Celeste's POV
The room fell silent the moment Adrian cleared his throat.
"Celeste," he began, "we, the board of directors, think it's time you step down as our chairwoman."
My fingers froze above my phone screen. Slowly, I lifted my gaze, confusion threading through my voice.
"Step down? What is that supposed to mean?"
Evans leaned back in his chair, a smug curve at the corner of his lips, "We don't find you fit to run the company anymore."
A heat of anger crawled up my spine. "Is this your idea, Evans?"
He scoffed. "Why would you think that? I wasn't the one who asked you to stay single for so long." His tone dripped with mockery, as if my entire life was a joke to him.
"So that is the reason this meeting was held?" I asked, scanning their faces, every one of them avoiding my eyes like cowards.
"Yes," Adrian answered with an annoying calmness. "Celeste, you've been in charge for three years. The company needs a change."
I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to breathe through the rising fury.
Evans cleared his throat dramatically, "This doesn't have to be long. Celeste, Carlos was my best friend, and since you're… You know… still stuck mourning him, I think I should take over the company, Carlos would want me to do the same. This is the least I could do to prove our long-term friendship."
"So, the best way to prove your friendship to him is by stealing his company from his wife?" I asked, my tone dripping with irritation, "How reasonable,"
"I'm doing what's best for all of us and for the company," he replied calmly. "You taking charge won't help anything. I was part of his plans, and I intend to continue building his vision."
He turned to the board, pretending to be reasonable. "What do you all think?"
They nodded. All of them. Like puppets whose strings he pulled.
A bitter laugh escaped my throat. "Are you all out of your mind?" I stood up from my seat, my nose flaring in rage.
"When Carlos died, the company was drowning in debt, abandoned, rotting, empty," I struck my chest as I continued, "I rebuilt it. I saved it. I paid off everything with my own sweat, time, and money. And now you all want to hand it over to him?"
"We're not asking you to give it all up," a bald board member chipped in, "We're only saying the CEO position should be held by a man. Preferably Evans."
"So let me get this straight," I said. "You want a man to run the company, and you expect me to choose Evan's?"
Silence.
Evan's smirked. "This company would do better in the hands of a man. Stop making a fuss, Celeste, Carlos would want me to take over. You've spent three years mourning him. Maybe it's time you step aside."
"And what makes you think I don't have a man?" I snapped.
The room erupted in murmurs, surprised, doubtful, whispering like gossiping teenagers. Even Evans blinked before he masked it with arrogance.
He slammed his palm against the table, "Silence! We all know you don't have anyone, Celeste. No one loves you or wants you. Stop trying to outsmart us."
"If that's what you think," I said calmly, "Then you're wrong. I'm waiting for our wedding date to be fixed before we make things public. My fiancé is a busy man. He doesn't entertain useless meetings like this one."
Their shock was priceless. A room of men suddenly scrambling to understand what they clearly didn't see coming.
Evans leaned forward. "Oh really? Then I think we should meet him. Don't you think so?" The board members' predictable, empty-mindedly nodded along.
I stared at him, brows furrowing. "Fine. What day?"
"Two days." Evan's didn't blink.
My eyes widened. "Two days? That's too close—"
The bald man cut me off. "He's your soon-to-be husband and our future boss. Surely he can spare a moment to save your position."
I dug my nails into the table edge, swallowing the anger clawing at my throat.
Director Yang stood, gathering his files. "We, the board, have decided. Two days. Bring him here or step down. Evans becomes CEO."
Chairs scraped the floor as everyone walked out, one by one, leaving me alone with the one man I wished I'd never met. The one person I wish my husband had never trusted.
Evans.
He waited until the door clicked shut before speaking. "You know that stunt you pulled was a lie, right?" He stepped closer, his voice dipping into that arrogant tone he wore like a second skin. "Nobody loves you, Celeste. And you don't have a fiancé."
"You know your husband trusted me to take care of you," Evans continued, his voice low and confident. "I'm sure he would be pleased to see us make things work." His hand slowly trailed across mine, sending a chill down my spine.
I didn't respond. I only stared cold, sharp, deadly, and forcefully pulled out my hand from his.
He smirked. "I love that dangerous gaze of yours. So fierce and powerful. You don't need to go looking for a man who doesn't exist. You and I? We're perfect together. With your intelligence and my ambition, we'll take the company beyond anything Carlos imagined."
I scoffed as I picked up my bag, and walked toward the door without giving him the dignity of a reply.
"Good luck finding a man, Celeste," he chuckled behind me.
I didn't stop, nor did I turn. But my mind was spinning.
Two days that simple meant forty-eight hours, and I needed a man powerful enough to crush Evans. Convincing enough to fool an entire board and dangerous enough to make them regret ever doubting me.
As I stepped out of the boardroom, a single thought echoed behind every deep breath I took.
Where in the world was I supposed to find a man like that?
And fast?