You don't just walk away from 3/4 of a billion dollars over. " He stopped himself, but everyone in the room heard what the end of that sentence was going to be. Over what? Over a handshake. Over the way he'd talked past her for 40 minutes like she wasn't worth addressing directly, over the seat they'd put her in. Over irreconcilable concerns, Elena said, finishing it for him, her voice smooth as glass.
As stated in the letter, Brad's composure cracked down the middle. This is completely unprofessional, he snapped. You have obligations. There are agreements in place. Preliminary agreements," Mattie said quietly from beside Elena, speaking for the first time.
None of which reached the stage of binding commitment. "Our legal team will be happy to walk yours through the specifics. " Brad looked at Mattie like he'd forgotten he was there. Then he looked back at Elena. Something moved through his expression. A flash of something mean, something cornered.
His voice dropped low. You're making a serious mistake. Lena stood. She did it slowly the way she did everything in this room without rushing, without flinching, without giving him the satisfaction of seeing even a flicker of doubt. She buttoned her blazer, smoothed the front of her red dress with one hand, picked up her portfolio.
She turned to Emily Vander, who had not moved, had not spoken, had simply sat at that table and watched everything unfold with those sharp, steady eyes. "Mrs. Vander," Elena said, always a pleasure. "Emily Vander nodded once. Something in her expression shifted, barely visible, but it was there.
Respect, maybe, or recognition. " Elena turned toward the door. "Hey. " Brad's voice came from behind her loud now, not bothering anymore with the polished edges. Hey, I'm talking to you. You walk out that door and this is done. You understand me?
You'll never Elena did not look back. She walked through the boardroom door, down the hall, and into the elevator. The doors closed behind her, and Mattie, with a soft, final sound. Mattie let out a long, slow breath, like he'd been holding it for an hour. That was, "Check your phone," Elena said quietly.
The elevator began to descend. Elena stood perfectly still, eyes forward, the city falling away outside the glass. Her hands were steady, her face was calm. But inside her chest, her heart was hammering, not from fear, from what came next. Mattie checked his phone.
Three missed calls, no voicemail. The number was unlisted, but his contacts database pulled a result in under 10 seconds. The kind of database that cost serious money and returned serious information. He turned the screen toward Elena without a word. She read the name, Lenora Harrington.
Elena stopped walking. They were in the lobby now. Marble floors, high ceilings, the quiet hum of a building full of people who had no idea what had just happened 42 floors above their heads. A security guard stood near the front desk. Two men in suits crossed toward the elevators, deep in conversation.