Chapter 43 The Fallout
The board called an emergency meeting for Monday morning.
Ariella woke up tangled with Aiden in her childhood bed, sunlight streaming through the curtains, their phones silent for the first time in days. For a moment, she let herself pretend everything was okay.
Then reality crashed back.
“We have to go,” Aiden murmured against her hair. “Face the board. Face whatever comes next.”
“Can we just stay here? Hide forever?”
“Tempting, but cowardly.”
“I’m okay with cowardly.”
He kissed her temple. “Liar.”
They drove to Frost Industries in silence, hands clasped between them. The building looked the same, glass and steel and money but everything felt different now. Exposed. Fragile.
The boardroom was packed. Twelve men and women in expensive suits, all looking at Aiden like he was a problem to solve.
James Winters sat at the far end of the table.
Ariella’s blood went cold. “What is he doing here?”
“He owns seventeen percent of the company,” Marcus said quietly. “He has a right to be at board meetings.”
Winters smiled. It didn’t reach his eyes. “Mr. Frost. Miss Hayes. So good of you to join us.”
“Let’s skip the pleasantries,” Aiden said, voice hard. “You leaked the contract.”
“Did I?” Winters spread his hands. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean.”
“You leaked it to discredit me. To challenge my control of the company.”
“I leaked nothing. But if someone felt the public had a right to know their new CEO obtained his position through fraud and manipulation…well, that’s hardly my fault.”
“It wasn’t fraud…”
“Wasn’t it?” Winters stood, commanding the room. “You married a stranger through a contract designed to circumvent our hostile takeover protections. Your father manipulated corporate bylaws for personal gain. That’s the definition of fraud.”
“The marriage is legal,” Marcus interjected. “The bylaws were followed to the letter.”
“Perhaps. But the board has a fiduciary responsibility to the company. And right now, our CEO is an eighteen-year-old boy whose judgment is severely compromised.” Winters looked directly at Ariella. “Tell me, Miss Hayes, how much were you paid to marry him?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“It’s absolutely my business. You’re influencing the CEO of a multi-billion dollar company. The board deserves to know your motivations.”
Aiden stood abruptly. “Her motivations are irrelevant. I’m the CEO. I make the decisions. And I’m telling you right now your days at this company are numbered.”
“Is that a threat?”
“It’s a promise. I have evidence of your embezzlement. Of the murders you ordered…”
“Careful, boy.” Winters’ voice went cold. “Slander is a serious charge.”
“It’s not slander if it’s true.”
The room erupted. Board members shouting questions, Marcus trying to restore order, Winters smiling like he’d already won.
Then a woman at the end of the table stood. Margaret Chen, the longest-serving board member. “Enough.”
Everyone went quiet.
“I knew Richard Frost for thirty years,” Margaret said. “Watched him build this company with Catherine. And I know, we all know that something was wrong in those final years. Money disappearing. Catherine’s investigation. Her convenient death.”
“You can’t possibly be suggesting…” Winters started.
“I’m suggesting that Aiden is right. That we’ve ignored red flags for too long because investigating them would be inconvenient.” She pulled out a folder. “I’ve done my own audit. Found irregularities dating back to 2015. Shell companies, Falsified contracts, Millions missing.”
She slid the folder across the table. “So here’s my proposal: we vote. Right now. Does Aiden Frost retain control of this company, or do we allow James Winters to challenge his position?”
“This is highly irregular…” Winters said.
“So is murder,” Margaret replied calmly.
The vote was called.
Eight to four in favor of Aiden.
Winters’ face went white. “This isn’t over.”
“No,” Aiden agreed. “It’s not. Criminal charges will be filed by end of week, The SEC has been notified. The FBI is already investigating.” He stood taller. “You killed my mother. You killed Ariella’s brother. You killed innocent people to protect your theft. And now you’re going to pay for it.”
“You can’t prove anything.”
“Watch me.”
Winters stormed out. The board members dispersed, some shaking Aiden’s hand, others looking uncertain.
When the room finally cleared, Aiden collapsed into a chair.
“We did it,” Ariella whispered.
“We survived. That’s not the same as winning.”
“What happens now?”
“Now we fight. Really fight. Build a case that can’t be ignored. Get justice for everyone he hurt.”
“Together?”
“Together.”
Marcus appeared in the doorway. “The press wants a statement. The stock is fluctuating. The lawyers are…”
“Handle it,” Aiden said. “All of it. I need…” He looked at Ariella. “I need a day. Just one day where we’re not drowning.”
“Take two,” Marcus said. “You’ve earned it.”
They left Frost Industries hand in hand, ignoring the cameras, the questions, the chaos.
Drove to the coast. Two hours of silence and highway until they reached Cannon Beach with its massive rock formations and cold Pacific wind.
They sat on the sand, watching waves crash, not talking about boards or murder or evidence.
Just existing together.
“We’re going to win this,” Ariella said finally.
“How do you know?”
“Because we’re still standing. After everything, the contract, the lies, the death, the scandal, we’re still here.”
Aiden pulled her close. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“Even though I’m a disaster?”
“Especially then.”
They stayed until sunset painted the sky impossible colors, until the cold drove them back to the car, until reality couldn’t be avoided anymore.
But for those few hours, they were just two people in love.
And that was enough.