He Chose His Ex, So I Chose My Empire novel · Chapter 9 of 24

Chapter 9: Were You the Square

I took Sabrina's hand off my arm.

I did it slowly, one finger at a time.

"Thank you," I said.

She blinked.

"For what?"

"For finally telling me something true."

I went back through the swinging door into the ballroom.

The band had started.

Couples were drifting onto the dance floor under the chandeliers, and waiters were going round with coffee in silver pots.

I walked straight through the dancers.

People moved out of my way.

I think they thought I was coming back for an encore.

Hugh's table was by a gold column.

Imogen was there with her shoes off under the tablecloth.

Two of the older partners from Stratton Capital were there with their wives, and a man from his board who'd once told me at Christmas that I was "a very good influence."

Hugh saw my face and stood up.

Whatever he saw in it made him go pale.

"Laurel."

I didn't sit.

"Were you the black square?"

The table went silent.

One of the wives put her coffee cup down without a sound.

Imogen frowned at me, then at her brother.

"What square?" she said.

Hugh didn't look at her.

He looked at me.

I watched him decide whether to lie.

I watched him decide not to.

"Yes," he said.

Imogen's mouth fell open.

The man from his board looked at the ceiling.

"Say the rest," I said.

"Laurel, let's go somewhere and..."

"No. You had a month of somewhere. Say it here. You like to keep things quiet. Say this one loud."

He put both hands on the back of his chair.

"The night before the vote, Sabrina came to my office," he said. "Late. She said she'd heard from two board members that it was split down the middle."

"And?"

"She said if my vote decided it for you, the first headline would be that I'd bought my wife a forty-million-dollar program. That you'd never be taken seriously in this city again. That every time you walked into a room, people would say Stratton money."

← Chapter 8 · All chapters · Chapter 10 →

Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend