The sound of tearing paper echoed in the room long after Julian Blackwood's hands fell still.
Evelyn stared at the shredded contract scattered across the desk, her heart pounding so loudly she was sure he could hear it.
"You tore it," she said slowly.
Julian's face was unreadable. "You are not ready to sign."
Relief rushed through her so fast it almost made her dizzy. "So this ends here."
"No," he replied calmly. "This becomes simpler."
Her breath caught. "Simpler how."
He gestured toward the couch. "Sit."
"I am done following your commands."
"Then stand," he said without emotion. "But you will listen."
She remained where she was, arms folded tightly across her chest.
Julian walked back to the window, staring out at the city like a man surveying conquered land. "You want the truth. Fine. But understand this. The truth will not free you."
She swallowed hard. "I have lived with your silence for years. I can survive the truth."
He turned to her then, his gaze sharp and unforgiving. "You disappeared the night my company almost collapsed."
Her brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?"
"You know exactly what," he snapped. "The files leaked. The investors panicked. My enemies moved in. And you were gone."
Her heart dropped. "Julian I never did anything like that."
"You were the only one with access," he said coldly. "The only one I trusted."
Pain sliced through her chest. "I was at the hospital that night. My mother was sick."
He hesitated for half a second.
It was enough for her to see it.
"You never checked," she whispered. "You never asked."
"I saw evidence," he replied harshly. "Emails sent from your account. Transfers made using your authorization."
"That is impossible," she said. "I did not send anything."
"Someone did," he shot back. "And it destroyed me."
Tears welled in her eyes. "So you punished me without proof."
"I had proof," he insisted. "I just did not have certainty."
Her laugh was bitter and broken. "So you chose certainty over love."
The silence that followed was thick and suffocating.
Julian turned away again. "This conversation is over."
"No," she said firmly. "It is not."
She stepped closer. "If you are going to ruin my life again, you will at least look at me while you do it."
He faced her slowly.
"You think this is revenge," she continued. "But this is fear. You are afraid of what really happened."
His jaw tightened. "Leave."
"I will not," she said. "Not until you tell me why you never came back."
For a moment, she thought he might explode.
Instead, he spoke quietly. "Because I was drowning. And I believed you pushed me in."
Her chest tightened painfully. "I would never do that."
"Then prove it," he challenged.
"How," she demanded. "You have locked me out of everything."
"Not everything," he said.
He walked to his desk and pulled out a slim folder.
"This," he said, placing it down, "is the internal audit from five years ago. The one that never went public."
She stared at it. "Why are you showing me this now."
"Because you wanted leverage," he replied. "Here it is."
She flipped through the pages, her eyes scanning numbers and names. Then she froze.
One name appeared again and again.
Lydia Kane.
Her blood ran cold.
"My cousin," she whispered.
Julian watched her carefully. "You recognize it."
"She worked briefly in my department," Evelyn said. "But she left abruptly."
"She did not leave," Julian corrected. "She was paid to disappear."
Her hands trembled. "By who."
Julian's voice dropped. "By someone very close to you."
Shock rippled through her. "That is not possible."
"You trusted the wrong people," he said. "Just like I did."
Her mind reeled. "If this is true, then why punish me."
"Because you protected her," he said sharply.
"I did not even know," she cried. "I swear to you."
He studied her face, searching for something.
For doubt. For guilt.
He found none.
For the first time, uncertainty flickered in his eyes.
"You are lying," he said, but his voice lacked conviction.
"I am not," she whispered. "And if you had given me one chance to explain, we would not be standing here."
Silence crashed between them.
Julian turned abruptly, raking a hand through his hair.
"This changes nothing," he said finally. "The damage is done."
"But it changes everything," she argued. "You are blaming the wrong person."
"Even if I am," he replied, "it does not undo what happened. And it does not solve your current problem."
Her stomach clenched. "You mean my company."
"Yes," he said. "Your board meets in three hours."
Her breath caught. "You cannot do this."
"I already have," he replied calmly.
She moved toward the door. "I need to be there."
He stepped into her path effortlessly. "You will embarrass yourself."
"Move," she said.
"You are no longer in control," he replied.
Fury surged through her. "You do not own me."
"Not yet," he said quietly.
The words sent a chill through her.
She pushed past him and stormed out of the office, her heart racing.
The boardroom was already full when she arrived.
Faces she had known for years refused to meet her gaze.
The chairman cleared his throat. "Evelyn, thank you for coming."
She stood tall. "I am the CEO. I do not need an invitation."
A murmur rippled through the room.
"The situation has escalated," another board member said. "The legal risks are too great."
"This is temporary," Evelyn insisted. "Give me time."
"You have had time," the chairman replied gently. "We are voting now."
Her heart pounded as hands were raised.
One by one.
Against her.
The final vote was unanimous.
"We are removing you as acting CEO effective immediately."
The words felt unreal.
Security approached discreetly.
Evelyn gathered her belongings with shaking hands, humiliation burning through her veins.
As she stepped into the hallway, her phone vibrated.
Julian.
She ignored it.
It rang again.
And again.
Finally, she answered.
"You lost," he said calmly.
Her voice broke. "You planned this."
"Yes," he replied. "But you also forced my hand."
She laughed bitterly. "Congratulations. You have everything you wanted."
"Not yet," he said. "Come back."
"I will not," she whispered.
"Then listen carefully," Julian said, his voice turning deadly quiet. "Your board just signed a preliminary agreement transferring controlling shares to Blackwood Industries."
Her breath hitched. "That is illegal."
"Not when your signature was pre authorized," he replied. "A clause your father included."
Her knees nearly buckled.
"You are lying," she said weakly.
"Check your email," he instructed.
She did.
The document was there.
Signed.
Stamped.
Final.
She slid down against the wall, tears finally spilling over.
"You have destroyed me," she whispered.
Julian's voice softened just a fraction. "I am the only thing standing between you and complete ruin."
She closed her eyes.
"What do you want," she asked brokenly.
"Come back to my office," he said. "We will discuss the revised contract."
"There is no contract," she said.
"There
will be," he replied.
She hesitated.
"You wanted truth," he added quietly. "Stay close, and you will get it."
Her chest tightened painfully.
She stood slowly and turned back toward the elevator.
When the doors opened, Julian was already waiting inside.