~LAYLA~
Three days.
That’s how long it had taken for the dust to settle.
I stood in the executive elevator of O’Brien Tower, watching the floor numbers climb. The mirrors reflected a woman who looked nothing like the terrified wife who had sat in that dark boardroom seventy-two hours ago.
Gone was the black dress and the smudged mascara.
Today, I wore a tailored white suit that fit like armour. My hair was pulled back in a tight bun, and my lips were painted a deep crimson. I looked like a woman who had walked through fire and hadn’t even singed a hem.
"You ready, ma’am?" Tye asked. He was standing beside me, looking sharp in a fresh suit, though he favoured his left side slightly where his old wound sometimes ached.
"Ready," I said, smoothing the lapel of my jacket. "How’s the mood in the boardroom?"
"Jittery," Tye reported. "Stock dropped four percent when news of Henry’s ’detainment’ leaked. Some clients we acquired through him are planning to back out. The vultures are circling."
"Let them circle," I said coolly. "By the time we’re done today, they’ll be the ones panicking. Henry’s clients were built on dirty money and fraud. We’re better off without them."
"You sure about that?" Tye asked. "That’s a lot of revenue to walk away from."
"I’m sure," I said. "We rebuild with clean money, clean partnerships, clean everything. That’s how Axel would want it. That’s how we survive."
The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open.
I walked down the hallway, my heels clicking against the marble floor. The scent of smoke was gone, replaced by the smell of fresh paint and industrial cleaner. The construction crews had worked miracles in just a few days.
I pushed open the double doors to the boardroom.
The noise in the room ceased the moment I stepped inside. The Board of Directors, twenty men and women who held the fate of the company in their hands, turned to look at me.
"Mrs. O’Brien," Mr. William Scotfield spoke up. "We were just discussing the situation."
I didn’t sit. I walked to the head of the table and stood behind Axel’s chair, resting my hands on the leather backrest.
"There is no ’situation,’ Mr. Scotfield," I said calmly. "There is a correction. A necessary correction to protect this company’s future."
"A correction?" William scoffed, leaning back in his chair. "Henry Porter, our key strategic consultant, is being hunted by federal authorities. Our stock is tanking. Clients are fleeing. That sounds like a situation to me."
"Let them panic for a day," I said dismissively. "Then they’ll see the truth. The truth always surfaces eventually."
I opened the folder Tye had placed on the table and pulled out a stack of documents.
"Henry Porter was not a strategic asset," I announced, my voice projecting clearly. "He was a liability. My internal audit uncovered a massive embezzlement scheme orchestrated by Mr. Porter, using his consultancy firm as a front. He stole from this company, from our partners, and from every single person in this room."
A ripple of shock went through the room. Whispers started. I didn’t mention the Cartel. I didn’t mention the bomb. That was messy, and it involved ongoing investigations.
Embezzlement was clean. It was corporate, and it was something they could understand.
"These documents," I continued, sliding copies across the table, "detail shell companies, offshore accounts, and fraudulent transactions he’s been involved in. The FBI has this evidence. The SEC has this evidence. And now, so do you."
"This is all well and good, Layla," William said in a patronising tone. "But you are the Interim CEO. You were appointed to hold the fort, not to dismantle our partnerships or make massive strategic decisions. We need Axel. We need to know if he supports this... scorched earth policy you’re implementing."
Several board members nodded in agreement.
I smiled, but it wasn’t a nice smile.
"I expected you might say that," I said.
I pressed a button on the console, and the large screen on the wall came to life.
Axel appeared.
He was sitting up in his hospital bed, propped up by pillows. He looked pale, with dark circles under his eyes, but his gaze was sharp and very alert.
"Mr. O’Brien!" William gasped, straightening his tie and sitting up straighter. "W-we didn’t expect..."
"Mr. Scotfield," Axel’s voice rasped through the speakers. "I hope you aren’t giving my wife a hard time."
"Of course not! We were just seeking clarification," another member stammered. "Making sure we’re all aligned on—"
"Here is your clarification," Axel interrupted. "Layla isn’t just holding the fort. She is the Acting CEO with full authority and power. She saved this company while I was unconscious. She cut out the rot that I missed. She did what I should have done months ago."
He paused, letting that sink in.
"Her word is my word," Axel continued. "If she tells you to sever a partnership, you do it. If she tells you to restructure, you restructure. If she tells you to jump, you don’t ask how high; you thank her for the exercise. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Mr. O’Brien," William said weakly, followed by others.
I caught Axel’s eye through the screen. He winked, a tiny movement only I could see.
"Now," Axel continued, "I have physical therapy in ten minutes, and my doctor is glaring at me. Do not make me come down there, Scotfield. You won’t like it. None of you will."
The screen went black.
The silence in the room was so absolute you could have heard a pin drop. I looked back at the table, meeting each board member’s eyes one by one.
"So," I said pleasantly, "are there any other objections to my strategy?"
Heads shook rapidly. Scotfield looked down at his papers, refusing to meet my gaze. "No, Mrs. O’Brien. We will... we’ll draft the press release regarding Mr. Porter immediately. Full support."
"Excellent," I said. "I want it released by the end of day. Position it as us discovering the fraud and cooperating with authorities. We’re the victims here, not the accomplices. Make that clear."
"Yes, ma’am."
"Meeting adjourned," I said.