Chapter 6 - The Mask Slips
The boardroom devolved into chaos. Sterling tried to bolt, but security was already outside the door. Nicholas, however, stayed. He looked at me, his face a mask of pure, unadulterated hatred. He didn't care about the money anymore; he cared about the fact that I—his "insignificant" sister—had pulled the rug out from under him.
"You think you’ve won?" Nicholas snarled, ignoring the CEO and focusing entirely on me. "You think you’re actually one of them? You’re a parasite, Jenna. You took my family’s name, you took my opportunities, and now you’re trying to destroy my life because you’re jealous of what I’ve achieved."
"I’m not jealous of what you achieved, Nicholas," I said, stepping toward him. "I’m disgusted by how you achieved it. You spent your life stepping on people, and you assumed I would just lay there and be the floor for you. You were wrong."
Julian stepped between us, his presence effectively silencing the room. "Nicholas," he said, his voice cold as ice. "Get out. If you or your firm ever come within a mile of a Thorne property again, I will personally ensure you are investigated for every single cent you’ve embezzled. And believe me—the authorities will have a lot more than just my audit to look at."
Nicholas looked around the room, hoping for support, but the other board members were already distancing themselves. He was finished. He turned to me one last time, his voice a venomous hiss. "This isn't over. You’ll never be part of this world. You’re just a girl from the kids' table who got lucky."
As he walked out, the heavy oak doors closing behind him, I felt a weight lift. The room was silent. I was shaking, not from fear, but from the adrenaline of the release.
Julian turned to me. The harshness of the board meeting melted away as he looked at me. "That was... impressive," he said softly.
"He’s my brother," I whispered. "I grew up thinking he was the golden child. It’s hard to accept that he’s the villain in his own story."
"Sometimes the people we love are the ones who teach us exactly what we need to avoid becoming," Julian said. He reached out, his hand hesitating for a moment before he gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
For a second, the boardroom, the scandal, and the business all faded away. There was only the weight of his hand and the realization that the man I had been told to impress was now the man looking at me with genuine, profound respect.
May you like
"Jenna," he said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "You’ve done more in one week than most of these people have done in a decade. Why don't you get out of here? We have a lot of work to do tomorrow, but for tonight... I think you’ve earned a celebration that doesn't involve spreadsheets."
I nodded, feeling a strange, new warmth blooming in my chest. I left the building and stepped out into the night, the city lights shimmering like the chandeliers at the wedding. But this time, they didn't judge me. They were just lights. And for the first time in my life, I knew exactly where I was going.
