I was deep in thought, flipping through the latest reports on our quarterly earnings, when Chloe barged into my office like a hurricane. She slammed a stack of documents onto my desk, her face a mix of triumph and disbelief.
"Chloe, what now?" I sighed, closing the report and looking up.
"Ava, you're going to want to hear this," she said, lowering her voice as though the walls had ears.
"Unless it's about Lucas getting run over by karma, I'm not interested," I said, leaning back.
Chloe smirked. "Oh, this is way juicier than Lucas. It's about Eleanor."
My interest piqued instantly. "What about her?"
"Her name isn't just Eleanor. It's Eleanor Hayes," Chloe said, drawing out the last name like she was revealing the plot twist in a soap opera.
I frowned. "Hayes? Should that mean something to me?"
Chloe rolled her eyes, dramatically flipping through the documents. "Hayes, as in William Hayes, the real estate tycoon who practically owns half the city."
My heart skipped a beat. "William Hayes? As in the Hayes Corporation? That William Hayes?"
"Ding, ding, ding!" Chloe said, tapping her temple. "Eleanor is his long-lost daughter. She's been hiding in plain sight, Ava, and she's not just after Lucas she's after your company. She's been working with Hayes to pull strings from behind the scenes, positioning herself to take over."
I leaned forward, my chest tightening with anger. "You're kidding. All this time, I thought she was just some desperate woman with bad taste in men."
"She's way worse," Chloe said, her tone darkening. "She's calculated. Cold. Hayes has been feeding her resources to destabilize you. Think about it, Ava Lucas was a pawn. If Eleanor got close enough to him, she'd have leverage over you. Imagine the damage she could've done."
I clenched my fists. "So this was never about Lucas. This was about my company."
Chloe nodded. "Exactly. And here's the kicker: I found emails between Eleanor and one of Hayes's legal advisors. They've been planning to merge with your company, using Lucas as their inside man."
I stood, pacing the room. "How did I not see this? I thought she was just some scheming woman trying to ruin my marriage, but this? This is war."
Chloe smirked, clearly enjoying my realization. "And guess what? We can fight back. If we expose her now…"
I cut her off with a shake of my head. "No. If we expose her now, Hayes will spin it. Eleanor will cry her way out of it, and I'll look like a bitter ex-wife. No, Chloe. We need to be smarter than that. We need to gather enough evidence to destroy them both."
Chloe crossed her arms, a sly grin spreading across her face. "I knew you'd say that. That's why I reached out to someone who used to work for the Hayes family. They have dirt real dirt. We're talking about things that could ruin their empire."
I couldn't help but smile. "You're brilliant, Chloe. Keep digging. And in the meantime, I'll handle Maxwell and the board. We've got a fight on our hands, but I'm not backing down."
Chloe leaned closer, her voice filled with determination. "Neither am I. We're taking them down in. Hayes, Eleanor, Lucas all of them."
Before I could respond, my phone buzzed. It was a message from Maxwell.
We need to talk. It's important.
I rolled my eyes. "Great. Now I have to deal with Maxwell and his 'important' nonsense."
Chloe grinned. "You know, he might be annoying, but at least he's on your side. For now."
"Don't remind me," I muttered.
As Chloe left, I turned back to the stack of documents on my desk, my mind racing. Eleanor had played her cards well, but she had underestimated one thing: I wasn't someone who crumbled under pressure.
As soon as Maxwell entered my office, I could tell something was different. He looked focused, his usual smirk replaced with an expression I hadn't seen before determination.
I gestured for him to sit, but before I could say anything, he started.
"Ava, I know what you're going to say, but this isn't about the kiss."
I raised an eyebrow, crossing my arms. "Then what is this about, Maxwell?"
He placed a thick file on my desk. "This. It's a business proposal from an empire. A huge one. This is your chance to prove you're more competent than anyone on that board ever thought."
I opened the file, scanning the pages. My heart skipped a beat as I saw the logo of Stellar Industries, one of the biggest conglomerates in the country.
"Stellar Industries?" I asked, my voice tinged with disbelief. "This is... massive."
Maxwell nodded. "It is. They're looking for a new partnership to expand into tech development, and your company has a shot at winning this contract."
I looked up at him, narrowing my eyes. "Isn't this the company you work for? Why would you give me this opportunity? Aren't you technically supposed to be on their side?"
He leaned back in his chair, his gaze unwavering. "Like I said, Ava, I'm here to help you regain everything you've lost. This isn't about sides it's about proving to everyone, including yourself, that you're capable of running this company. Better than Lucas ever could."
I closed the file, sitting back in my chair as I processed his words. "This feels too good to be true. What's the catch, Maxwell?"
He smirked faintly, shaking his head. "No catch. The board of Stellar Industries is ruthless, and they won't make this easy for you. They're known for grilling their potential partners, tearing apart proposals, and rejecting even the slightest weakness. If you're going to win this, you need to come prepared."
"And you're willing to just... hand this to me?" I asked, suspicion creeping into my voice.
Maxwell shrugged. "I'm not handing you anything, Ava. I'm giving you an opportunity. What you do with it is up to you."
I looked at the file again, flipping through the details. The project was massive worth billions. Winning this contract would solidify my position as CEO and prove that I was more than capable of handling the pressure.
"This could change everything," I murmured, half to myself.
Maxwell stood, straightening his jacket. "It could. But only if you play your cards right. And if you ever need help mapping out the draft, you know where to find me. I'll be at my company."
He turned to leave, but stopped at the door, glancing back at me. "One more thing, Ava. Don't second-guess yourself. You've got this."
I watched him leave, a strange mix of gratitude and annoyance bubbling inside me. Maxwell was infuriating, but he had a way of pushing me in the right direction.
I looked down at the file again, my mind already racing with ideas. This was my chance not just to prove myself to the board, but to show everyone that I was more than Lucas's ex-wife, more than a "pretty face" as some had implied.
This was my time to shine.