Chapter 5

It was genuinely hilarious.

I took a slow, deep breath, my chest heaving as I looked past him, up at the giant Crestwood Group logo on the wall.

Right below it hung a massive banner: [A WARM WELCOME TO OUR NEW EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, SELENA VANCE.]

The pain was so deep I couldn't even feel it anymore.

But I knew one thing for sure.

Right now was not the time to bleed.

I shoved every single ounce of emotion down and locked dead onto his eyes.

"Mr. Grayson, I am the new Director of Strategic Development for Crestwood Group," I stated, my voice as cold and hard as a diamond. "Today is my first day on the job.

"Don't you think you should introduce me?"

Finn looked like he had just been struck by lightning. His jaw hit the floor.

"Director of Strategic Development?" he choked out.

Clearly, he had absolutely no idea.

The room erupted again. The murmurs rippled through the crowd like a wave.

"Mr. Grayson's wife is the new director? What on earth is was going on?"

Selena's expression shifted into a toxic mix of shock, jealousy, and sheer resentment.

I took it all in, a cold smirk playing on my lips.

This was my home court now.

Finn Grayson, your nightmare had just begun.

Finn's brain had clearly short-circuited.

He stood glued to the spot, staring at me and then at Selena like a glitched-out machine.

Down in the audience, the whispers were escalating into a roar.

"Director of Strategic Development?"

"Since when? Why weren't we told?"

"Mr. Grayson's wife is an executive here?"

"Wait, so Selena isn't here to be the first lady? She's here to stage a coup against Finn's actual wife?"

"This is insane. Best drama of the year."

Wild gossip spread through the crowd like wildfire.

I ignored all the background noise, keeping my eyes locked dead on Finn's darkening face.

"What's the matter, Finn? Is the CEO completely out of the loop on his own board's appointments?" I asked, my voice casual, effortlessly exposing his lie.

Finn flinched, sheer panic flashing in his eyes.

"Lydia, shut up. We are not doing this here," he hissed, desperate to shut me down and sweep everything under the rug.

But it was already too late.

"Why shouldn't I?" I stared him down, my tone razor-sharp. "Did you really think you could keep everyone in the dark and walk away completely unscathed?"

Finn's breathing hitched. He opened his mouth to argue, but I cut him off.

"Or were you planning to announce my appointment right after you finished introducing Miss Vance?" I feigned a look of sudden realization. "Oh, wait.

"You never planned to announce me at all, did you?"

Every word hit him like a physical blow.

His lips trembled, the panic in his eyes peaking.

Unable to even look at me, he snapped his head toward Selena.

Selena was as pale as a ghost.

She was panicking, too.

She clearly hadn't expected me to air our dirty laundry in front of the entire company, let alone that I was the new Director of Strategic Development for Crestwood Group.

"Don't you think you owe your employees an explanation, Mr. Grayson?" I pressed, refusing to give him an out, forcing him to face the music.

Finn squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure.

When he opened them, the panicking husband was gone, replaced by the stern, untouchable CEO.

He scanned the room before his gaze landed back on me.

"Lydia Montgomery." He used my full name.

Using my full name was his way of drawing battle lines. I was no longer his wife; I was the enemy.

"I will give you an explanation regarding your role as the Director of Strategic Development," he said, his voice laced with authority. "But not here, and definitely not right now.

"I'm asking you to stop disrupting this meeting."

He was trying to pull rank to shut me up.

But the door-mat Lydia was dead.

"Disrupting?" I arched an eyebrow. "Does this look like a normal meeting to you?"

I didn't back down an inch.

Sweeping my gaze over the crowd, I saw pure excitement and curiosity etched on every employee's face.