he said, adjusting his cuffs, unhurried. “So let’s not pretend this meeting is about anything else.”

Clara leaned forward slightly, elbows on the table, fingers laced.

“You’ve compromised the neutrality of your leadership position. The photos, the implications, the undeniable appearance of favoritism —”

Sebastian held up a hand. “Clara. Before we go any further, let me clarify one thing.”

She blinked. “Go ahead.”

“I’m not here to deny it,” he said, voice level. “I’m here to stand by it.”

A flicker ran across a few faces at the table.

“I kissed Katherine Brown,” he continued. “More than once. I intend to keep doing so. Not because she’s beautiful — though she is — but because she’s brilliant. Fierce. Capable of running circles around every man in this room. Including me.”

Clara’s jaw tightened, but she didn’t interrupt.

“I also made a phone call this morning,” Sebastian added casually. “To legal. We’re implementing a structural shift effective immediately. Katherine and I will be disclosing our relationship in full transparency. She’ll be recused from any reporting structure under me. Effective Monday, she’ll report directly to the COO, not the CEO.”

“And who gave you the authority to make that call?” Clara asked, folding her arms.

He smiled — not smug, but sharp.

“I am the CEO, Clara. Until this board votes otherwise.”

A beat of silence.

Then he leaned forward slightly, eyes scanning the room.

“But before you consider it — ask yourself what you're really voting for. Because this isn’t about a kiss in Los Angeles. This is about whether Mason Equity Group is ready to accept a world where women like Katherine Brown don’t need to hide who they are — or who they love — to lead.”

The words hung heavy. Unapologetic. Intimate. Strategic.

Clara tapped a pen against the tabletop once. Then again.

She exhaled slowly.

“What’s your endgame, Mason?”

Sebastian smiled, soft this time.

“To build a company that doesn’t punish power when it comes with heart.”

She stared at him a moment longer.

Then — incredibly — she nodded.

“I want a written disclosure within the hour. And Katherine will still need to meet with HR.”

“She’s already expecting the call,” Sebastian said, checking his watch. “I told her just before I walked into this room.”

“And if this explodes in your face?”

“Then at least I’ll know I went down for something — someone — worth it.”

A pause.

Clara turned to the others.

“No objections?”

Silence.

Then, one by one, heads nodded. Some reluctantly. Some impressed.

Sebastian leaned back in his chair, finally allowing himself to breathe.

He’d done it.

Now all that was left — was to make it official.

---

Katherine sat at the edge of her living room couch, clutching a steaming mug of bitter espresso like it was the only thing anchoring her to the earth. Her hair was still damp from the shower, her robe loosely tied, and the sunlight spilling through the window seemed indifferent to her racing thoughts.

Then her phone buzzed.

Sebastian.

She didn’t hesitate. She picked up immediately.

“Hi.”

His voice was low, a little rough, but steady.

“Hi,” she echoed, her tone softer than she intended.

“I’m walking into the building in fifteen minutes,” he said. “The boardroom’s on the top floor. I’ll be meeting Jenkins and the others.”

Katherine inhaled slowly, then nodded, though he couldn’t see her.

“Sebastian...”

“Yeah?”

She stared at the black coffee in her mug for a long beat before speaking.

“If this gets bad… if they force your hand… I’m willing to step down.”

Silence. Not long, but sharp.

“What?” His voice dropped. “No. Absolutely not.”

“It’s just a company title,” she said quickly. “What we have is more than a title. I won’t let them use me against you.”

“Katherine —”

“You can keep the company, Sebastian. Just… keep us safe.”

He sighed heavily on the other end, and for a moment she thought he might argue harder. But then he said, more tender than she expected:

“You think I care about the damn company more than I care about you?”

She smiled faintly, but didn’t answer.

“Don’t make decisions for both of us,” he continued. “If they want war, I’ll give them diplomacy. If they want diplomacy, I’ll give them fire.”

“You’re impossible,” she murmured.

“And you’re the only one who knows how to handle me.”

Another pause.

“Promise me,” he said, quieter now. “You’ll wait until after the meeting before doing anything drastic.”

Katherine looked out the window. The LA skyline glimmered with the start of another heatwave.

“I promise,” she said.

But in her heart, she already knew what she would tell Clara Jenkins… if the meeting didn’t go Sebastian’s way.

---

1:12 PM — Los Angeles / 4:12 PM — New York

Katherine’s screen flickered, then came into focus: a Zoom call with a single participant. Clara Jenkins. Crisp blazer. Neutral expression. HR goddess of doom.

Katherine straightened instinctively, even though she was still in jeans and an oversized button-down she stole from Sebastian weeks ago.

Clara spoke first.

“Miss Brown.”

“Ms. Jenkins,” Katherine replied calmly, nodding.

“Sebastian mentioned you wished to speak directly. I assumed it was regarding the media exposure and the Board’s expectations.”

Katherine clasped her hands, forcing her voice not to shake.

“Yes. I’m here to make it simple for everyone. I resign from any current and future role in the company. Effective immediately.”

Clara blinked once. Then again.

“Pardon?”

“You heard me. I step down. No titles, no connections. That way there’s no ethical violation. No conflict of interest. The Board can’t use this against him. And you… you don’t lose a CEO.”

Silence.

Then Clara leaned forward, voice sharp but not unkind.

“Miss Brown… Katherine. Do you have any idea what kind of strategic asset you are to this company? To the LA division?”

Katherine remained quiet.

“This isn’t just about Sebastian. You’ve built a brand tone we can’t replicate. You’re ten steps ahead of the competition. If you walk, they’ll eat us alive in Q4.”

Katherine swallowed hard.

“It’s not about that anymore.”

Just then, Clara turned her head slightly — and the camera widened.

Katherine’s breath caught.

Sebastian was standing behind her. Hands in his pockets. Watching.

Clara looked at the screen again.

“I suggest you retract that resignation, Miss Brown. Immediately. Because I’m not accepting it.”

Sebastian finally spoke.

“Neither am I.”

Katherine stared at the screen, wide-eyed, caught between horror and heat.

“Oh god,” she whispered. “You’re both insane.”

Sebastian smiled.

“Takes one to love one.”

---

Katherine couldn’t breathe.

Her eyes bounced from Clara’s arched brow to Sebastian’s unreadable face in the background. He stood perfectly still. Composed. Too composed. And she already knew him well enough to recognize the signs: the tight jaw, the overly measured way he folded his arms — when he did that, he was absolutely pissed.

Clara glanced over at him.

“Sebastian, do you want to handle this or shall I?”

“Oh, I’ll handle it,” he said with a tight-lipped smile.

Katherine swallowed hard.

“Sebastian…”

“No. Don’t ‘Sebastian’ me now, Katherine.” His voice was calm. Too calm.

“You made a decision, and I let you say it out loud. But just so we’re clear —” he leaned toward the camera. “You’re not resigning. Not from this company, and definitely not from me.”

Clara raised an eyebrow at that. Not exactly professional. Not unexpected either.

Katherine dropped her face into her hands.

“I knew this would happen. I should’ve shut up after ‘Miss Jenkins.’”

“Yes,” Clara said flatly. “That would’ve been ideal.”

“I’m in so much trouble.”

“Yes,” Sebastian agreed. Then added, with that slow, dangerously low voice,

“And you’re not getting out of it so easily.”

Katherine froze in her seat.

“Are you... mad?”

“Mad?” He shrugged. “No. Just... motivated.”

Clara ended the Zoom call without a goodbye, leaving Katherine staring at her screen, realizing she had only two options: call Sophie and pack her things... or get her ass to New York.

---

Her phone buzzed like it was judging her.

Sebastian Mason.

Of course.

She stared at the screen like it might explode. Then, with the grace of someone about to defuse a bomb, she picked it up and answered.

"Hi," she tried. Too upbeat. Definitely too upbeat. "So... that went well, huh?"

Silence.

Then his voice — deep, sharp, calm in the way that meant very not calm.

"You said you’d listen to me."

Katherine cringed.

"Technically, I did listen. I just… respectfully disagreed. Very quietly. While also ignoring every word."

"You made an official statement. To the board. On a recorded Zoom call."

She spun in her desk chair like that would somehow make it better. Still barefoot, still in an oversized T-shirt with a dinosaur on it. So very professional. So very CEO girlfriend material.

"Okay, look. Clara Jenkins has the tone of a woman who’s sent five interns to the ER with just her eyebrows. I panicked."

Pause.

"You didn’t panic. You made a decision without me."

That stung. But she deserved it.

"I thought I was making it easier for you."

"You’re not making anything easier. You’re making this harder than it has to be."

Katherine sighed.

"You really think I can stay in the company now? With my face all over the tabloids and half the board picturing me naked?"

"Half?"

She huffed.

"Don’t joke."

Pause.

Then softer, and a little tired:

"You really think I’m going to let you walk away after everything?"

She swallowed.

"No. I mean… not really. But I thought maybe I should."

"Well, don’t. I’m coming back to L.A. in 24 hours, and you and I are going to figure this out. Together."

Silence again.

She finally whispered:

"Sebastian?"

"Yes?"

"...Thank you. For not yelling."

He chuckled. Just once.

"Oh, I’m still yelling. Just... internally."

Call ended.

Katherine let the phone fall to her chest.

Yep. She was in love with a man who threatened her career, protected her future, made her laugh, made her want to scream… and probably was still watching the Zoom playback to count how many times she blinked in guilt.

She was so in trouble. And she loved it.

---