The boardroom was still humming with low murmurs when Elena walked in. The tension from the earlier session clung to the air like static, heavy with unfinished arguments and unspoken doubts. Victor Crane sat at the far end of the table, a glass of water untouched before him, his smile too thin to be friendly.
But Elena didn't waver.
She had Dominic's letter tucked into the side pocket of her briefcase. A warning pulsing like a second heartbeat.
Liam stood off to the side of the room, reviewing a projected systems update with the IT department lead. His black shirt sleeves were rolled to the elbows, exposing strong forearms as he gestured toward a graph. His voice was calm, deep confident. Not a trace of the quiet newcomer he'd been just weeks ago.
She didn't mean to stare.
But she did.
Something about the way he held himselfbrooted, focused offered an odd comfort she hadn't expected to need today.
"Elena," Victor said smoothly, interrupting her thoughts. "You're just in time. We were beginning to wonder if you'd gotten lost."
She smiled tightly, moving to her seat. "Only in thought. Shall we proceed?"
The meeting resumed, and for the next forty minutes she was CEO again sharp, unreadable, firm. They debated budget reallocations and reviewed quarterly projections. Victor pushed for outsourcing IT security a pointed jab, considering Liam's growing presence. She pushed back, using Dominic's old strategy: redirect, delay, outmaneuver.
But halfway through Victor's faux-polished rebuttal, Elena glanced toward Liam again.
He wasn't watching the screen anymore. He was watching her.
Their eyes met across the room.
And for a moment. just a moment everything else faded.
Liam's gaze wasn't calculating like Victor's, or anxious like Marina's. It was… steady. Grounding. Warm.
As if he could see past the sharp suits and legacy and see her. Just Elena.
And that terrified her more than she wanted to admit.
She looked away quickly.
The meeting dragged on, Victor's voice turning smug as he tried to needle her on Dominic's old decisions. "The legacy processes may have worked for your father," he said with just enough condescension, "but the world has changed. We need innovation, not sentimentality."
Liam spoke then, his voice a low interruption. "Sentiment doesn't mean weakness."
All eyes turned to him.
Victor raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't speaking to you, Mr. Carter."
"No," Liam replied, folding his arms, "but I work in the systems that keep this company running. I see how things move and where they break. If you start outsourcing our infrastructure, you risk more than budget shifts. You risk trust."
Victor looked amused. "And what would you know about trust?"
Elena's voice cut through the tension before Liam could respond.
"He knows enough to fix the system when everyone else runs from the fire," she said coldly. "And unless you have something of value to contribute, Victor, I suggest we move on."
The room went silent.
Victor gave a slow, condescending smile, but said nothing more.
The meeting adjourned not long after. The directors left, one by one, whispering to each other. Victor lingered just long enough to glance between Elena and Liam before making a quiet exit.
Alone now, Liam walked over. "You okay?"
She hesitated. "You didn't have to speak up there."
"I did."
Elena studied him for a beat. "Why?"
Liam shrugged. "Because you're right. And because I don't like the way he talks to you."
She opened her mouth maybe to deflect, maybe to deny the warmth that bloomed too fast in her chest. But then his hand brushed her elbow as he moved past her, barely touching, just enough to ground her.
And she felt it again.
That fragile, unwanted thing.
Trust.
She turned away quickly, walking toward the window, trying to breathe past the storm in her ribcage. She couldn't afford this. Couldn't afford him.
But when she looked back, Liam had already gone.
And all she could see was his smile.
A quiet promise she wasn't sure she was ready to believe in.
Not yet.