By afternoon, the world wanted answers.
News channels replayed footage of police outside the warehouse district. Financial reporters speculated about Richard Hale's arrest. Online headlines shifted quickly from scandal to conspiracy.
And Anna's name was still in the center of it.
She stood in her dressing room fastening the buttons of a sharp ivory blazer while watching the live feed on mute.
Behind her, Oliver leaned against the doorway, already dressed in black, tie immaculate, expression unreadable.
"You don't have to go today," he said.
Anna met his reflection in the mirror.
"That's exactly why I have to go today."
"The board can wait."
"The board has doubted me for forty-eight hours. They're done waiting."
He crossed the room slowly.
"You've barely slept."
"And you've become repetitive."
A faint shadow of amusement touched his mouth.
Then he reached forward and adjusted the collar of her blazer with precise fingers.
"You're angry," he said quietly.
"I'm focused."
"You're both."
"Maybe."
His hand lingered a second too long at the base of her throat.
The air changed.
Anna looked up at him.
"Don't distract me."
Oliver's gaze darkened slightly. "That depends."
"On what?"
"Whether you plan to ignore me all day."
She almost smiled.
"Behave."
"Unlikely."
The company headquarters was surrounded by cameras.
As Anna stepped out of the car, flashes exploded around them. Questions were shouted from every direction.
"Ms.walker, did you authorize the transfers?"
"Is Mr. Hale connected to your company?"
"Are you resigning?"
Anna didn't break stride.
Oliver walked beside her, one hand low at her back—subtle, steady, protective.
Inside the lobby, executives waited in clusters, pretending not to stare.
Good, Anna thought.
Let them watch.
The boardroom fell silent when she entered.
Some looked nervous. Some guilty. Some calculating.
Anna placed a file on the polished table and remained standing.
"I'll make this simple," she said calmly.
Every eye stayed on her.
"You questioned my leadership before asking for facts."
No one spoke.
"You considered replacing me while criminal interference was still unfolding."
A few shifted uncomfortably.
She opened the file.
"These are records of Hale's manipulation network, Veronica's unauthorized transfers, and the timeline clearing our internal operations."
She slid copies across the table.
The chairman cleared his throat. "Ms. Walker, we were acting under pressure."
Anna's expression didn't change.
"Then learn to perform better under pressure."
Oliver, seated at the far end, said nothing.
He didn't need to.
The room already knew whose side he was on.
Anna continued.
"I'm not resigning."
Another silence.
"I'm restructuring this board."
That got their attention.
"Effective immediately, any member who privately negotiated my removal during an active investigation will step down by end of day."
One director protested. "You can't do that unilaterally."
Oliver finally spoke, voice smooth and cold.
"She can."
The man went pale.
Anna didn't look at Oliver, but she felt the weight of his support anyway.
"Submit decisions by five," she said. "Or I make them for you."
Meeting over.
When the room emptied, only Anna and Oliver remained.
She exhaled slowly once the door closed.
"You enjoyed that," he said.
"I enjoyed competence returning to the room."
He stood and walked toward her.
"You were magnificent."
Anna gathered her papers to hide the effect of his tone.
"Flattery after chaos. Predictable strategy."
He stopped directly in front of her.
"Not strategy."
His fingers brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"Observation."
She should have stepped back.
She didn't.
"You supported me publicly," she said quietly.
"I support what's mine publicly and privately."
Her pulse jumped.
"That line needs work."
"It worked."
He was too close now.
The boardroom that had felt powerful moments ago suddenly felt intimate.
Dangerously so.
Anna lowered her voice. "We're at work."
"Yes."
"Glass walls."
"Yes."
"People outside."
"Yes."
She narrowed her eyes. "You're enjoying this."
"Immensely."
Before she could answer, he leaned down and pressed a brief kiss to her forehead.
Soft.
Unexpected.
More intimate than something deeper would have been.
Then he stepped back as if nothing happened.
Anna stared at him.
"You're impossible."
"And yet," he said, adjusting his cufflinks, "still invited."
He moved toward the door.
Anna called after him.
"Oliver."
He turned.
"That was a warning shot."
His mouth curved slowly.
"Good," he said. "I prefer fire."
And as he walked out, Anna realized something unsettling.
Repairing them might be even more dangerous than breaking them had been.