41. Ember

41

EMBER

O rion was back in his seat and the grand ballroom was already filling with faces from both companies—Foster Real Estate employees clustered on one side, Northman Group on the other, like some corporate version of West Side Story.

I halfway expected the men to tie their ties around their foreheads and start brawling while breaking out into stage songs.

"You look like you're about to jump out of your skin," Eleanor said, appearing at my elbow. She wore an elegant navy dress that somehow made her seem both regal and approachable. "Everything's arranged exactly as you requested. Though I still think you're taking an awful risk."

"I know." I smoothed my emerald dress.

Eleanor squeezed my arm. "Marcellus is ready when you are. And dear? That young man of yours hasn't taken his eyes off you since he walked in."

I didn't need to turn around to know she was right. I could feel his presence like electricity in the air. But I kept my eyes forward, watching Cole work the room with his usual swagger. He actually winked at me when he caught my eye, as if we shared some secret joke.

My hands tightened around the folder I carried. Soon he wouldn't be smiling at all.

"Places, everyone!" Eleanor called out. "Mr. Davenport would like to say a few words."

The room quieted as Davenport took the small stage. He looked frail under the lights, but his voice carried clearly.

"I've spent my life building things that last," he began. "Not just factories, but legacies. Communities. Tonight, I'll be announcing which company will help preserve that legacy."

I saw Cole's satisfied smirk, the way he was already half-rising from his chair in anticipation. I caught Orion's reflection in one of the room's mirrors. He wasn't looking at Davenport at all. His eyes were fixed on me, and there was something like understanding dawning in them.

"But first," Davenport continued, "I believe Miss Hartwell has something to share."

My heart hammered as I walked to the podium and adjusted the microphone. This was it. It was my chance to make everything right. To prove I wasn't the person who had taken this job for revenge, but someone who had grown to care about these people, this work, this company.

Someone who had fallen in love with a man everyone thought was heartless, only to discover he was anything but.

I clutched the podium like a lifeline as my legs threatened to give out from under me.

Time to blow it all up.

I took a deep breath and opened my folder.

"What I'm about to share affects everyone in this room," I said, my voice steadier than I felt. "But first, I need to apologize. To Foster Real Estate, to Mr. Davenport, and especially to Orion Foster."

Whispers rippled through the crowd. I forced myself not to look at Orion.

"Miss Hartwell," Cole cut in smoothly, raising his deep voice so it could be heard around the large room. "I'm sure whatever dramatic revelation you're planning is fascinating, but Mr. Davenport called us here to announce his decision."

“Sit down,” Orion growled, drawing surprised and scared looks from around the room.

Even Cole looked a little rattled as he stared at Orion and adjusted his coat.

"Actually," Eleanor said from her seat, "I called you here. At Ember's request. And Mr. Davenport agreed to join because Ember promised he would want to hear what she has to say."

To my mild satisfaction, Cole’s expression went a little green as he sat back down, glaring up at the stage.

Orion gave me a small nod of encouragement and I flashed a smile his way as I pulled out the first document. It was a printout of Cole's plans for the factories. I tapped a button on the podium’s control panel and projected a large copy of the document for everyone to see.

"These are architectural plans commissioned by Northman Group two months ago,” I said. “Plans to demolish the Davenport factories and build luxury hotels."

The room erupted in murmurs. Cole's face went from confusion to fury as he recognized his own documents.

"Those are confidential company files—" he started.

"So you admit they belong to you?” I asked sweetly. “I’m glad we could establish that so much more easily than I expected.”

Cole’s mouth pressed into a furious thin line.

“It didn’t matter what you told Mr. Davenport you were going to do with his buildings, Cole. To you, the real prize was what you could do with them after he died. You wanted to demolish them and use the land for your own purposes.” My voice rang clear and cold.

"Is this true?" Davenport asked Cole, his weathered face tight with anger as he rose from his own seat a few tables away from Cole.

"Of course not,” Cole said, forcing a nervous smile. “She's clearly making this up to?—"

"I also have the geological surveys you ordered," I continued. "The demolition cost estimates. Even early marketing materials for the hotels." I laid each document on the podium. "You never cared about preserving these factories. You just wanted the land they sit on."

Cole's face had gone an interesting shade of purple. "That's rich, coming from you. Should I tell everyone why you really took a job at Foster Real Estate? About our little arrangement?"

"I already did." I finally let myself look at Orion. His expression was unreadable, but he hadn't moved, hadn't tried to stop me. "I told Mr. Foster everything. About how you asked me to spy for you, how I thought I could use it as revenge. And how working here changed everything."

I turned back to Davenport. "I made mistakes. Big ones. But I've grown to care about these factories, about the legacy they represent. Which is why I couldn't let either company destroy them."

"Either company?" Cole latched onto my words with a predatory smile. "So Foster Real Estate had similar plans?"

This was the moment of truth. I glanced at Orion again, seeing him straighten in his chair. Again, he gave me the slightest nod, letting me know I had his approval to continue.

Honestly, this was bigger than us, though. I was going to spill these secrets whether Orion liked it or not, but knowing he was going along with it meant everything to me.

"They did," I admitted. "But unlike Cole Northman, Orion Foster had a change of heart. After getting to know Mr. Davenport, Orion quietly threw away the legal transfer documents and shifted his focus to giving Davenport exactly what he wanted.”

“Legal transfer documents?” Davenport asked. “I don’t understand…”

“A legal loophole would allow any management company to take control of the properties in the event of your death, Mr. Davenport. It’s what Orion was briefed on before he approached you and it’s the fact that Cole discovered before he joined the pursuit of your business. Both men made a massive lapse in moral judgment. One man realized it and changed. One was still drafting up plans on how to take advantage of you as recent as yesterday.”

The silence in the room was deafening. Davenport looked between Cole and Orion, his expression grave.

Cole looked victorious, maybe just happy to know he wasn’t the only one being sabotaged here. Orion looked… resolute, like a prisoner receiving a sentence he knew he deserved.

"So neither company can be trusted," Davenport said finally.

"No," I said. “Maybe not completely. But people can change. Companies can change. Which is why Eleanor and I have another proposal."

I pulled out the last document—one I'd spent all night drafting. Orion’s assistant, Daniel, hurried up to the stage like I’d asked and took the document to Davenport. "The factories would be placed in a trust, managed jointly by Foster Real Estate and a board of community members. All proposed changes would require approval from both the business side and the community side. This way, the factories can be updated and made profitable while still preserving their historical significance."

"And who would lead this venture?" Davenport asked.

"That would be up to you, Sir. But I'd suggest someone who understands both the business potential and the human element. Someone who's proven they can change and grow."

My eyes found Orion's again, and this time he held my gaze. I saw the moment he understood what I was suggesting—that this wasn't just about saving the factories or my own redemption. This was my way of showing him I believed in who he could be, who he was becoming.

"An interesting proposal," Davenport said. He turned to Eleanor. "What do you think, old friend?"

Eleanor smiled. "I think it’s never too late to change.”

Davenport raised an eyebrow as the two elderly people shared an oddly charged moment together.

Uh. Had I missed something between them? Something… romantic?

Davenport finally peeled his eyes from Eleanor to look back down at the proposal, which he studied while the room was eerily silent.

I hoped this would work so badly it hurt, but it was out of my hands now.

Now I just had to wait and see what Davenport said.