The boardroom had never felt so hostile—and so quiet.

Maya stood at the far end of the long glass table, hands folded tightly in front of her, nails biting into her own skin beneath the surface calm. Around her sat the men and women who had once dismissed her as Davin’s shadow, his convenient mouthpiece, his disposable pawn. Today, they avoided her eyes—or watched her too closely.

The air hummed with tension.

Alyssa was not present. That alone changed everything.

Maya swallowed. This was her battlefield now.

“Let’s proceed,” said Chairman Wallace, his voice clipped. “Ms. Maya, you requested this emergency session. You have the floor.”

She stepped forward.

For...