Chapter 83
Miss Reyes was reviewing financial projections when the door to her office flew open without warning.
The sharp sound cut through the quiet like a blade.
She didn’t look up immediately. She simply finished reading the last line on her tablet, set it down calmly, and then raised her eyes.
Standing at the doorway was Evan Cole.
Adrian’s cousin.
His usually polished appearance was gone. His tie was loose, his jaw tight with barely restrained anger, and his eyes burned as if he’d walked in ready for a fight rather than a conversation.
“This is your idea of professionalism?” Evan snapped, slamming the door shut behind him. “Barging into meetings, canceling contracts without explanation, and ignoring every call I’ve made?”
Miss Reyes leaned back slightly in her chair, unfazed. “You barged into my office, Evan,” she said coolly. “Not the other way around. If you’re here to shout, I suggest you leave.”
Evan strode forward and threw a thin folder onto her desk.
It slid toward her, stopping just short of her hands.
“Explain this,” he demanded.
She glanced at the folder but didn’t open it. “Explain what, exactly?”
“The Wharton Group,” Evan said sharply. “I just found out the withdrawal order came directly from you. You pulled the Cole Group out overnight, froze negotiations, and tanked a deal that’s been stable for over a decade.”
Miss Reyes let out a short laugh, soft but unmistakably mocking. “You came all this way for that?”
“You lied,” Evan said. “You told the board the Whartons were unreliable. That they were involved in shady dealings. I looked into it myself. They weren’t wrong in any of their transactions. Their audits are clean. Their records are spotless. So tell me- why did you lie?”
Miss Reyes finally picked up the folder and flipped it open, skimming through the pages with deliberate slowness. Then she
closed it and slid it back toward him.
“If that’s your conclusion,” she said, “then your research is shallow.”
Evan scoffed. “Don’t patronize me. I know how business works.”
“Do you?” she asked, arching an eyebrow. “Because if you did, you’d know that fraud doesn’t always show up in surface audits. The Whartons are involved in layered shell operations and offshore laundering. Just because you couldn’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t there.”
“That’s convenient,” Evan shot back. “Accuse them of scams without proof and pull out before anyone can question you.”
Miss Reyes‘ expression hardened. “Watch your tone.”
“You don’t get to shut me up,” Evan said, his voice rising. “This is the Cole Group. My family’s company. You don’t get to make unilateral decisions and then hide behind your title.”
She stood up slowly.
The air in the room shifted.
4
173
chapter 83
+30 Bonus
“I am the director of the Cole Group,” she said flatly. “And that title gives me full authority to protect this company from risk- whether you understand it or not.”
Evan clenched his fists. “You think you’re untouchable now?”
“I think,” she replied coolly, “that you’re overstepping.”
He let out a sharp breath, pacing once before stopping in front of her desk again. “Fine. Let’s say you’re right about the Whartons. Then answer this–who are you bringing in to replace them?”
Miss Reyes didn’t answer immediately.
Evan’s eyes narrowed. “You’ve been pulling out of old partnerships and redirecting capital into places no one else has access to. Not my father. Not the senior shareholders. So who is it?”
She crossed her arms. “That’s none of your concern.”
“That’s exactly my concern,” Evan snapped. “You’re not sourcing replacements from any of our known networks. Not from my father’s side. Not from the old board. So where is the money going?”
He leaned closer, his voice dropping into something sharper, uglier. “Or should I ask–who is it going to?”
Miss Reyes‘ gaze turned icy. “Be very careful what you’re implying.”
Evan gave a humorless smile. “People are talking. You disappear for days. You block internal audits. You move assets quietly. Are you handing the Cole Group over to some hidden benefactor? Or is it a lover you’re protecting?”
The room went silent.
For a brief moment, Evan thought he’d gone too far.
Then Miss Reyes laughed.
Not loudly. Not warmly.
A short, cold sound that carried no amusement at all.
“You really think that little of me?” she asked. “That I’d risk the Cole Group for something so pathetic?”
“I think you’re hiding something,” Evan said stubbornly. “And whatever it is, it’s big enough for you to burn bridges and silence questions.”
She stepped around the desk, stopping directly in front of him. Though Evan was taller, the pressure of her presence forced him to straighten unconsciously.
“Listen carefully,” she said. “You don’t get to interrogate me. You don’t get to question my decisions. And you certainly don’t get to accuse me of betraying this company.”
Evan opened his mouth, but she cut him off.
“If you have concerns,” she continued, “you bring them to the board. If the board has concerns, they bring them to me. What you did today–storming in here, making accusations–is unprofessional and unacceptable.”
“And what if the board doesn’t even know what you’re doing?” Evan shot back.
“Then that means,” she replied evenly, “that what I’m doing doesn’t require their approval yet.”
He stared at her, searching her face for cracks, for guilt, for hesitation.
He found none.
♡
“You’re pushing people out,” he said quietly. “The Whartons today. Others tomorrow. At this rate, the Cole Group won’t look
2/13
chapter 83
+30 Bonus
anything like it used to.”
“That’s the point,” Miss Reyes said without hesitation. “The old structure is weak. Comfortable. Predictable. I’m rebuilding it.”
“For whose benefit?” Evan demanded.
“For the company’s survival,” she replied. “And for its future.”
Evan laughed bitterly. “You sound like you’re preparing for a war.”
She met his gaze steadily. “Then perhaps you should ask yourself why.”
Silence stretched between them.
Finally, Evan straightened and picked up the folder from her desk. “This isn’t over,” he said. “My father won’t let this go.”
Miss Reyes turned back toward her desk. “Then tell your father to follow protocol. I’ll be happy to address him–in a meeting.”
Evan paused at the door. “You’re making enemies,” he said. “And you won’t always be able to hide behind silence.”
She didn’t look back. “And you’re clinging to the past,” she replied. “Which is far more dangerous.”
Evan left, slamming the door behind him.
Miss Reyes exhaled slowly once the room was quiet again.
She sat back down, opened a secure folder on her tablet, and stared at the encrypted files only she had clearance to access.
The world believed certain people were gone.
That certain threats had ended.
They were wrong.
And until the time was right, silence was her strongest weapon.
Comments
Support
Share
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
