~LAYLA~
"Meeting adjourned," I said.
The board members gathered their papers and filed out quickly, avoiding eye contact. William was the last to leave, and he paused at the door.
"You’re tougher than I thought," he said to me quietly.
"I’m exactly as tough as I need to be," I replied, meeting his gaze with a triumphant smile.
He nodded and left.
I walked out of the boardroom, feeling the adrenaline finally starting to ebb. My hands were shaking slightly now that it was over. Tye fell into step beside me.
"That was brutal," he said admiringly. "Scotfield looked like he needed a defibrillator."
"He needed a reminder," I said. "Sometimes people forget who’s really in charge." I took a deep breath. "Where is she?"
"Conference Room B," Tye said. "She’s been waiting for an hour. Should I stay?"
I didn’t need to mention who I was talking about, he already knew. Tye had told me that he heard from a staff member that Helena was packing up her table, saying she was leaving the company. I had asked him to make her wait so I could see her myself
"No," I said. "This is private."
I nodded and turned the corner, pushing open the door to the smaller conference room.
Helena was sitting at the table. There was a cardboard box in front of her filled with personal items: a framed photo, a coffee mug, and a desk plant. She looked small in the large room. When she saw me, she jumped to her feet.
"Mrs. O’Brien!" she squeaked. "I... I packed up my desk. I just wanted to drop off my security badge and keys. I won’t take up any more of your time."
I closed the door behind me and walked over to her. She looked terrified, like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
"Sit down, Helena," I said gently.
She sank back into the chair, clutching her hands in her lap. "I really am sorry, Mrs. O’Brien. I know I caused all of this. I know the bomb was my fault. I know I should go to jail too. I’ll testify if you need me to. I’ll do whatever..."
"You aren’t going to jail," I said, sitting in the chair next to her, ignoring the barrier of the table. "And you aren’t quitting."
Helena blinked. "What?"
"I need an assistant," I said. "A real one. Someone I can trust. Someone who can keep a secret. Someone who is loyal to me, not to the Board, not to consultants, and certainly not to people like Henry."
"But... I betrayed you," she whispered, her eyes filling with tears. "I let that bomb into the building. I almost killed Mr. O’Brien, your husband. I...."
"You didn’t betray me," I corrected firmly. "You were manipulated by a professional criminal. And when it mattered, when you had a choice, you saved us. You gave us the drive. You risked everything to do the right thing. You saved my husband’s company. There’s no way I’m letting you go."
Before she could say anything, I reached into my pocket and pulled out an envelope.
"I know how it is raising Jason and Ryan all alone," I said. "I know Henry wasn’t helping you financially, despite all his money. I know you’ve been struggling."
Helena looked down, tears welling in her eyes. "I manage."
"You shouldn’t have to just ’manage,’" I said, sliding the envelope toward her. "Open it."
"What is this?" she asked, her voice trembling as she picked up the envelope.
"It’s a scholarship fund," I said. "From New Horizons Foundation, the organisation I told you I was planning to start back then. I mean, we haven’t officially launched yet, but we will. But this covers full tuition, books, uniforms, everything Jason and Ryan will ever need from now till any level of education they choose to pursue."
Helena stared at the envelope. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. She pulled out the letter and read it, her eyes widening.
"Ma’am," she choked out finally. "I... I can’t take this. It’s too much. This is... this is hundreds of thousands of dollars."
"It’s not charity, Helena," I said firmly. "It’s an investment. You are the sole provider for two boys. I need my Executive Assistant to be focused on work, not worrying about how she’s going to pay for textbooks or heating bills or whether her brothers will have opportunities."
I put my hand over hers.
"We look after our own," I said, echoing the words Axel had told me sometime ago. "And like it or not, you’re one of us now. You’re family."
Helena looked at me, tears spilling over her cheeks. She didn’t say anything. She just lunged forward and hugged me.
It wasn’t a professional hug. It was messy and desperate and real. I hesitated for a fraction of a second, then hugged her back, patting her hair gently.
"Thank you," she sobbed into my shoulder. "Thank you, thank you. I don’t know what to say."
"You’re welcome," I whispered. "Now pull yourself together. You’re my Executive Assistant now. You need to look the part."
She pulled back, laughing through her tears, wiping her face. "Yes, ma’am. I can do that."
"Good," I said, standing up. "Now, I heard you have a date with our head of security, hmm?"
She pulled back further and blushed furiously. "It’s not a date. It’s just dinner. Professional dinner. Between colleagues."
"Hmm," I said, a smile playing on my lips. "Professional dinner. Is that what we’re calling it?"
"Mrs. O’Brien..."
"Layla," I corrected. "Call me Layla when it’s just us."
"Layla," she said, still blushing. "It’s really not..."
"Whatever you say, Helena," I said, walking toward the door. "Just make sure you wear something nice. Tye’s picking somewhere fancy. And for God’s sake, let him pay. His ego needs it."
I opened the door and paused, looking back at her.
"Welcome to the team, Helena. Don’t make me regret this."
"I won’t," she said, standing up straighter. "I promise."
I walked out, letting the door close behind me.