Broken Vows and Buried Twins novel Chapter 10

"Hester, I know you're upset that Julian gave me his shares. But you have to understand—when you left, none of the senior staff would listen to me. Julian didn't want me getting bullied, so he stepped in. I only took the equity so I could stabilize the company. You've been sitting comfortably at home for five years, completely provided for by Julian, so I know you can't possibly grasp how difficult it is for a woman in the corporate world. But you have no authority to fire me, and Julian will absolutely not tolerate you throwing a tantrum like this."

Every single word dripped with condescension and mockery.

Hester stared at her, her eyes terrifyingly dead. A moment later, she slammed the folder down, stood up, and marched right up to Melody. In front of the entire board, she pulled her arm back and slapped Melody across the face with every ounce of strength she possessed.

*SLAP!*

The explosive crack echoed off the glass walls of the boardroom. Everyone in the room gasped in sheer horror!

Caught entirely off guard, Melody stumbled back, clutching her stinging cheek and glaring at Hester with pure venom. But realizing she had an audience, her face immediately crumpled, and perfectly timed tears spilled down her cheeks.

"Hester... if hitting me makes you feel better, I'll take it. But this is a place of business. If you cause a scene in front of the board like this, Julian is going to be so angry with you..."

"Melody Monroe," Hester cut her off, her voice slicing through the room like absolute zero. "Playing the mistress is one thing, but living together and presenting yourselves as husband and wife is grounds for a massive lawsuit! Don't think for a second that Julian's protection makes you untouchable!"

Melody's expression darkened, her eyes locking onto Hester with lethal intent.

Neil, Julian's special assistant, had arrived just in time to witness the fallout. Looking incredibly stressed, he stepped between them. "Mrs. Weston, please calm down. The situation with Mr. Weston is—"

"You tell Julian Weston that whatever he gave away, he needs to bring back." Hester cut a freezing glare toward Neil, refusing to yield an inch. "If he wants to keep playing white knight for Melody, I am more than happy to burn this entire empire to the ground!"

Neil froze, opening his mouth to speak, but Hester was already done. She spun on her heel and walked out of the boardroom without a backward glance.

The emergency board meeting ended in total chaos.

The crystal chandelier cast a warm, ambient glow over the sharp, exquisite lines of his face. Five years had done absolutely nothing to diminish his striking looks; if anything, the passage of time had only deepened his commanding, magnetic presence.

Hearing her footsteps, he lifted his gaze. His eyes were as dark as midnight as his low, resonant voice filled the room: "Lena made your favorite soup. Drink it while it's hot."

Hester stopped dead in her tracks. His perfectly casual demeanor made her want to laugh out of pure, unadulterated fury.

"Julian, do you really think we can just sit here and have a peaceful dinner?"

Julian calmly placed the bowl of soup at her usual seat and grabbed a napkin to wipe his hands.

Slowly lifting his heavy gaze to meet hers, he remained the picture of absolute control. "Eat first, Hester. Once you're done, we need to have a real talk."