Page 39 of My Girl to Take

The conference room feels colder than usual. Or maybe it’s just me.

I stand at the head of the table, my hands resting lightly on the polished surface as I wait for everyone to settle. My gaze flicks briefly to the door every few seconds despite myself, my pulse picking up each time it opens, each time it isn’t him.

Then he walks in.

Logan doesn’t look at me as he takes his seat without a word. The distance between us is immediate and suffocating. It takes everything in me not to react, not to let it show how much his silence affects me.

I need to focus. This is bigger than us.

The meeting begins. I speak clearly, presenting the findings Logan uncovered from the material I gave him, laying out the evidence.

As the room shifts, as murmurs ripple through the board, I push forward.

“I want to be clear about how this started,” I say. “Eighteen months ago, I questioned those fees myself. I was told they were legacy arrangements predating my tenure, and I accepted that answer. I shouldn’t have.” I don’t look at Logan. It costs me. “Two weeks ago, I gave the same query to Mr. Blake and asked him to take it further than I had. He did.”

Somebody at the far end of the table writes something down.

“And that’s not all,” I say, my voice firm as I glance briefly toward Logan before continuing. “There is also evidence linking him to a secondary accomplice.”

I turn the screen. Ivy’s name appears.

The room stills. Philip stiffens instantly, his composure cracking just enough to reveal the truth beneath it, while Ivy remains calm. Too calm.

“This is ridiculous,” she says dismissively. “You expect us to believe this?”

“The evidence speaks for itself,” I reply.

Philip stands abruptly. “This is a setup,” he snaps. “You’re trying to pin this on me without—”

“Sit down,” one of the board members cuts in sharply.

Silence follows.

“The board’s authority here is limited,” the corporate secretary says from her seat at Garth’s right, without looking up from her minutes. “We can direct the officers, and we can refer this to counsel and to law enforcement. I’d suggest we do both.”

“Then that’s the motion,” another director says. “And Mathews goes today.”

Philip’s face twists with anger, but security is already moving, stepping forward to escort him out. Then, he’s gone.

But Ivy remains. Unbothered.

“You can’t do anything to me,” she says smoothly, folding her arms. “As Garth’s wife, I co-own his shares. I have every right to be here.”

A flicker of unease moves through the room.

Then, the door opens again. Every head turns.

Garth steps in slowly, supported by his cane. His lawyer is by his side, his appearance frailer than ever but his presence stronger than it has been in years. The room shifts instantly, the tension sharpening as he makes his way forward.

“I believe that’s where you’re wrong,” he says calmly.

Ivy blanches.

Garth stops at the head of the table, his gaze sweeping the room before settling briefly on Logan. Something soft passes between them for just a second before he turns back to Ivy.

“I’ve known about your affairs for years,” he says.

The words land like a bomb. Ivy’s composure cracks.