The boardroom was eerily quiet as Sebastian and I prepared to present our case. Olivia sat beside me, her presence unnerving but oddly comforting.
"Ready?" Sebastian whispered, his hand brushing mine under the table.
I nodded, though my heart was racing. "Let's do this."
Marcus Langston entered a few moments later, his smug expression making my stomach turn. He didn't bother to hide his disdain as he took his seat across from us.
The tension in the room was palpable as we began. Olivia was the first to speak, her voice steady despite the weight of what she was about to reveal.
"This man," she said, gesturing toward Marcus, "has spent years manipulating companies, stealing their resources, and leaving their employees in ruins. And I have the proof to back it up."
The room erupted into murmurs as she presented her evidence. Marcus's confidence began to falter, his smirk replaced by a scowl.
Sebastian followed with his own presentation, outlining Marcus's connections to Victor Dalton's remaining allies and their attempts to sabotage our business. By the time he finished, there was no doubt in anyone's mind about who Marcus really was.
In the end, the board voted unanimously to remove Marcus from his position. His empire crumbled under the weight of his greed, and for the first time in weeks, I felt like we could finally breathe again.
That evening, Sebastian and I sat in his office, the weight of the day slowly lifting.
"We did it," I said, a small smile breaking through the exhaustion.
Sebastian leaned back in his chair, a rare look of relief on his face. "Yeah, we did."
As the silence settled around us, he reached for my hand. "Lila," he said softly, "there's something I've been meaning to tell you."
I looked at him, my heart skipping a beat.
"I love you," he said, his voice steady.
The words hung in the air, and for a moment, all I could do was stare at him. Then, slowly, I smiled.
"I love you too," I whispered.
It wasn't a grand declaration, but it was enough. After everything we'd been through, it was more than enough.