Chapter 89 up
“I just want to make sure things don’t get any worse.”
The words left Clark’s mouth the moment he stepped into the small conference room already occupied by Nyla and Vincent. His tone was calm—too calm for a situation that was quietly combusting. The door hadn’t fully closed when Nyla looked up, and in that single second, the air in the room seemed to harden, as if tension had weight.
Vincent was the first to stand. “You shouldn’t be here.”
Clark raised both hands in a familiar gesture of peace, one Nyla had seen far too many times in their past. “I’m not here as your ex-husband,” he said carefully. “I’m here as someone who—”
“—who always thinks he has the right to speak,” Nyla cut in sharply.
She rose from her chair, slow and deliberate. On the surface, her expression was composed, but the anger beneath it was unmistakable—like electricity humming just under her skin. Clark looked at her, and for a fleeting moment, he saw the Nyla he used to know—the woman who always tried to explain before she exploded. But the woman standing in front of him now wasn’t explaining anything.
“I know Selena is involved,” Clark said. “And I know your history with her isn’t simple. That’s exactly why—”
“That’s exactly why you should stay out of it,” Nyla replied coldly.
Vincent crossed his arms. “This conflict is professional. You’re stepping way too far inside it.”
Clark exhaled and took a step closer. “Selena isn’t who you think she is.”
Nyla let out a short laugh, humorless. “That’s funny,” she said. “That sentence is exactly what kept me trapped for far too long.”
Clark fell silent.
He turned to Vincent, searching for support. “I’m just trying to mediate. If we could all sit down and talk this through—”
“Mediate?” Nyla repeated, her voice rising. “You think this is a misunderstanding?”
She stepped closer, locking eyes with him. “This isn’t a minor disagreement that can be solved with neutral tones and good intentions.”
Clark swallowed. “I’m not taking sides.”
“That’s the problem,” Nyla shot back. “You always come in claiming neutrality, and without realizing it, you decide the direction anyway.”
Vincent spoke again, his voice firm. “Clark, Selena is playing a power game. She didn’t join this project to collaborate—she joined to push Nyla out.”
Clark shook his head. “I’ve talked to her. She said this is purely professional.”
Nyla closed her eyes briefly, as if holding back something that was about to erupt. When she opened them again, her voice was sharper than before.
“She also once said she just wanted to be friends,” Nyla said. “And then my life fell apart—slowly, quietly.”
Clark didn’t respond. Confusion crossed his face, mixed with a guilt he hadn’t fully confronted yet.
That was when the door opened.
Selena stepped inside with graceful ease, a tablet in her hand, her expression calm, polished, almost radiant under the conference room lights. She paused when she saw Clark.
“Oh,” she said lightly. “I didn’t realize we had a mediator.”
Clark turned, startled. “Selena.”
Her smile widened just a fraction. “Clark. It’s been a long time.”
Nyla clenched her fists. She had known this moment would come, but it still felt like a deliberate provocation.
“I’m in a meeting with the core team,” Vincent said coolly.
“And I’m part of that team,” Selena replied gently. She then turned to Clark. “You’re here as…?”
Clark hesitated for a split second. “I just want to make sure this conflict doesn’t harm everyone involved.”
Selena nodded, as if she understood perfectly. “That’s a very noble intention.”
Then she looked at Nyla. Her gaze was sharp, calculating. “Nyla, I hope you don’t mind if Clark helps clarify a few misunderstandings.”
That was the breaking point.
“Enough,” Nyla said loudly.
All eyes turned to her.
“You don’t get to use his name,” Nyla continued, her voice steady but forceful. “And you,” she said, turning to Clark, “don’t get to step into spaces you no longer understand.”
Clark looked shaken. “I just—”
“You always ‘just’ do things,” Nyla interrupted. “You just want to help. You just want to mediate. And every time, I’m the one who has to adjust.”
Vincent moved to stand beside Nyla, silent but unmistakably on her side.
Selena folded her arms lightly. “I see emotions are still running high.”
“And I see you exploiting them,” Nyla shot back.
Selena smiled faintly. “I’m simply working within the structure. If Clark feels he can help, that’s his choice.”
Clark looked from Selena to Nyla. The confusion on his face shifted into something darker—late-arriving clarity.
“You’re using my position,” he said quietly to Selena.
Selena shrugged. “I’m using an opportunity.”
The room fell silent again.
Clark took a long breath. “I thought I could neutralize this,” he said softly. “But now I see… this was never about neutrality.”
He looked at Selena. “You’re dangerous.”
Her smile didn’t fade. “I’m just effective.”
Nyla said nothing. She stood tall, looking at Clark with an expression that was no longer angry—but exhausted.
Clark lowered his head slightly. “I’m sorry,” he said to Nyla. “I was wrong. Again.”