Semua Bab HIS FORBIDDEN REJECTION : Bab 41 - Bab 50

Maya’s POV“Raymond Knight, you are hereby suspended pending investigation.”The words hit me like a gunshot. Cold. Final. Echoing across the glossy boardroom that suddenly felt too small for oxygen.My hand froze midair, the pen slipping through my trembling fingers and clattering onto the table. For a second, I didn’t know if the sound came from me or from the furious pounding of my own heartbeat.Ray didn’t flinch. He stood there, hands clasped behind his back, jaw locked in that familiar way that used to mean control. But now it looked more like restraint—like a storm held behind glass.“On what grounds?” His voice was steady, but his eyes flicked toward me briefly. Just once. And that fleeting look cut through my chest sharper than the words themselves.Zane leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, wearing a smirk that didn’t even bother to hide. “The board has received multiple complaints regarding misuse of company funds and unethical conduct,” he said, his tone dripping with fa

Maya’s POV “Don’t hang up, Maya. I’m not your enemy.”Her voice came through the phone, soft but trembling with urgency. I froze beside the glass wall of Zane’s penthouse, the city lights flickering like dying stars behind me. My pulse pounded against my throat. Lana. I hadn’t heard from her since the day Ray was suspended — since the world turned upside down.My fingers clenched around the phone. “Why are you calling me? You work for him.”“I used to,” she whispered. “Now I work for the truth.”The line went silent for a heartbeat. I could hear her breathing, shaky and uneven, like someone who’d been running. Then she said it — the sentence that made my knees almost buckle.“I have evidence that can destroy Zane.”My heart lurched. “What kind of evidence?”“Meet me. Tomorrow. Café Verona, downtown. Don’t tell anyone — especially not him. If he finds out…”The call ended before I could respond.I stood there for a long moment, the city below glowing in shades of orange and black. My

Ray's POV“Sir, the board has decided. You’re reinstated.”The lawyer’s voice sliced through the thick silence of the boardroom. My fingers tightened around the pen in my hand, the metal digging into my skin. The paper in front of me shimmered faintly under the yellow ceiling light — a single document that declared my name, my title, my power restored.But there was no relief. No victory. Just a slow, cold burn in my chest that tasted like vengeance.I stared at the lawyer, my pulse thundering in my ears. “It’s official then?”“Yes. Effective immediately. You can resume office today.”My jaw tensed. Today. The same office Zane had been using — my office. The same place where Maya worked under him now, afraid to meet my eyes the last time I saw her.“Thank you,” I muttered, signing the document with a firm stroke. My signature bled into the paper like an oath.As I slid the file back across the table, the lawyer’s tone softened. “Sir… are you sure you’re ready to face him?”I paused. F

Maya's POV “I told you not to trust him, Maya.”Ava’s voice trembled through the speaker as I sat on the floor of my room, surrounded by files, shredded papers, and broken pieces of the life I thought I had under control. My heart was still racing from the call I’d overheard in the security archive—a recording I wasn’t supposed to find.“I didn’t,” I whispered, though my throat burned from the lie. My hands shook as I pressed play again.Zane’s voice echoed through the small office speaker—calm, low, terrifyingly composed.> “Make sure the footage is deleted before morning. If she asks questions, tell her Ray ordered it.”The voice on the other end—the security guard—responded nervously.“Sir, that could implicate Mr. Ray—”“I said delete it,” Zane snapped. “And if she comes to you again, report to me first. I’ll handle her.”A wave of nausea rolled through me. Every memory of Zane’s fake concern—the way he’d touched my shoulder, the way he’d said, ‘You can trust me, Maya’—twisted in

Ray POV“Maya, look at me,” I said, my voice cracking like a wound that never healed.She didn’t. Her eyes stayed glued to the floor, to the shadows stretching between us. The air was heavy, thick with everything we hadn’t said. She stood by the window, the pale light washing her face like guilt.“You shouldn’t be here,” she whispered. “Zane will—”“I don’t care about Zane.” The words came out sharper than I meant. I took a step closer. “I’m done pretending, Maya. I’m done watching him destroy you while I stand behind rules and positions.”Her shoulders tensed. For a moment, I saw the flicker of the woman she used to be — bold, warm, and alive. But it vanished under the weight of fear.“You don’t understand,” she said softly. “He owns everything. Even me.”That broke me.I reached for her hand, and when she didn’t pull away, I felt her trembling. Her skin was cold.“I understand too well,” I murmured. “Because every time I see you near him, I die a little more inside.”She flinched.“