What She Overheard in Her Own Marriage novel Chapter 390

"Third," Kaia said, staring the man down. "Personnel deployment will be dictated by Veridian. If Aethelstan needs to assign staff to assist, they must submit entirely to Veridian's technical directives without objection."

Kaia's conditions slammed down like a judge's gavel.

Low murmurs broke out across the boardroom. The Aethelstan executives whispered furiously to one another, outraged by her ruthlessness. Kaia had practically built Aethelstan's technical foundation, and now she was ruthlessly kicking them to the curb.

Gordon sat frozen, not moving an inch, though his knuckles were white from gripping his pen.

Finnian stared at Kaia. This woman... was far more ruthless than he had ever imagined.

Kaia met his gaze. Her clear eyes held no anger, no provocation, and no spite. She was purely talking business.

Watching her unshakeable composure, Finnian couldn't help but remember when she first joined Aethelstan years ago. She used to sit in the corner of these very board meetings, barely saying a word.

Now, she sat among the top brass, casually driving Aethelstan to the brink of collapse without batting an eye.

Finnian frowned, realizing he needed to interject to maintain some balance within the conglomerate. Aethelstan was an industry giant; that reputation hadn't been built overnight. If Veridian cannibalized them now, it would be a devastating blow to Aethelstan's market standing.

"Is there anything else?" Finnian asked, looking directly at Kaia.

Kaia shook her head. "No. That's all for now."

Staring into her bright, terrifyingly calm eyes, Finnian completely lost his train of thought.

He forced himself to turn to Gordon. "What does Aethelstan say?"

Gordon hesitated. "I need to report this to Ms. Lawrence and see what she decides."

Finnian's expression darkened. "Ms. Lawrence won't be coming to the office for a while. You're the acting head. You make the call."

Gordon stiffened. He looked at Kaia, but she was already staring back at her laptop.

"Fine. I agree," Gordon nodded. He had no idea if this would infuriate Noelle, but Finnian was clearly backing Veridian. Gordon decided he would just have to take the brunt of Noelle's rage.

Finnian stood up. "Then it's settled. Gordon, handle the handover for Aethelstan. Kaia, you take the lead for Veridian."

Kaia and Silas exchanged a look, both smiling faintly.

Finnian caught the subtle exchange, and his chest tightened. Kaia and Silas seemed to have developed an unspoken chemistry that he knew nothing about.

A sudden wave of intense jealousy washed over him.

"Meeting adjourned," Finnian snapped, and the executives quickly filed out.

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