Chapter 8 - The Arrogant Return
Julian threw open the doors with an expansive, triumphant smile plastered across his tanned face.
He was wearing an impeccably tailored navy blazer, his hair styled casually in the effortless California executive aesthetic.
He was holding a leather portfolio under his arm and an expensive leather weekend duffel over his shoulder.
"Gentlemen! Forgive the fifteen-minute delay, our private charter hit head-winds coming out of San Francisco!" Julian boomed cheerfully, striding boldly into the room without looking directly at the head of the table.
"I have extraordinary news that will ensure our dividend payouts double by the end of the fourth quarter!"
"The Napa meetings were an unprecedented triumph!"
He tossed his leather portfolio onto the table, expecting the customary applause and enthusiastic greetings from his subordinates.
Instead, an icy, impenetrable silence greeted him.
Every director sat rigid in their seats, staring straight ahead with grim, hollow expressions.
Julian stopped mid-stride, his brow furrowing in confusion.
"What is this?" he scoffed, laughing nervously.
"Did someone die in the accounting department?"
"Why do you all look like you’re attending a funeral?"
That was when his eyes finally traveled to the head of the table.
The smile vanished from Julian's face so fast it looked as if his skin had been frozen by a sudden blizzard.
He stared at me, sitting upright in the Chairwoman's seat, framed by the grey morning light pouring through the windows behind me.
He noticed the stark black mourning dress.
He noticed the pale, hollow contours of my face.
And he noticed that my pregnant belly was entirely gone.
"Evelyn?" he stammered, taking a tentative step forward, his voice losing its polished executive projection.
"What are you doing here?"
"Why are you dressed like that?"
"I told you to rest at home until I returned!"
"You shouldn't even be out of bed after your little scare!"
"My little scare, Julian?" I asked, my voice slicing through the thick air like a razor across silk.
Julian's eyes darted around the table, noticing the thick manila dossiers sitting open in front of every single board member.
He noticed Richard Hayes glaring at him with pure, unadulterated hatred.
He noticed Bradley staring down at the carpet, refusing to meet his gaze.
"What the hell is going on here?" Julian snapped, his natural arrogance quickly rushing back to mask his panic.
"Bradley, why are these people looking at me like this?"
"Richard, what is this meeting?"
"I called this meeting to present the Napa venture acquisition!"
"You called nothing, Julian," Richard Hayes spat with venomous disgust, pushing his dossier across the table so it landed squarely against Julian's polished shoes.
"Look at your work, you miserable coward."
Julian looked down, seeing the glossy photograph of himself kissing Victoria Sterling in the Napa Valley pool staring back at him from the carpet.
His breath hitched violently in his throat.
His tanned skin drained of color until he looked as grey as the granite floor beneath his feet.
"This... this is an invasion of privacy," Julian stuttered, stepping back toward the door as his hands began to shake uncontrollably.
"This is corporate espionage!"
"Evelyn, you hired someone to spy on me?"
"How dare you bring our private, domestic disputes into a professional boardroom!"
"I built this company!"
"I brought in every major account over the last three years!"
"You cannot use your hormonal jealousy to undermine my authority in front of my board!"
He took two aggressive steps toward my chair, pointing a trembling, manic finger directly at my face.
"Pack your things and go back to our apartment immediately, Evelyn!" Julian roared, his veins bulging violently along his neck.
"Before I have security escort you out for disrupting an official executive briefing!"
Marcus stepped smoothly out of the shadows behind the pillar, his massive six-foot-four frame blocking Julian’s path before he could take another step.
Julian bounced backward off Marcus's chest, staggering against the mahogany table.
"Marcus, arrest her!" Julian screamed, completely unhinged.
"I am the Chief Executive Officer of this company!"
"I command you to remove this woman from my boardroom this instant!"
Marcus looked down at him with utter contempt and did not move an inch.
"No, Julian," I said softly, standing up slowly from my chair and letting the full weight of my presence command the entire room.
"You are not the Chief Executive Officer."
May you like
"You are not an executive, you are not an employee, and you are no longer my husband."
"And the only person who is about to be dragged out into the rain by security is you."
