Chapter 105 105
Xavier's pov
I sat rigidly in the high-backed leather chair of the MW Global conference room, late morning sunlight bouncing off the glassy walls and glinting off the perfectly polished table in front of me. I glanced at my watch for the fifth time in ten minutes. The MW Global executives were meant to be here fifteen minutes ago, but all I could hear was the steady whirring of the air conditioner and my fingers tapping rhythmically on the table.
Kylieshifted beside me. The air around her practically vibrated with impatience. "Where are they? They know we're on a tight schedule," she muttered, shooting a venomous glare at the door.
I exhaled, managing the facade of calm I'd cultivated over the years. "They're just running late, it happens all the time in corporate meetings," I said, more to ease Kylie than to convince myself. I hated being kept waiting. It felt like an admission of weakness, a loss of control. Control was something I had to maintain today more than ever before.
The door swung open and I straightened my spine, ready to greet the board with the perfected, imposing manner that I'd perfected. But then... I froze.
She walked in.
For a second, my mind refused to register what I was seeing. She looked different; polished, commanding, she had an air that didn't ask for attention, it commanded it. And yet, the tilt of her chin, the spark in her blue eyes, the shape of her jawline-it was unmistakably her.
Maisie?
My heart pounded in my chest and my throat felt like it was closing up. This was not supposed to happen. This was definitely not supposed to. How is she here?
Kylie's jaw dropped beside me and I knew that if I let her speak, she'd probably blurt out some sarcastic remark, some witty jab at my obvious shock. Before she could open her mouth though, a voice-deep, rich, and resonating with authority-cut through the thick tension like a dagger.
"Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce the new CEO of MW Global… Maisie Williams."
The words hit me like a physical blow. My entire body froze. My fingers dug into the leather of my chair, my knuckles white. No. This couldn't be real.
I blinked rapidly, as if trying to shake the surrealism out of my eyes.
“I... I don't understand,” I stammered, my voice barely a whisper against the roar of my pounding heart. “There must be a mistake. She... She can't be-”
Roman's laughter, low and dangerous, echoed around the room. “Believe it, Xavier. This is very real. And before you start ranting, let me make things perfectly clear-the board has voted, the shares have been redistributed, and the decision has been made, with or without your agreement.”
The floor felt like it was dropping out beneath my feet. My vision blurred. “I... I don't understand…”
Kylie snorted beside me, shaking her head in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me. How-how did she even-?"
Roman held up a hand, silencing her before she could make an even bigger fool of herself. His gaze was sharp, assessing, almost predatory. "Allow me to save you the trouble; it's the shares. Maisie secured enough shares to outvote the board; all the votes were in her favor. Every. Single. One."
My mind reeled. Every deal I'd negotiated, every promise I'd extorted, every bit of leverage I'd had-it was all gone. Gone, swept away by the woman I thought I knew, the girl I thought I'd left behind.
Maisie's eyes met mine, and I felt the full weight of her gaze settle upon me. She didn't smile, didn't gloat. She merely regarded me with the same calm, unnerving intensity that had always unsettled me and I finally understood that I had grossly underestimated her.
I wanted to scream. I wanted to walk out of the room and rip this whole farce apart with my bare hands. I wanted to reclaim the empire that had been painstakingly built under my watch. But Roman's words echoed in my ears; 'with or without your agreement'. I knew then, the decision had been made.
My chest tightened with a mixture of rage and humiliation. I had been blindsided. Outmaneuvered. And the irony of the situation wasn't lost on me-the very woman I'd left behind was now taking everything I had built.
"I... I can't just-" I started, my voice trembling with fury.
Roman's gaze cut through me like ice. "Oh, you can. But you won't. Because if you do, you'll be doing it on your terms. Or... You can simply step aside gracefully and try to save whatever dignity you have left."
I clenched my fists, feeling the tension coiling in my shoulders. Kylie leaned toward me, her voice urgent. "You can't let her do this to you. You're the founder, Xavier, this is your company!"
I wanted to shout at her, to remind her and myself of everything I had achieved. But the truth was undeniable; the board had voted, the shares had been transferred, and there was nothing legally I could do about it.
I swallowed hard, the heat rising to my face. Humiliation. Rage. A deep, burning sense of betrayal. Mixed with a strange, bitter sense of admiration; Maisie had done what I hadn't even conceived she was capable of. She had taken control-not with tears, or pleas, or charm-but with cold, hard, strategic brilliance.
I looked at her again. The woman in front of me was not the girl I had known. She wasn't the girl I had protected, the girl I had thought was fragile and needing my help. She was... Unstoppable.
"You..." I started, but the words died on my lips. There was nothing I could say that could convey the sheer storm of emotions raging within me.
Roman leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, a predatory amusement shining in his eyes as he watched the scene unfold. "Your move, Xavier," he said quietly, a challenge in his tone.
I exhaled slowly, deliberately. Every fiber of my being screamed to fight, to claim what was rightfully mine, but another part of me, the part I hated admitting to, knew it was useless. I had been beaten, and by someone I had fundamentally underestimated in the worst possible way.
I rose slowly from my chair, my legs stiff, each step like wading through molten lava. Kylie's eyes were wide, her mouth agape in shock and indignation. I didn't bother with any explanation for her. She didn't understand; she never knew Maisie like I did.
I walked to the front of the room and paused, looking down at Maisie. The silence was thick and stifling. "You... Won," I said, my voice strained, my tone a carefully constructed semblance of calm.
Maisie's lips curved into a small, almost imperceptible smile. Not smug, not cruel. But a smile that carried the weight of victory. "I did what had to be done," she said softly, though the command in her voice was undeniable.
I wanted to retort, to remind her of everything we had built together, to argue that she couldn't just walk in and steal it from me. But the truth was glaringly, humiliatingly obvious; she had earned it. And I... Had not seen it coming.
"I..." I swallowed again, struggling to regain my composure. "Congratulations," I managed finally, the words tasting like ash on my tongue.
Roman's eyes glinted. I knew he could see the defeat radiating from me. "Step down, Xavier," he said simply. "It's cleaner that way. Save everyone the headache."
I nodded, every inch of my pride screaming in protest, but I knew he was right. I turned away from the conference table, from Kylie's shocked face, from the woman who had just stolen my life, and felt the weight of my empire slipping from my fingers.
As I walked out, I heard Maisie's calm, authoritative voice giving orders, commanding the room with a certainty I had once held. And it occurred to me, with chilling clarity, that the girl I'd thought I'd left behind was no longer following. She had surpassed me.
The humiliation was agonizing but underneath it was a grudging respect that I couldn't deny. Maisie Williams was not the girl I'd left behind. She was a force, and she had just taken everything I thought was mine.
And the worst part was… I couldn't do anything to stop her.