She looked at his worn t-shirt, his sweatpants, and the cheap whiskey glass in his hand. She looked exhausted. Beneath the bravado, beneath the cold stare, she looked like a woman who had just survived a car crash. "You're not in Zurich," Roland said dumbly. "No. " Viven swallowed hard, her jaw tight.
She didn't ask permission. She pushed past him, dragging the suitcase over the threshold and into his apartment. Hey, wait a minute. Roland stepped back, closing the door out of habit. Viven stood in the center of his small living room.
She looked at the cushion fort. She looked at the peeling paint on the ceiling, the cramped kitchen, the cheap rug. She looked utterly, completely alien in his world. She dropped the suitcase handle. It hit the floor with a heavy thud.
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.