Chapter 22 Say It to His Face
"The first step," Pierce said, his voice cold and precise, "is you tell him no. To his face."
Elena's stomach dropped. "You want me to go there?"
"To D'Corporation. Today." Pierce was already texting someone. "We make it clear you're not signing anything. That you know exactly what he's doing."
"Pierce, I can't just...."
"You can." He looked up, his ice-blue eyes met hers. "And you will. Because if you don't face him now, he'll keep coming. And men like your uncle only understand one thing: strength."
Elena's hands shook slightly. She hadn't been to her father's company since the funeral. Hadn't been able to face the building where he'd spent so many hours, building something from nothing.
"I'll go with you," Pierce said, reading her fear.
"No." The word came out sharper than she intended. "If I'm doing this, I need to do it myself."
Something flickered in Pierce's expression, approval, maybe, or pride.
"You won't be alone," he said. "Derek and Leo will be with you. And I'll be close."
Two hours later, Elena stood outside the D'Corporation building, her heart pounding against her ribs.
The building was exactly as she remembered, modern glass and steel, her father's vision of the future made real. She used to meet him here for lunch when she was in college. He'd show her around, introduce her to engineers, talk about projects with such passion that it made her believe anything was possible.
Now it felt like a tomb.
"Miss Davis?" Derek's voice was gentle beside her. "Whenever you're ready."
Elena took a breath and walked through the glass doors.
The lobby was different, colder. Her father had insisted on warm lighting, comfortable furniture, art on the walls. Now everything was super sleek and soulless, corporate in the worst way.
Even the receptionist was new.
"I'm here to see Alfred Davis," Elena said, surprised by how steady her voice sounded.
The receptionist's smile was practiced. "Do you have an appointment?"
"I'm his niece."
The smile fell slightly. "Let me call up to his office."
Elena waited, aware of Derek and Leo flanking her like silent watchdogs. The receptionist murmured into her phone, glanced at Elena, murmured some more.
"Mr. Davis will see you now. Fifteenth floor."
The elevator ride felt endless. Elena watched the numbers climb, each one tightening the knot in her chest. Derek and Leo said nothing, but their presence was oddly comforting.
The fifteenth floor was executive territory. Her father's office had been here, the corner suite with windows overlooking the city. She wondered if Alfred had taken it for himself.
Of course he had.
A secretary led them down a hallway that felt too quiet, too empty. She knocked on a door, the door to her father's old office, and opened it.
"Ms. Davis is here to see you, sir."
"Send her in."
Elena stepped inside, and her breath caught. It was her father's office. But it wasn't.
The furniture was different, the photos gone. Where her father had kept pictures of family, of Elena at various ages, Alfred had awards and certifications.
Alfred sat behind the massive desk, looking every bit the successful executive in his expensive suit. He was younger than her father had been, sharper featured, with the same Davis nose but none of the warmth.
"Elena." He didn't stand. "This is unexpected."
"I got your letter," Elena said, staying near the door. Derek and Leo waited in the hallway, but she could feel them there.
"Ah. Yes." Alfred leaned back in his chair. "I was hoping we could handle this quietly. The legal route is so... unpleasant."
"I'm not signing."
Alfred's expression didn't change. "I think you misunderstand the situation."
"No, I understand perfectly." Elena forced herself to step closer. "You want me to sign away my rights before I realize what the company's actually worth."
Something cold flashed in Alfred's eyes. "Someone's been feeding you information."
"The two-hundred-million-dollar government contract," Elena continued, her voice stronger now. "Were you going to mention that before I signed? Or just hope I never found out?"
Alfred stood slowly, buttoning his suit jacket. "That contract is a result of three years of my work. My negotiations. My leadership."
"Built on my father's foundation."
"Your father is dead." The words were brutal. "The company would have collapsed without me. I saved it. Grew it. Made it what it is today."
"By stealing from me."
"Stealing?" Alfred laughed, cold and low. "I've been running this company while you played doctor. I'm the one who took the risks, made the hard decisions. You think you deserve a piece of that because your last name is Davis?"
Elena's nails dug into her palms. "I deserve it because my father built this company. Because legally, I still have rights to it."
"Rights you signed away three years ago."
"Temporary rights." Elena's voice was sharp. "You said temporary."
"And I'm giving you the chance to make it permanent." Alfred moved around the desk, closer. "Sign the papers, Elena. Walk away with a clean conscience. Or we go to court, and I prove that you've been a burden on this company from the start. That your father's death left debts you're responsible for. That..."
"Those debts don't exist." Elena's voice cut through his words. "You created them. Used company funds for personal expenses, took out loans you had no right to take."
Alfred's expression darkened. "Be careful with what you say, Elena."
"Is that a threat?"
"It's advice." He was close now, too close. "You're in over your head. Playing games you don't understand with people who could destroy you."
"You mean you?"
"I mean everyone." Alfred's voice dropped. "You think I don't know about the company you've been keeping? The bodyguards following you around?"
Elena's blood ran cold.
"You've gotten yourself involved in something dangerous," Alfred continued, his smile sharp. "And if you drag this company into that mess, I'll make sure everyone knows it. The board, the investors, the government. They'll pull that contract so fast..."
"You're threatening me."
"I'm protecting my interests." Alfred stepped back, straightening his tie. "Sign the papers, Elena. Take the out I'm offering. Because if you don't, I promise you'll regret it."
For a moment, Elena couldn't speak. This man, her blood, her family, was looking at her like she was nothing. Like her father's memory meant nothing.
Like she meant nothing. Then something hardened inside her chest.
"No," Elena said quietly.
Alfred blinked. "What?"
"I said no. I'm not signing." She met his eyes. "You want this company? You're going to have to fight for it. Legally and publicly. And we'll see how well your contracts hold up when people find out what you've been doing."
"You don't have the resources to fight me."
"Maybe not. But I'm done letting people take things from me." Elena turned toward the door. "You'll hear from my lawyers."
"You don't have lawyers!" Alfred's composure finally cracked, his voice rising.
Elena paused at the door, looking back at him. "I will by Monday."
She walked out before he could respond, her legs shaking but her head high.
Derek and Leo fell into step beside her immediately. They didn't speak as they walked to the elevator, as they rode down, as they crossed the lobby.
But when Elena pushed through the glass doors into the sunlight, she saw Pierce leaning against a black car across the street, arms crossed, watching.
Their eyes met. And Elena didn't think. She just moved, crossing the street, her vision blurring with tears she hadn't let fall in Alfred's office.
Pierce pushed off the car, taking two steps toward her.
Elena walked straight into his chest, her hands fisting in his jacket as the adrenaline finally crashed through her.
"I did it," she whispered against his shirt. "I told him no."
Pierce's arms came around her, solid and sure. "I know."
"He threatened me." Her voice shook slightly. "Tried to scare me."
"I know." Pierce's voice was low. "We'll handle it."
Elena pulled back just enough to look up at him, her eyes fierce despite the tears. "I'm not backing down."
"Good," he said. "Neither am I."