They voted me out, she said. Roland stopped halfway to the kitchen. What the board? Viven turned to face him, her voice trembling just a fraction before she locked it down. While I was at the airport, my uncle called an emergency vote.
They cited erratic behavior, breach of fiduciary duty. They pulled a clause in the company charter. By the time I boarded the jet, they had frozen my assets. The company cards, the accounts, the penthouse key code, everything. Roland stared at her.
He processed the information with the speed of a man who used to handle her crisis. A hostile takeover from inside the family. It was ruthless. It was brilliant. It was exactly the kind of thing Viven would have done to someone else.
So why are you here? Roland asked, his voice hardening. You have lawyers. You have a rolodex of politicians and billionaires. Go to a hotel.
They froze everything, Roland. My personal accounts were tied to the holding firm. She crossed her arms, shivering as the wet coat clung to her. My uncle has people everywhere. My friends won't answer my calls because they know he's watching.
I don't have cash. I don't have a credit card that works. She looked at him. The arrogant CEO was still there, but she was trapped inside a very cold, very desperate woman. You're the only person I know who isn't afraid of him, Vivien said quietly.
And you're the only person who walked away today, which means you're the only one not on his payroll right now. " Roland rubbed his eyes. The headache was back. "Viven, I quit. I don't work for you anymore. " "I know. " She looked down at the cheap lenolum floor. "I have nowhere else to go. " Roland didn't offer her a drink.
He didn't offer her a towel. He just stood there, letting the reality of the situation sink into the cramped space of his living room. "You can't stay here," he said finally. Vivien bristled, her posture instantly straightening despite the shivering. "I'm not asking to move in, Roland.
I need a couch for 48 hours, just until my legal team can file an injunction and unfreeze my secondary accounts. I'll pay you triple your old day rate once I have access to my funds. It's not about the money. Roland gestured around the room. Look at this place.
I live in an 800 square ft walk up. I have a 7-year-old daughter sleeping in the next room. This isn't a safe house for deposed corporate royalty. It's a home. I won't be in the way.
You are always in the way, Vivienne. That's your entire personality. She flinched. It was a small movement, but in the dim light of the kitchen overhead, Roland saw it. For 6 years, he had buffered her from the world, translating her demands into polite requests, softening her edges for the board and the press.
He had never spoken to her like this. I'm cold, Roland," she said, her voice stripped of its usual armor. "Please," he let out a long, heavy sigh. He hated that he still had the instinct to fix her problems. He walked into the bathroom, grabbed a clean towel from the rack, and tossed it to her.