019

 Sophie

Olivia is about to leave when stepped to her side like her knight in shining armor. 

I knew he would take her side and that alone hurt me but I made sure to keep my face expressionless.  

“She’s Noah’s babysitter,” he said. 

My eyebrow twitched. 

Baby sitter? Since when?

Olivia looked equally confused. She had turned to him with her eyes wide and her lips slightly open. 

Hayes glanced at her, his eyes practically telling her to behave herself. It took her a minute to understand what he meant. 

She groaned to clear her throat before looking away. 

Her expression had hurt weaved into it. 

I couldn’t help but spread my lips into a faint smile, not wide enough to be seen by everyone but enough to make someone look twice.

He faced his father and went on. “Noah is currently ill so she cannot be absent from this meeting. It’s for the good of Noah”.

His father leaned back in his chair and shot Hayes a look. 

When Hayes lowered his head, he shifted his gaze to Olivia, dragging his gaze from her face to her feet then back up again. “She is your baby sitter?”

Hayes nodded. “Yes”.

“You could not find someone else, is that it?”

“The knows Noah very well and works closely with me so I had no problem with it,” Hayes explained. 

Olivia nodded, not knowing what else to do.

His father gave no response. 

“Noah got sick yesterday. I couldn’t get anyone that quickly, plus with everything that has happened I do not trust anyone around him. They may be from the press or do it to get fame,” he quickly added. 

Olivia nodded hesitantly.

“It baffles me that you made your mistress your baby sitter then brought her here to a strict meeting that requires no outsiders to humiliate me.”

“That was not my attention, father. Noah’s illness was sudden,” Hayes explained. 

“Sophie, are you bothered by her presence?” Hayes’s father questioned. 

A part of me was. 

I shook my head. “No, I’m not”.

He shifted his gaze back to Olivia. 

“Sit beside Noah and do nothing else but your job. I do not want your input in this matter. You have done nothing but create chaos already,” Hayes’s father ordered. 

Olivia nodded.

“Move,” Hayes demanded and she rushed forward, hands outstretched. She sat by Noah and Hayes sat by her.

When everyone is seated. 

“I have gathered you all here today to talk about the divorce scandal,” he began. “This divorce is painting the company in a bad light. Our investors, and partners are worried about our stand in this. Our competitors have rubbed salt to injury by attempting to reel in our investors and partners away. This has taken a huge toll on our other companies. Everyone is worried about our way forward.”

No one spoke, except Dominic.

He leaned towards me. “Stay Calm,” he whispered. 

I took in a breath and released it. 

I nodded to him.

Hayes’s father pulled himself forward. 

He rested his gaze on Hayes and went on. “To say I’m disappointed in you Hayes is an understatement,” his anger was eident in his voice. It sent chills through me. “As the CEO, you were meant to handle this, and keep this under wraps. You were meant to keep it away from the media as much as possible but you got tangled with them. You went to an interview which made our partners more worried. I’ve got calls upon calls about this issue.”

“Father—”

His fathers’ voice got higher and louder. “I had to clean up your mess. Do you know how badly this has affected our company? The son I kept to put in charge of my company is drilling it into the ground? I cannot even trust my own son”.

Hayes did not interject. 

“For that, you have been demoted to President”.

Everyone’s eyes grow wide including mine. Hayes shot his father a look. His lips parted but he couldn’t speak. Even Hayes’s mother had his exact expression.

I turned to Dominic who sat beside me. He didn’t look shocked. Instead, he wore the poker-faced expression he had all morning. 

There is no way he could have known about this but still, he didn’t seem affected. 

“You don’t have anything to say?” I whispered to Dominic.

“What should I say?” He asked, fully turning to me. 

I almost gasped.

He did not understand what whispering meant?

Hayes’s father went on. He wasn’t fazed by anyone’s reaction. 

“Since the group CEO seat is now vacant,” he paused and turned to Dominic. “Dominic would be taking that position”.

Hayes shot to his feet. This had always been his fear since Dominic returned and now it has happened. 

“Father, you cannot do this,” Hayes protested. 

“How can you do this to your own son?” Hayes’s mother chimed in. 

“Dominic is also my son,” Hayes’s father said, his gaze still on Dominic. “You will not refuse my offer, now, would you?”

All eyes turned to Dominic. Hayes’s jaw clenched. 

“How can I?” Dominic answered as he stood, his hands in his pocket. 

“No, it isn’t right for the illegitimate son to take this position,” Hayes’s mother added. 

“My decision is final”.

“I don’t deserve this. After all, Sophie is the one who leaked the news of the divorce,” Hayes refused. 

Dominic sat down while Hayes was still fuming. 

Hayes’s father turned to me. “What exactly should I do about this situation? Do you doubt my judgement?” 

I was practically boiling. 

I breathed heavily. For the first time throughout the meeting, my anger was visible. Too visible.

I was about to lash out at Hayes when Dominic’s hand found its way to mind underneath the table. His fingers slipped through mine then held onto it. 

He squeezed it slightly and I took in a breath. “I was the one who leaked the news about the marriage,” Dominic revealed. 

I shot him a glance.

“What?”

Whispers erupted. 

My heart raced. 

Dominic revealed the news to the press?