Chapter 107 107
Xavier's POV
When I realized they truth, my legs had turned to stone, my hands were shaking and the room felt like it was tipping on its side. Every eye in the conference room was on me, and I knew, with sickening clarity, that every ounce of power I'd once held in this room had just dissolved.
It was Maisie.
She was the CEO of MW Global.
I blinked, praying it was some horrible illusion, but no. Roman stood at her side, his smirking, infuriating grin confirming it all. The board members were stiff, professional, and entirely unfazed by my disbelief. Then came the words I never thought I'd hear.
"Alpha Xavier," one of the senior board members said, her voice smooth, but like glass shards. "We no longer require your services. It's time you step away from the company. Your reckless choices- yours and Miss Kylie have cost this company far too much. We cannot continue under your leadership."
An impossible silence filled the room after that. I opened my mouth to protest, to argue, to yell-to do anything-but no sound came out. My throat was parched, my mind empty, yet the words burned into my ego like acid.
Kylie, at my side, was the first to break the silence. Her eyes were wide, her jaw tight and her voice was cracking. "What?! You- you can't just… Xavier! Say something!"
I wanted to. I wanted to yell at her for talking, for reminding me I was CEO, for making the decisions here, for owning this damn company. But the words caught in my throat, swallowed by the realization that I'd been outmaneuvered, outplayed, and completely outclassed by the woman I'd underestimated.
"Please gather your belongings and leave," another board member added, flat and cold. "This meeting is over for you."
A physical pressure began to press down on my chest. Kylie's hand was gripping my arm, her nails digging into my skin as she whispered furiously. "This isn't happening. You are not letting this happen. I will not let this happen!"
I wanted to tell her to stop. I wanted to scream for her to understand that there was nothing left to fight for. But even I, Xavier Dominion couldn't deny it anymore. My empire, my company, and my reputation, built over years of tireless work was gone and Maisie had it now.
My face felt like it was on fire. Humiliation, rage, desperation-every fiber of me screamed to retake control, to show them they couldn't do this to me, that I was supposed to be standing there. But there was nothing left to fight for. The board was unmoving, the votes cast, the shares transferred. My power had vanished as if it had never existed.
Kylie's voice cut through my spiraling thoughts once more. "You… this is all your fault! How could you let this happen? You were supposed to be in control!"
I winced at her words. The sting of betrayal was sharper than any humiliation. She was shouting now, drawing attention, creating a scene, and I couldn't even defend myself. I had nothing to say. She was right. I had failed.
I watched in stunned disbelief as the board's assistants escorted us out. My empire was slipping through my fingers, and there was nothing I could do. My office-a symbol of my power-already felt foreign, the walls echoing with the ghosts of my mistakes.
Kylie shot me a furious, incredulous look as we walked out. "You've ruined everything! You've let her take it all!" Her voice cracked with rage. "You're supposed to be the smart one, Xavier! You were supposed to protect this company!"
I couldn't even meet her gaze. Every instinct in me screamed to shout back, to regain the upper hand, but I had nothing. My pride, my control, my status-everything had been stripped from me in one devastating blow.
As we stepped into the elevator, I could hear her muttering curses under her breath, her anger aimed squarely at me. And I hated myself for knowing that she was right. I had let this happen. I had let her happen.
I felt smaller than I ever had in my life. My legacy was gone. My employees had turned their loyalties elsewhere. My empire was no longer mine. And Kylie... She was enraged, and I can't even blame her.
I wanted to say something.
"I'm sorry"? It felt hollow. "I failed"? Too obvious. No words could erase the humiliation or regain the lost power.
All the while, I could feel Maisie's calm, confident, unshakable gaze imprinted in my mind. She had done what I hadn't even thought possible. She had taken everything from me and done it with a devastating precision that left me dumbfounded.
The elevator doors closed with a soft hiss. "You've ruined us, Xavier," Kylie muttered one last, venomous accusation. "Absolutely ruined us."
I wanted to answer. I wanted to defend myself but I didn't because she was right.
I ruined everything.