A seat at the table

Evelyn’,s POV

"Leave us." Lucien's voice cut through the room like ice. The receptionist froze, then quickly nodded.My stomach dropped. The look in his eyes made it painfully clear that his anger wasn't directed at her alone. "One more thing," he said before she reached the door.

She turned immediately.

"From now on, no one enters my office without my permission." His jaw tightened. "Do that again, and you'll be looking for another job."

The color drained from her face.

"I... I'm sorry, sir."

She lowered her head, shot me a bewildered glance, and hurried out, the door clicking shut behind her.

Silence settled over the office.

Heat crept up my neck, and I fixed my gaze on the polished floor. I wished it would crack open and swallow me whole.

A lump formed in my throat.

No.

I blinked hard, refusing to let the tears escape. If I cried now, he'd think he'd already won. I couldn't afford that, not if I wanted him to believe I deserved this job.

Without another word, Lucien pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

The call connected on the second ring.

"Good day, sir," a man's voice answered.

"I want every security officer on duty replaced immediately," Lucien said, his tone calm enough to be frightening. "They allowed a stranger onto my property."

He ended the call without waiting for a reply.

"You can't do this because of me," I said, forcing the words past the tightness in my throat. "This isn't their fault.”

"You don't get to tell me what to do." Lucien's voice thundered through the office. "Shut up!"

His fist slammed onto the desk.

The sharp crack echoed through the room, and I flinched before I could stop myself.

His chest rose and fell with heavy breaths, his face flushed with anger.

I closed my eyes for a brief second and steadied my breathing.

Not anymore.

I wasn't the frightened girl who ran from every confrontation. Lucien wanted me shaken. He wanted me to lose my nerve.

He couldn't kill me.

When I opened my eyes, I walked straight toward him until only a few inches separated us.

I held his gaze without blinking.

"When you're done putting on this show," I said, a small smile tugging at my lips, "you'll hear me out."

Something flickered across his face.

He blinked twice, as if caught off guard.

I didn't look away.

Life had thrown far worse at me than an angry billionaire. Compared to everything I'd survived, standing in front of Lucien Alexander wasn't enough to make me back down.

For the first time since I walked into his office, he was the one who stepped back.

I turned, strolled to the chair, and sat down, crossing one leg over the other as though I belonged there.

"Let me introduce myself properly." I folded my hands in my lap. "My name is Evelyn Marson. I'm a financial advisor... and your company needs me."

His brows drew together.

"I'm the person who can help protect your company's finances."

A slow smirk spread across his face as he lowered himself into his chair.

"And why should I hire you?" he asked.

He leaned back, looking at me with open amusement.

"First, you brought a ridiculous marriage deal. Now you walk into my office and make another outrageous demand." His smile widened. "Take your time. Say whatever nonsense you came here to say."

He glanced toward the door.

"The police are already on their way to arrest you.”

"Po... police?" I gasped, my eyes widening. "Come on," I said, my voice softening. "I only came here to talk." I lowered my gaze. "Besides, you promised to compensate me if those dating rumors caused any damage."

"I knew it." His lips curled into a cold smile. "This is about money."

My head snapped up.

"No." I shook my head quickly. "You're misunderstanding me."

He reached into his pocket, pulled out a checkbook, and tossed it onto the desk.

"Name your price."

The gesture stung more than I expected.

"I don't want your charity," I said, forcing myself to meet his eyes. "I just want the job."

Arguing with Lucien wasn't getting me anywhere. Every time I pushed back, he seemed to enjoy the battle even more.

A knock sounded.

Before I could react, the office door opened.

My heart lurched.

The police...

Instead, a tall, elegant woman walked in.

She moved with effortless confidence, each step graceful and unhurried. Her tailored suit hugged her figure perfectly, and her flawless skin seemed to glow beneath the office lights.

A welcoming smile rested on her lips, until her eyes landed on me.

The smile disappeared.

"It's time for the board meeting, Lucien," she said, though her gaze never left mine.

Something about the way she looked at me made my stomach tighten.

I looked away first.

Lucien rose from his chair and slipped on his suit jacket.

"She's coming with us," he said calmly as he fastened the buttons.

My eyes widened.

What?

Every ounce of confidence I'd built over the last few minutes threatened to crumble.

A board meeting? I wasn't ready for that. What was I supposed to say? Was this another one of Lucien's games? Another chance to watch me fail? I swallowed hard, pushed myself to my feet, and silently followed them out of the office.

As we walked down the hallway, the woman stole curious glances at me every few steps.

We stopped outside a large conference room.

The woman opened the door and stepped aside.

A long mahogany table stretched across the room, surrounded by neatly arranged leather chairs.

The moment I walked in, every conversation died.

Dozens of eyes turned toward me.

My throat tightened.

For one terrifying second, I thought my legs would give out beneath me.

My pulse hammered against my ribs, each breath coming faster than the last. I stayed close behind Lucien, using him as a shield from the curious stares.

"This seat is yours."

The woman pointed to an empty chair directly across from hers.

I nodded silently and sat down.

Lucien took the seat at the head of the table, his presence commanding the room without a single word.

As I looked around, my eyes landed on an older man.

The resemblance was unmistakable.

The same sharp jaw. The same piercing eyes. The same cold expression.

So... that had to be Lucien's father.

The thought almost made me smile.

Like father, like son.

If Lucien was the devil, then the man across from me had to be the retired version.

Unfortunately, he looked just as terrifying.

His eyes settled on me, unwavering.

I quickly lowered my gaze and clasped my hands together beneath the table, pressing my fingers so tightly they began to ache.

"Good day, everyone."

Lucien's deep voice cut through the silence.

"Thank you for making time for today's meeting. As you're all aware, we're here to discuss the company's current challenges and decide on the next course of action."

He glanced around the room.

"If there are no questions, we'll move on to the first agenda item."

Silence.

"Good."

He turned to the man seated on his left.

"Mr. Clark."

The man straightened in his chair.

"What does the legal team recommend?"

Mr. Clark adjusted his glasses before speaking.

"We believe the company should continue supporting Obsidian Global. Once they win the case and are officially cleared of all allegations, our reputation will recover alongside theirs."

He paused.

"From there, we can persuade them to make us a major shareholder, just as we originally planned."

I stared at him in disbelief. That was their solution? Surely no one in this room could seriously believe that was a good idea.

"As the company's financial advisor," the woman who had brought me to the meeting began, "I don't think it's a bad idea."

She sat up straighter, confidence shining in her eyes.

"Our goal has always been to become Obsidian Global's largest shareholder. If we continue supporting them through this case, we'll recover every naira we spend once everything is resolved."

She finished with a satisfied smile.

"Thank you, Miss Stephanie."

Lucien gave her a small nod before turning to me.

"Your turn, Evelyn." For a second, I simply stared at him. My name? My mouth went dry.

"I... I..." The room blurred for a moment. No. Not now.

I lowered my eyes, drew in a slow breath, then another. You can do this.

If you sound uncertain, they'll never believe a word you say.

I lifted my head.

"The biggest problem isn't the money we've already invested," I began, my voice steady this time. "The real problem is our exposure to Obsidian Global."

Every eye in the room fixed on me.

"Now that the fraud allegations are public, investors won't separate us from them. They'll see us as part of the scandal. If we don't distance ourselves immediately, our share price could fall, investors could lose confidence, and the damage to our reputation may be impossible to repair."

The room fell silent.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Lucien's father slowly nodding.

A flicker of confidence spread through me.

"And what if Obsidian Global is found guilty?" I continued. "We'll lose far more than our investment."

I paused, letting the question hang in the air.

"But even if they win..."

I looked around the table.

"Who says the public will trust them again? Winning in court doesn't erase doubt. Customers may still refuse to buy their products. Sales could remain weak for years."

I turned to Stephanie.

"If we become their biggest shareholder while they're struggling to survive, we'll inherit their problems instead of their profits."

"Very impressive," Lucien's dad said.

Lucien's expression didn't change.

"Pointing out problems is easy," he said coolly. "What's your solution?"

His words barely reached me.

I already had one.

"We publicly distance ourselves from Obsidian Global," I said. "Then we file a lawsuit for fraudulent concealment. We may recover part of our losses while protecting this company's reputation."

No one spoke.

The silence stretched across the room.

Lucien leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly against the table. His eyes stayed locked.

"Interesting," he murmured, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. A chill crawled down my spine.

That wasn't the smile of a man who had found an answer.

It was the smile of someone who had just discovered a far more dangerous question.

And suddenly, I realized this wasn't the end of my nightmare. It was only the beginning.