Chapter 35 Like Silence Didn't Burn
Mark quietly excused himself from the table but Jack was still frozen mid-step.
My lips trembled. I tried so hard to blink back the tears but they protested anyway.
Surely Daniel didn't tell my father... No, it was clear now that he did. Because I've trusted Layla with my secret for long, so she couldn't have. But why did Daniel tell my father about what's supposed to not be told especially to my father?
"Daniel came to me distressed about how vile you could be and how cold you really are to have terminated your pregnancy just so you could have a seat at the board..." Conrad said with nonchalance as if his words wouldn't break me.
"At the time," He continued. "I couldn’t have guessed that you could give up on an unborn child just for fame..."
That has to be the last straw.
I slammed my trembling hands on the table. "I did no such thing!"
Conrad chuckled dryly. "Why deny it now?" He asked incredulously as his eyes darted to Jack whose back was still to us. "Jack deserves to know your true nature... But by the look of things, you both are yet to fully trust each other with your secrets and your past."
My body trembled and I almost thrashed the table but I didn't.
Conrad stood up quietly from his chair and his surgical gaze met my blazing ones.
"Why are you doing this? You claim we're family, but have you ever considered me a daughter?" I didn't even know when the question left the confines of my mouth.
"You chose to rebel against me from the start," Conrad began. "You got married to someone like him on impulse just so you could escape your engagement with Richard who I have personally vetted for you and the company, and then you infiltrate the board and act recklessly, even your mother knows when not to cross the damn line!"
"But you killed her regardless!" I hissed.
A beat passed.
He furrowed his brows. "Leave with your so-called husband this instant... But be prepared to reap the consequences of your actions by losing your seat at the board!" He yelled and slowly walked away like if he walked fast, he'd put his health in danger.
I opened my mouth for a comeback but I couldn't say anything and before I could register anything else, Jack wrapped his one arm around my trembling body and guided me out of the mansion.
But before we got to the car to leave, I stopped on my tracks and pulled away from his hold.
His body froze and he looked mad. But I didn't really want to know what he was mad about.
"You came to this dinner meeting with me despite knowing you could lose your executive badge and your seat at the board?" Jack asked but I didn't look at him.
I was feeling a lot already, I didn't want to add to it. "I just didn't want to be controlled by him like a pawn anymore..."
"But I thought you knew that your father doesn't just throw threats around just for the fun of it. If he actually throws you out of the board, then all we've done so far for your credibility at Vale Corp will go down the drain..." Jack searched for my eyes.
"He would have threatened to unseat me whether or not you tagged along to this stupid dinner!" I snapped as my eyes finally met his. "All this is just an excuse intending to speed up his real intentions towards me. If not, why did he infuse Mark into my life?" I felt out of breath. "I never meant anything to my father, Jack, it's the same with my mother... We never actually meant anything to him other than being just pawns in his stupid game of wealth and fame!"
"Elena..."
"Cut it out, Jack!" I hissed at him but I immediately felt guilty because he didn't deserve my outburst.
"Didn't you hear what he said about us? He has succeeded in driving a wedge between us because right now, I can't bring myself to fully trust you...you're ridiculously full of secrets!" I looked away from him.
"You mean just like you had to kill your unborn child just to attract the love of a man who couldn't even see how broken and lonely you are?" Jack shot back.
I snapped my head to look at him, my whole body convulsed.
Did he just say that to me?
I couldn't believe it—that Jack of all people would say that to me.
In that moment, I pictured Daniel's mocking face and my father's nonchalant one. God—all had gone wrong already.
"Believe and think whatever you want..." My nails dug into my palms. "But I'll never have this conversation with you, ever."
He ran his hand through his hair. "Elena..."
"Let's just act like nothing happened tonight and just focus on actualizing the four months remaining from our contract." I cut him off coolly even though I felt the dire need to scream my lungs out in a bathroom. "Let's keep things professional henceforth. I'll be in the car..." I trailed off as I quickly walked to the car and got into the backseat.
I clutched a handful of my dress in a bid to keep me grounded, just so I wouldn't brawl my eyes out and lose my freaking mind. I silently begged the stars to help me keep my cool as I've always done in similar situations like this.
I kept my eyes ahead even as Jack got in beside me and the driver drove out of the curb.
The silence between us was heavy with unsettling and unspoken words. Maybe it was better this way—our relationship should be purely professional but never personal.
Neither of us spoke on the drive back. Even the city outside the car windows felt muted, lights blurring into one long, exhausted line.
My father’s words replayed in my head over and over, each time sinking deeper, each time finding something new to bruise. By the time we arrived home, I felt hollowed out, scraped raw from the inside.
We didn’t argue.
Jack disappeared into another part of the house after a brief, unreadable look. I didn’t stop him because I didn’t trust my voice not to break—or explode.
The next morning came too quickly.
I was already awake when Layla arrived, sitting at my desk with a cup of coffee I hadn’t touched, staring at nothing. When she walked in, her expression told me everything before she even spoke. Her lips were tight, she had a concerned look and a tablet clutched a little too firmly in her hands.
“Elena,” she said softly, closing the door behind her. “We need to talk.”
She placed the tablet on my desk and pulled up a document before I could even ask. The header alone made my stomach sink.
Emergency Board Meeting – Minutes
Neither my name nor Jack’s appeared anywhere on the attendance list.
Layla exhaled slowly. “Your father convened an emergency meeting late last night. Neither you nor Jack were invited.”
I let out a humorless breath. “Of course he did.”
“He did it through a technicality in the bylaws,” she continued, worry threading through her voice. “One that allows a founder to convene the board in matters of critical urgency—even after retirement.”
“I know the bylaws,” I muttered, already scrolling. “I helped draft half the revisions.”
My eyes moved quickly over the minutes, I guess I was afraid that if I slowed down, it would hurt more.
Layla nodded. “He proposed that Mark be given oversight of the Special Projects Division.”
I stilled.
“He framed it as a trial phase,” she added carefully. “Not permanent. He said it’s time to foster fresh leadership.”
A sharp bitter laugh escaped me before I could stop it. “So this is how he starts.”
Layla didn’t contradict me.
“He said Mark has already demonstrated vision, strategy, and adaptability,” she went on. “That he brings something new to the table. Your father believes the company needs new blood. Even though some board members questioned whether his retirement still holds weight, your father was… adamant about his legacy.”
I leaned back in my chair, staring at the ceiling. “He warned me,” I said quietly. “At dinner. This is him just following through.”
Layla hesitated. “Some of the board did push back. They said the proposal could wait. That Mark hasn’t been fully vetted.”
That brought my gaze back to her. “And?”
Layla’s expression darkened. “Your father used the fact that Mark is his son as leverage.”
The room felt colder.
“Elena,” she said gently, “you know what that means, don’t you?”
I nodded once. “It means they won’t question his loyalty and they won’t question his access.”
And it means Conrad has officially turned my blood against me.
Silence stretched between us before Layla shifted slightly. “What about Jack? He usually has an angle. A contingency.”
My chest tightened painfully at the sound of his name. “He’s… somewhere in the house,” I said, avoiding her eyes.
She frowned. “Did you two fight?”
I didn’t answer.
Layla tilted her head, studying me. Then she sighed. “So it is a fight.” She softened her tone. “What was it about? How deep does it go?”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” I said quickly.
Her eyes lingered on me for a moment longer, then she nodded, understanding more than I’d said. But as she stood, something else surfaced in my mind—something I’d been avoiding.
“Layla,” I said, stopping her. “You remember I asked you to dig into Jack.”
She turned back slowly. “Yes.”
“Have you found anything?” I asked, my voice low.
She shook her head. “Not yet.”
Disappointment and unease tangled in my chest. “But you believe there has to be something,” I murmured. “Don’t you?”
Layla met my gaze steadily. “Everyone has secrets, Elena. Everyone.” A pause. “I’m sure we’ll get to his soon enough.”
I nodded, though it didn’t bring me comfort.