Chapter 3: The Boardroom Execution

POV: Lyra

The revolving glass doors spun with a heavy thud, and I stepped out onto the sidewalk just as Elias was handing his car keys to the valet, but he stopped mid-motion when his eyes landed on me. He stared at my designer suit and my sharp, expensive bob, and for a second, he actually stumbled over his own feet while his mistress, Chloe, clung to his arm like a trophy she was afraid to drop.

"Lyra? What are you doing here, and why are you dressed like you actually have somewhere important to be?" Elias asked, his voice dripping with the same condescension that used to make me shrink, but today it just made me want to laugh.

"I do have somewhere to be, Elias, because I have a ten o'clock meeting with the board of directors at Thorne Industries, and I believe you’re here because you’re hoping Xavier will renew your server lease before it expires at midnight," I said, checking my watch before looking up at Xavier, who was watching the exchange with a cold, unreadable expression.

"You’re working for him? You went to the competition because you couldn't handle being fired for being incompetent?" Chloe chimed in, her voice shrill as she tried to find a flaw in the version of me that was currently outshining her.

"I wasn't fired for being incompetent, Chloe, I was fired because Elias is a thief who can't build anything on his own, and as for working for Xavier, I’m his new Executive Secretary, which means any deal you want to make has to go through my desk first," I replied, and the look of pure shock on Elias’s face was better than any paycheck I had ever received.

"You’re kidding me, Xavier, you hired her? She’s a disgruntled ex-employee who probably told you a bunch of lies just to get a seat in your lobby," Elias said, turning to Xavier, but Xavier didn't even blink as he took a step forward.

"She told me exactly what I needed to hear, Elias, and since she’s the one who designed the very system you’re trying to sell me today, I figured she was the best person to tell me if your company is actually worth the paper the contract is printed on," Xavier said, his voice deep and commanding as he forced Elias to back up.

Xavier placed a hand on the small of my back to lead me toward the elevators, leaving Elias and Chloe standing on the curb looking like they had been slapped, and the doors closed on their furious faces. Once we were inside the quiet cabin, Xavier pressed the stop button to halt the elevator between floors so he could look me in the eye.

"That was a good start, but you need to keep that same energy in the boardroom, because Elias is going to try to provoke you and use your past against you," Xavier warned, his gaze surprisingly supportive for a man known as a devil.

"He doesn't have anything on me anymore, because the only thing he had was my heart and he crushed that yesterday, so now all I have is the work and the desire to see him lose everything," I told him, and he nodded before restarting the elevator.

When we walked into the boardroom, Elias and Chloe were already sitting at the long mahogany table, looking like they were trying to project confidence, but I could see the way Elias kept glancing at the door. I took my seat right next to Xavier and pulled out my tablet, opening the files that contained every error and hidden debt in Elias’s empire.

"Alright, let's get started, I’ve looked over the proposal for the Aegis integration, and quite frankly, Elias, the numbers don't add up at all," I said, sliding the digital report across the table so it appeared on the large screen for the entire board to see.

"What are you talking about? Those numbers were verified by my lead accountant," Elias snapped, his face turning a dark shade of red as he glared at me.

"Your lead accountant is your brother-in-law, and he’s been hiding the fact that you’ve been diverting funds from the research department to pay for your private jet and Chloe’s jewelry collection," I said, and the room went dead silent as the other board members started whispering.

"That’s a lie, she’s making this up because she’s bitter about the breakup!" Chloe yelled, standing up and pointing a finger at me, but I didn't even flinch.

"I have the bank statements, Chloe, and I also have the logs that show you were accessing the company vault while Elias was in meetings, so if you want to talk about lies, we can start with why you’ve been transferring money to an offshore account," I countered, and Chloe’s face went pale as she slowly sat back down.

Elias looked at Xavier, hoping for some kind of mercy, but Xavier was just leaning back with a smug expression, enjoying the show.

"It seems your secretary is very thorough, Elias, and I don't think I can move forward with a partner who is currently under investigation for embezzlement," Xavier said, and right at that moment, the doors to the boardroom opened and two men in suits walked in with federal badges.

"Mr. Marcus? We have a warrant to seize your business records, and we’d like you to come with us for questioning," one of the men said, and I watched as the color drained from Elias’s face while they led him out of the room.

Once the room cleared, Xavier turned to me and narrowed his eyes, clearly suspicious of how prepared I had been.

"You had those files ready before you even walked into my office last night, didn't you, Lyra?" he asked, and I realized he was starting to see just how dangerous I could be.

"I told you I was the brain behind the company, Xavier, and a good brain always has a backup plan in case the heart gets broken," I replied, but as I stood up to leave, my phone buzzed with an anonymous text message that made my blood run cold.

The message was a picture of my mother in her hospital bed, and underneath it were the words: “Give me the encryption key or you

r mother doesn't get her next dose of medicine.”