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He clears his throat. “Speaking with the board would be an absolute waste of time for you, Sydney. There is no reason to. They’re never going to approve you, and all you’ll do is make a fool of yourself.”
“Why?” I ask, feeling emboldened.
A pause.
“You’ve proven throughout your life that you’re unfit to run this. Being married for two days proves nothing. The board will see right through it.”
“Jeffrey, schedule me a meeting with them, or I’m going to go above you and schedule it myself.”
There are several moments of silence as he decides what to say next. “I’ll schedule a meeting. Ronan must be there with you.” There’s a pregnant pause. “And Ronan? Reign in your whore. She was mine first.”
The line goes dead.
And my heart stops.
I stare at the phone as the others look at each other, the realization of what he means dawning on their faces.
But I don’t hear what they’re saying. I don’t see what their next moves are. All I see is my phone. After a moment, the screen darkens before turning off completely.
There’s nothing around me but memories.
My heart lurches, my blood running cold as sweat dots my forehead. Stars line my vision, and I’m stuck.
I’m stuck sitting here, unable to move, desperately wanting to be swallowed whole by the ground beneath me.
I don’t know how long this goes on for. It could have been minutes. Hours. Days. But it’s more likely it was only a few.
It takes me a couple moments to realize someone is grabbing me, and I flinch away as everything comes back to me. Their voices, their faces, their words.
“What thefuckdoes he mean by that?” Jerry seethes, her eyes narrowed.
“Don’t fucking talk to her like that,” Ronan barks, seething as he watches me, not wanting to touch me and scare me more.
“I’m not trying to be an asshole, Ronan. I’m trying to find a reason not to kill this man right this second.”
“Jerry, she needs space; wait a minute,” Elena says, grabbing her arm and pulling her back. She shakes her off, holding her hand up.
“Let’s give them space,” Brandon tells Zach as they step out of the kitchen.
“Are you okay?” Ronan stands in front of me, offering his hand. Like I’m some fucking kicked puppy. Like I’m injured and weak.
“I’m fine,” I tell him. “Completely.”
“Ronan, go cool off and give her some time,” Jerry demands, stepping between us.
Pissed, Ronan throws his hands up. “That’s rich coming from you,” he says angrily, looking me in the eye. I nod, giving him permission to go.
Jerry grabs my arm, but it’s not angry like usual. This time, she’s soft with it as she leads me to the side. Sitting me down at a small table with a chess set in the center, she takes a seat on the other end, staring at me.
After a moment of silence, she piles her hair on top of her head before she moves a pawn two spaces, sitting back in her seat once more.
I look at the pawn for a long time. Studying it. Thinking about what her next move will be.
But her move depends on mine.
So I move one of mine two spaces, situating it right in front of hers.
She moves another pawn to c4, right next to her other.
