"Are you saying the board wants to return and, at the sa ti, they don’t want to return?" lanie asked slowly, her voice laced with disbelief as she stared at the man seated across from her. He gave a tired sigh.
"All I’m saying is—ABC Estates is a sinking ship. We’re drifting without a captain, and right now, we need soone who understands the storm we’re in and has so hope of taking us out "You can hire soone externally," she replied, folding her arms. "There are a dozen qualified candidates out there. As for , I am already struggling. I seem to have made a habit of trusting the wrong people. I recomnded Spencer for chairman... and my own assistant almost ruined my budding business... Just hire soone else okay?"
"We tried," he said, shaking his head. "No one is willing to take responsibility. Not after what Spencer did. He made sure of that." lanie frowned. "What exactly did he do? I an other than the scandal?"
"Spencer Collins knew he was skating on thin ice. He suspected the will’s end result might not favour him, and if he couldn’t get anything, then he didn’t want Adam to have anything either. So, he sabotaged everything. He liquidated whatever funds were available, mortgaged pri assets, made reckless commitnts to clients-things we could never deliver on. It was systematic."
lanie’s eyes widened slightly. "And no one stopped him?"
"No one could," the man said bitterly. "He was still in charge, and no one had the authority to counter him without proof of misconduct. And now, the damage is extensive. But our biggest problem-our most imdiate concern-is Stordge."
"Stordge?" lanie repeated. "Why would they be a concern?" He nodded grimly and pushed the file in front of her, "They’ve already reached out, asking for urgent talks. They’re bringing up breach of contract clauses and seeking compensation for missed deadlines. They’re coming for blood."
lanie’s gaze dropped to the file in front of her. She flipped open the top page and studied the contract again. The wording was too polished. Too perfect. Her brow furrowed as a sick feeling settled in her gut. Her eyes narrowed further.
This wasn’t just a simple client agreent. This was a trap contract-clever, deliberate, and designed to fail. Every clause now looked like a snare. It was constructed to guarantee breach and trigger penalties.
But why would Spencer be so easily persuaded to sign this contract? Why did the lawyers not stop him or at least alert the other board mbers. With a huff, she threw the contract back and questioned," Why did no one stop him? What was the legal team doing?"
"That is the problem. We checked the contract that the legal team approved. That one was fine. But this contract was changed at the last minute. At first we thought that Stordge had played so sort of a trick but with new revelations about Spencer, we now believe that he may have struck so under the table deal with Stordge."
lanie leaned back in her chair, her arms still folded but her expression slightly less guarded. She stared at the contract for another mont before closing the file with a sharp snap. "This is too difficult a position," she said quietly, almost to herself.
Then, louder, "Even if I did co back, there’s no guarantee I could fix this. You’re talking about financial damage, destroyed trust, a near-total loss of liquidity—and now legal entanglents with one of our most high-profile clients. That’s not sothing anyone can walk into and solve overnight."
The man didn’t interrupt, letting her words settle into the air between them. She sighed and rubbed her temples. "But... I’ll attend the eting. I’m not promising anything more than that, but I’ll hear them out."
A flicker of relief passed over the man’s face. "Thank you. That’s more than we expected."
He reached into his coat pocket and retrieved a folded paper, sliding it toward her. "You should know-the Chairman of Stordge is going to be present. He is said to be a difficult person. They said his word is non-negotiable."
"The chairman? You an Maximilan?"
"No. Mr Maximilan is the CEO. The Chairman is soone else. He rarely cos to the front though so Mr Maximilan is the face of Stordge."
lanie sighed. " I see. Alright. You said the eting is in two days. I’ll study Stordge until then. See if I can find anything. Also, I would appreciate it if you can get any information about the Chairman."
***
A few hours later, lanie was in his office, seated cross-legged on the swivel chair, the desk in front of her scattered with open files, sticky notes, two notebooks, and a tablet she hadn’t touched since noon. Her hair was tied up in a loose bun with a pen poking out the side. She was still staring at one of the Stordge agreents, eyes narrowed in focus, when she suddenly felt herself being lifted clean off the chair.
"Aah! What the-" she squealed, reflexively grabbing at the nearest thing—his shirt—before her forehead bumped hard against his shoulder and she was in the air or rather, in his arms. "Ow—dammit! Stop doing that!
"You’re always so lost in your world, Adam said, as he took her chair and held her in his lap, and continued," I feel like a neglected hero of your story. Hence, I’m forced to resort to increasingly desperate asures just to get your attention, my sweet little lon."
lanie rolled her eyes and tried to push herself down but as always, his hold remained immovable, so she could not help but complain, "This is not demanding attention, Adam! This is assault."
He grinned and adjusted his grip slightly, still holding her in his lap. "You hurt ! How can you call this assault. All I did was pick you up and hold you close. To get rid of , all you have to do is glare at and tell to go away. I promise I will move to the other chair, if you do that. Also, it is not my fault I’ve been written into the role of male lead in an independent female lead’s novel. It’s a very sad life. You don’t need to rescue you, you don’t cry in my arms, you don’t get threatened by villains, and worst of all, I don’t even get a horse to ride in on and save you from sothing dramatically. I an, I am the one being rescued sohow. So how am I supposed to make an entrance that the audiences will love?"
lanie let out a laugh despite herself, one hand going to her temple where she’d banged her head. "My poor, neglected ML husband. Really sad for you."
Adam nodded at that and ignoring the sarcasm in her tone, answered seriously, "Exactly. Thank you for your understanding."
She blinked up at him and then fluttered her eyelashes deliberately. "You know, Mls in female oriented novels are actually very important. A good FL story needs a solid, seductive, slightly dangerous ML. Keeps the plot spicy. You’re doing fine. Don’t underestimate yourself."
He gave a sharp, amused snort. "Oh, I’m not underestimating anything." He stepped forward, backing her gently toward the desk till she was half-sitting on the edge of it, still in his arms. His voice dropped slightly, rougher. "Of course I’m important. I’m the one constantly seducing my wife- the female lead, right? So I’m just doing my job of adding spice to the story."
Suddenly, she could feel the shift in him... it was a simple tone of event but like always, Adam seed to turn on the seduction switch within seconds. Suddenly he was less banter and more heat now. He was close. And even his eyes seed to darken a bit.
lanie’s smile tilted, caught sowhere between a smirk and sothing more careful. "Is that what this is? Work?" He leaned in, resting his forehead lightly against hers and rubbed their noses, Uh huh. Very demanding job. Unstable hours. Requires a lot of... physical presence. But I am okay with it. I enjoy my job."
She laughed at that, " Oh.... you poor thing. Having to lie that you love your job. "Uh huh. I’ll expect full appreciation," he said, brushing his lips just barely along her cheek, pausing there, "Bonuses. Perks. Emotional validation. I accept kisses, hugs and sex in the form of paynt."
"You’ll get coffee," lanie murmured, shifting slightly but not pulling away.
He kissed her then—slow, confident, unhurried until she was left yearning for more when he pulled back and asked with a raised brow," Are you sure about that coffee only?".
lanie shook her head to clear the fog he had created in his mind and then, tapped his chest and said, "Alright, Mr Male Lead. Now put down. I have a villain to destroy." He sighed. "Can’t I at least save you dramatically once? Tell what are you doing? I know for a fact that that Ben, for all his faults, did not embezzle you. So, why is my wife drowning in paper work?"
lanie sighed and looked down at the paperwork and explained," It is your friend’s company. They signed quite a ssed up contract with Spencer, and now, ABC Industries is almost ruined. I’ve been reading their other contracts and most are upright. So why did these people draw this one up like this?" Adam looked down at the contracts and post its, and slowly asked," I thought you had resigned as the chairwoman. So why are you..."
"They are trying to get back, hoping I can save them. I am going to attend the eting for now..."
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