ARIA
The elevator ride up felt endless.
No one spoke. Not Nathan. Not security. Not me.
Just the metallic hum and the echo of Vivian's warning beating through my skull
By tomorrow morning, you'll be the reason the Carter deal collapses.
When the doors slid open, the air on the executive floor was thick, heavy, and waiting.
Every board member sat at the long glass table.
Vivian was already there. Perfect posture. Perfect calm.
She didn't even glance our way when we walked in.
"Mr. Hale, Ms. Collins," she said smoothly, "thank you for coming so quickly."
Nathan bristleded. "You dragged us here in the middle of the night. What's going on?"
Vivian folded her hands. "Transparency. The company is in crisis. I intend to contain it before it spreads."
"Contain what?" I asked.
She nodded toward the large screen behind her.
An email glowed on the monitor my name at the top, a timestamp beneath it, and the words Confidential Merger File: Carter Holdings.
The room erupted in murmurs.
Nathan's voice was steel. "That email is fake."
One of the directors cleared his throat. "The evidence says otherwise. The message originated from Ms. Collins's account."
"Someone hacked it," Nathan snapped.
Vivian finally looked at him. "And conveniently sent it to the only partner who could destroy our deal?"
Her tone was silk wrapped around a blade.
"This is ridiculous," I said, forcing my voice steady. "Check my office cameras. Check my ID logs. I wasn't even in the building when that was sent."
Vivian's smile didn't reach her eyes. "Someone can always act through an accomplice."
The accusation hit like a slap.
"You're implying she had help?" Nathan asked coldly.
"I'm implying she had motivation," Vivian replied. "Rumor has it she and a certain journalist from The Ledger have been… close. Perhaps he offered a little incentive for insider information."
My mouth went dry. "That's a lie."
"Then prove it," she said. "Otherwise, I'll have to protect this company the only way I can."
Nathan slammed his hands on the table. "You'll destroy her career over something you fabricated!"
Vivian's calm never wavered. "I'm protecting the Hale name. You'd understand that if you remembered who you are."
He stared at her, eyes burning. "I know exactly who I am and it's not you."
The silence that followed was electric.
She turned to the board. "Effective immediately, Ms. Collins is suspended pending investigation. And to prevent further conflict of interest, Nathan will temporarily step back from merger discussions."
The vote was instant. Heads nodded. Pens scratched.
My fate is sealed with signatures.
Nathan reached for me, but I couldn't breathe.
Every whisper in that room felt like a nail in the coffin of everything we'd built.
Vivian stood, voice low and final. "You wanted to play in our world, Ms. Collins. Now you'll learn how quickly it spits out those who don't belong."
She walked out, leaving silence and shock behind her.