Chapter 49: CHAPTER FORTY NINE

"We want to vote."

Timothy, one of the senior board members, broke the heavy silence that had settled over the conference room. His eyes fixed on Damon, who sat quietly at the head of the table, his gaze moving across every face present—except Alexandra's.

She wouldn't look at him. Hadn't looked at him since she'd arrived.

He'd tried to apologize when she'd first walked in, catching her in the hallway outside the boardroom. "Alexandra, about the video, I need to explain—"

"I have no business with whoever you choose to touch, Mr. Hartley," she'd cut him off, her voice cold and professional. "But I would appreciate it if you could control your collection of women. Or at least be more discreet about it."

There had been something in her tone—a sharp edge that felt like jealousy, like irritation—but maybe he was reading too much into it. Maybe he was desperate to find any sign that she still cared, even if that care manifested as anger.

He'd watched her walk into the boardroom then, her spine straight, her head held high, and felt something crack inside his chest.

He'd left the hospital the next day, unwilling to stay there when he wasn't truly injured. Just exhausted. Just broken in ways no doctor could fix.

Now he sat surrounded by board members who were measuring him, waiting for him to cave to her demands. Because he still hadn't been able to rectify the hotel situation. The company was hemorrhaging money, suffering backlash and heat from citizens, from investors, from everyone.

Things were spiraling out of control.

And all he wanted to do was reach across this table, grab her shoulders, and tell her to stop this madness. Tell her he was sorry about five years ago. Tell her he'd left because his father had shown him proof of her cheating—proof he now suspected was fabricated. Tell her that her late father was supposedly responsible for his mother's death, though he was desperately trying to find out if his own father had lied about that too.

Something he should have done five years ago before leaving her standing at that altar in front of everyone she knew.

He wanted to tell her how much he missed her. How he hasn't been able to truly live with the weight of what he did, even though his reasons—flawed and naive as they were—had felt justified at the time.

He'd been so young. So stupid. So easily manipulated.

"Mr. Hartley, are you here with us?"

The voice snapped him out of his spiraling thoughts. Damon blinked, focusing on Mr. Patterson p, another board member who was watching him with concern and impatience.

Damon exhaled slowly, running his hands through his hair in an attempt to find some semblance of peace under all the curious, waiting gazes. The room felt too small, the air too thick. Everything was exhausting—the hotel disaster, the video spreading across the internet like wildfire, the board's pressure, Alexandra's cold distance.

He couldn't hold onto whatever logic he'd been clinging to anymore. He had to bend, one way or another.

"Yes, I'm here." His voice came out rougher than intended. He cleared his throat. "And there's no need for voting. I agree to Ms. Sterling's terms and conditions."

The room erupted in murmurs. Relief. Satisfaction. Victory.

Damon's gaze finally found Alexandra's face. She wore a smug, satisfied expression that twisted something painful in his gut. "The hotel issue must be fixed within one week," he added, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Of course it will." Alexandra leaned back in her chair, an air of satisfaction surrounding her that made her seem almost relaxed for the first time since she'd arrived in New York. "I'll make arrangements as soon as possible."

She finally looked happy. Genuinely happy.

Because she'd won. Because she finally had something to hold over him.

Damon's mind screamed warnings at him, but he was too tired for more drama. Too exhausted to fight. He could only hope she would handle things properly until Chris was able to uncover the truth—until he knew for certain whether his father had lied about her supposed infidelity five years ago.

Was she doing all this as payback for the altar? Or was it because of the video? He couldn't tell yet.

Time would reveal her true intentions.

Mr. Timothy pushed a stack of papers across the polished table toward Damon. His gaze reluctantly left Alexandra's face to focus on the documents spread before him, waiting for his ink and signature—the signature that would leave him vulnerable, possibly ruined.

But maybe it was for the best. Maybe this was the penance he deserved.

Damon picked up the pen with trembling hands. His fingers felt weak, unsteady, as he signed at each required spot. The scratch of pen on paper seemed unnaturally loud in the quiet room. When he finished, he closed the documents with more force than necessary and pushed them toward Alexandra.

She signed without hesitation, her strokes confident and quick.

"Thank you, Mr. Hartley." Alexandra rose from her seat, extending her hand across the table for a handshake. "I hope you'll abide by our agreement?"

Damon's eyes drifted down to her outstretched hand and stayed there for several long moments. That hand had once held his. Had once traced patterns on his chest as they lay together. Had once worn the engagement ring he'd chosen so carefully.

Finally, he stood and accepted the handshake. Her skin was warm against his, familiar in ways that hurt.

"I'll be sure to do that, Ms. Sterling," he responded with a small nod before releasing her hand and walking out of the boardroom.

He didn't look back.

༺༺♡♡༻༻

Thomas Sterling's penthouse

That same afternoon, Thomas had just stepped out of the bathroom with a towel draped around his waist when his phone began ringing. Bending to retrieve it from the nightstand, he saw Alexandra's name on the screen.

He smiled, hoping for good news. They hadn't spoken since two days ago when she'd called one morning, crying over some video that had been sent to her phone.

After her tearful explanation, Thomas had concluded that whoever sent that video knew who she truly was—knew about her past relationship with Damon Hartley. Only for the news to explode about the president's daughter and her angry outburst at both Damon Hartley and Victoria Ashford over that same video.

Satisfaction didn't begin to cover what he'd felt. It was the perfect catalyst to snap Alexandra out of her hesitation and push her to finally destroy Damon. And after the news about the hotel fire outbreak, he'd told her to make an offer that would rip Damon's power away completely.

She'd called this morning to say they were finalizing everything today. She'd been confident the board would pressure Damon into accepting her offer with how badly things had escalated.

Now, he was hoping for confirmation.

He swiped the answer button. "Alex, how are you?"

His fatherly instincts kicked in immediately at how exhausted she sounded. Part of him felt guilty for pushing her into this, even though he knew she hated Damon. But he also knew she still loved him somehow—he could hear it in her voice, see it in her eyes when she thought no one was watching.

And he couldn't afford that love distracting her. Not when he was so close to destroying Richard Hartley completely. Not when he wanted to rip Richard's throat out for everything—

Memories assaulted his mind, dark and violent, but he pushed them back. Not now.

"I'm okay, Thomas." Alexandra's voice came through clearly. "He accepted. Hartley's enterprise is mine now."

Thomas smiled softly, a ray of pride blossoming in his chest. "That's excellent news, Alex. What's next then?"

Silence stretched on the other end.

"Focusing on myself, to the fullest," Alexandra finally answered, her voice sounding distant. "I'm going to London. I haven't really been paying attention to my company over there, and I need to. I can't be a good strategist without handling all my business properly."

She was fumbling with something—her car keys, maybe.

"Alright. Let me know if you need my help with anything," Thomas offered honestly.

He heard her exhale deeply. "Thank you, Thomas, but I want to take it from here myself. I'd lost my real purpose for returning to New York, but no more." Her voice took on a harder edge, venom lacing every word. "I vowed to ruin Damon Hartley, and that's exactly what I'm going to do."