Chapter 28 A NEW POSTION

Chapter 28 A NEW POSTION
A NEW POSITION.

CYRUS POV

I paced back and forth in the living room, trying to make sense of the phone call, trying to convince myself it was nothing. But it wasn't nothing. Not when every nerve in my body screamed that it was everything. I could feel the heat rising in my chest, my hands clenching into fists, my jaw tight. My mind ran in circles, but every circle ended with a single thought: she's still cheating. That's what this was. That's what she was doing. Who the hell did she think she was? Who was she calling? And why? And why the fuck now?

“I can’t believe this,” I muttered mostly to myself. I rubbed my face with both hands, trying to breathe, but it didn’t help. I was strung so tight it felt like a wire inside me was snapping. Dominic sat with his arms crossed on his chest and eyes partially closed, which made him look like I was overreacting, and honestly, he was right as always. But I couldn’t stop it.

“Chill,” he said flatly, “you’re losing your mind.”

“Chill?” I almost screamed, throwing my hands in the air. “Chill? My wife—my wife is still cheating. I saw the phone. I heard the voice. You know what she’s doing? What the hell is she thinking? What fuck is she thinking right now?”

Dominic raised an eyebrow and leaned back. "And what exactly do you want to do about it, Cyrus? Throw yourself at your father, storm out of your marriage, burn everything to the ground?"

"Maybe I should," I said, pacing again, my voice rising. "Maybe I should show him the call. Maybe I should hand over the divorce papers and get the hell out. Walk out of this loveless, stupid marriage and finally be done with it."

Dominic's eyes narrowed at me. "You've completely lost it in your head, right? You're seriously considering making the biggest move of your life on nothing but assumption and anger?"

"Assumption? Nothing but assumption?" I whipped around to him, my finger jabbing the air between us. "That was a man calling for her, Dominic! A man! And if that's not proof enough, then what else do I need? Do you even hear yourself? Do you realize what she's doing right now?"

"Yeah, I do," he said, in calm, deliberate tones. "And if you speak the whole deal right now, if you throw your hands in the air and drag this out, the merge doesn't happen. None of it. Your father loses his half. My father gains half of the company. You destroy the only thing you've been working toward for years. You'd hand it all over to her for what? Pride? Revenge?"

"Divorce?" I spat the word as if it tasted bitter. "Divorce? You are talking about divorce? I have not even filed papers, and now you want me to sit around like a fool while she walks away with half the company?

Dominic laughed, but it wasn't friendly. It was mocking, sharp. "Oh, that's not how rich people roll, Cyrus. You really think it works like that?"

I stared at him, the disbelief mixing with fury. "Not how it works? I'm not the CEO, Dominic. My father's still in charge."

He leaned forward slightly, eyes glinting. "Exactly. And did you see the documents you signed today? The ones that made you CEO after the merge? Yeah, that. You're in the position. Tonight, your father was planning a surprise announcement to the board. You're in charge now, whether you like it or not. The merge is final. The company is yours to lead. You wanted power, Cyrus. Congratulations. You got it."

I sank into the nearest chair, hands gripping the arms until my knuckles whitened. "I can't… I can't go ahead with a divorce now," I muttered. "I can't give her anything. I can't ruin everything for one stupid, petty argument. She—she doesn't even deserve…" My voice faltered, frustration turning into bitter helplessness. "doesn't even deserve half the company after what she's been doing."

“See? That’s what I’m saying,” Dominic said softly, leaning back, calm but unwavering. “You have a choice, Cyrus. You either lose half of your rights to a woman you married for reasons that weren’t yours, or you stay stuck in this—this. loveless, cheating marriage because, really, are you the liar here? Are you the one hiding? Are you not? gay, for Christ’s sake? Do you really think Phoebe deserves your position, your family, your inheritance?”

I didn't answer. I couldn't. Every muscle in my body tightened. He was right. He was saying exactly what I had been thinking but was too scared to admit. And it stung worse than any insult she could throw at me. I was trapped. Trapped between the life I had worked for and the marriage I hadn't chosen but had somehow gotten stuck in anyway.

“The kicker?” Dominic said, low, almost teasing, yet carrying the full weight of honesty. “She’s going to keep pushing her flags around because you’re not interested. And you’re still closeted, Cyrus. You've spent years concealing what you actually want, and now you're supposed to pretend this isn't destroying you from the inside out?”

I leaned back in the chair, staring at the ceiling as if it could give me answers. “It’s… it’s not fair,” I admitted. My voice was quiet, almost broken. “It’s not fair at all. I worked my ass off for the position, for the company, for the family legacy, and now it’s all… it’s all being threatened because of her. And I can’t stop it. I can’t—”

“You can ,” Dominic interrupted, firm. “You have a choice. You just have to make it, and you have to make it fast. Before Phoebe comes back from her ‘grocery shopping,’ which for all we know is her dragging some random guy in her car, parading it like and fucking thehell out of him in a car park like it's normal. Before she walks in and ruins the next hour of your life, Cyrus. Decide. Now.”