CHAPTER 4
The boardroom was silent when I walked in. Every member of the Sinclair board was already seated. Uncle Henry sat at the head of the table like he belonged there.
I walked straight to him. “You’re in my seat.”
He looked at me with his mouth slightly open like he was waiting for me to laugh and say that it was a joke, but when I motioned to the empty seat by his right instead, he scooched over with his cheeks bright red.
If they wanted to be petty, I would give them petty.
“Miss Sinclair,” one of the older members said, folding his hands. “We were surprised when you called this emergency meeting. You’ve been… difficult to reach.”
I took my seat, spine straight. “That’s because I nearly drowned,” I said flatly. “I was strande after an incident on the yacht and was in a coma for more than a week. Nobody thought tc
check on me.”
A few of them shifted uncomfortably, but most just exchanged glances.
Matt gave a small laugh, oozing charm. “She’s exaggerating. It wasn’t as bad as she’s making i
out to be.”
I ignored him. “I called this meeting because I’ve been informed that my fiancé, Matt Bennett filed an appeal to gain full control of the company before our wedding. Without my knowledge.”
The murmurs started instantly.
“Yes,” one of the directors said. “We’ve received the appeal. Mr. Bennett has argued that you’v been unstable and absent from key responsibilities, and that granting him early authority is ir the company’s best interest.”
I raised a brow. “Instability? Based on what?”
Uncle Henry leaned back, looking regretful- like he hated to say this. “Jada… you’ve been under a lot of pressure. The breakdown at Maya’s party, the days you went missing without telling anyone… It scared people.”
I looked at him like he was a pesky fly. “And why are you here? Last time I checked, you’re no even a part of this company.”
Matt sighed. “Jada, he’s your father’s brother. He has a right to be here. And he’s also here fo support. You have no idea how worried we were when you disappeared.”
“You mean when you left me to die?”
The room froze.
Matt’s jaw tightened, but he quickly recovered, wearing his perfect fake smile. “I would never hurt you, Jada. But the company can’t afford uncertainty. I stepped up while you were gone. The board knows I’m capable of leading Sinclair industries.”
“Capable?” I laughed once, coldly. “You mean capable of taking credit for my deals?”
A few board members shifted at that.
“You’re forgetting,” I said, pulling out the most recent quarterly reports. “It was my leadership
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that secured the partnership with Leston Technologies. I personally negotiated the deal that brought in $1.2 billion last quarter. Or have you all forgotten that?”
The room went silent.
One of the directors cleared his throat. “Miss Sinclair, nobody doubts your intelligence. But the company also values stability. It’s clear you’ve had… personal difficulties.”
“Everyone has personal difficulties,” I said evenly. “But my track record speaks for itself. If you think giving Matt power will magically solve everything, you’re mistaken. And anyway, his name will be on the papers after our wedding, so why the rush? Have any of you even thought about that?”
Matt spoke up again in a fake sweet voice. “Babe, we’re on the same side. This company is our future. You know I’ll take care of everything-”
I cut him off. “I’m not handing my family’s life’s work over to you before the wedding. If the board wants to replace me, they’ll have to do it the right way- the way my father stated in his will. This company and everything else will only be signed off to the man that I marry.”
A long silence took over the room.
Finally, one of the senior members said, “We’ll table the appeal for now. But we’ll be watching closely. The final decision will depend on what happens in the coming weeks. If there’s still any reason to believe that you’re unstable after the wedding, you’ll be stripped of all your rights and your husband will have total ownership over everything.”
I nodded in agreement. “Thank you.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as Matt and Uncle Henry shared a secret smile.
Matt walked into my bedroom with a plate of food in his hand later that night, looking
remorseful.
It took everything in me not to roll my eyes. I was used to his games now.
“You didn’t eat dinner, I brought you some.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“You’re not upset about what happened at the office, are you? You know I didn’t mean any harm.” I looked at him for a long time, suddenly drowning in memories of the past, when we used to be so in love. He used to be so gentle and so kind to me. Was it all an act? Was he just putting on a show to get what he wanted? I wanted to ask him if he thought that I was stupid. I wanted to ask what gave him and my uncle the audacity to think that they could take what belonged to me. But instead, I smiled.
“Of course not. You love me. I know you were only trying to take care of me.”
He smiled brightly like he had just hit the jackpot. “Our wedding is the day after tomorrow. It’s going to be the best day of my life.”
I smiled back. “Yes, it’ll be the best day ever.”
“Come here, I’ll feed you.” He placed the food in front of me and picked up the spoon, but just as he was about to scoop some of it, Maya’s voice called out from downstairs.
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“Mattie! I can’t reach the remote!”
He dropped the spoon with a clatter, like he was being remote controlled. He was out of the room and running down the stairs to her in a heartbeat.
I pushed the plate to the side and snuggled into bed.
Our wedding was in two days, and my darling fiancé had no idea what was coming for him.
12:11 pm
