Clara.
Her name was the first thing that crossed Nathaniel's mind when he left his office. He needed to tell her that Laura had somehow been hired into the company—into his company. But calling her now, in the middle of work hours, didn't sit right with him. Clara took her job seriously; she'd waited a long time for this chance. Interrupting her now just to drop a bomb like that would only distract her.
No, he decided.
He'd wait until they were home. Then he'd explain everything.
For now, he had something else to deal with.
The meeting.
Nathaniel walked down the hall, each step echoing faintly off the polished marble floor. His jaw was tight, his expression unreadable, but inside, he was burning. How could Laura—of all people—have slipped through the company's hiring process? Cross Pharmaceuticals had one of the strictest recruitment standards in the industry. No one got in without rigorous screening, interviews, and academic verification. And yet, Laura Simmons was now an employee.
When he stepped into the boardroom, the conversation around the long glass table went silent. The shareholders greeted him politely, and his stepbrother Daniel, seated comfortably near the head of the table, offered him a smug little smile. Nathaniel didn't return it.
He walked to his seat at the end of the table—the CEO's chair—and sat down. The air felt heavier than usual.
"Let's begin," he said, his tone clipped.
The meeting started as usual: quarterly reports, project updates, financial summaries. But Nathaniel wasn't really listening. He was waiting for the right moment.
When the presentations ended, he leaned forward, folding his hands on the table. "I have a question," he said, voice calm but edged. "Who authorized the hiring of Ms. Laura Simmons?"
The room fell silent. Daniel glanced up, eyes glinting with amusement. "That would be me," he said smoothly. "Of course, the board approved it."
"Approved it?" Nathaniel repeated, his voice sharpening. "On what grounds?"
Daniel's smirk deepened slightly as he opened a folder in front of him. "Laura Simmons came highly recommended," he began, sliding a document across the table. "She's published research papers, collaborated on genetic data modeling, and even presented at two conferences. Impressive résumé, wouldn't you say?"
Nathaniel's eyes scanned the paper. It all looked official. Too official. Her name appeared beside titles, dates, institutions. But he knew better. Laura hadn't studied anything close to this. She'd been in performing arts, not molecular biology. The only lab she'd ever seen was probably a set design for a stage play.
He looked up slowly. "And you verified this?"
Daniel gave a casual shrug. "HR reviewed the documents. Everything checked out."
"I'm not asking about HR," Nathaniel said flatly. "I'm asking you. Did you personally confirm any of this?"
Daniel leaned back, crossing his arms. "She came recommended by one of our secondary shareholders," he said. "They insisted she be accepted into the research division. Given their contribution and stake in the company, the board voted to approve it."
Nathaniel's fingers drummed lightly on the table. "Which shareholder?"
"They preferred to remain anonymous," Daniel replied, still wearing that insufferable calm.
A murmur rippled through the boardroom. Nathaniel's jaw clenched. Anonymous recommendations were unheard of in Cross Pharmaceuticals—especially for scientific roles. Every hire had to be screened, background-checked, and evaluated. This wasn't a charity, and it certainly wasn't a stage for people with forged résumés.
"So," Nathaniel said slowly, his tone cooling into something dangerous, "a woman with no scientific background was hired into a high-level lab position, no interview, no verification, and based solely on the word of an unnamed shareholder?"
Daniel met his gaze, unbothered. "That's correct. But she's already been assigned, and from what I've seen, she's adjusting well. Perhaps you should trust the process, brother."
Nathaniel gave a tight, humorless smile. "Trust the process," he echoed quietly.
He leaned back in his chair, his eyes fixed on Daniel. For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Something wasn't right. This wasn't just about Laura sneaking into the company—it was about who wanted her there, and why.
And as the meeting carried on, Nathaniel realized that Laura wasn't the only person he needed to keep an eye on and find a way to make sure He keeps Laura away from Clara at least till his found a way to fire her.