The blood draining from their faces was nothing compared to the rush of heat that flooded mine. The blackmail, the power plays, the carefully constructed facade – it all felt insignificant, vaporized by those two words. She's awake.
My gaze drifted to the photographs on the table, the evidence of their crimes, the insurance policy for my survival.
"Give me five minutes," I said, my voice barely a whisper. "I'll be there."
The call ended with the soft click of finality.
For a long moment, no one breathed.
The boardroom existed in that fragile silence between a man's heartbeat and his breaking point.
"He was in the middle of a vote, for God's sake— how dare he pick up a call… during a board meeting?" A short, incredulous laugh followed. "Unbelievable. You think you can just—"
I didn't even look at him. I just pointed.
"Take him out."
The words were quiet, almost conversational. But they carried like gunfire in the still room.
