Chapter 65 Jada
Bryce seemed uneasy as we drove to work on Monday morning. His leg wouldn’t stop bouncing against mine.
“Are you worried about seeing him today?” I murmured. I wasn’t sure how much we could say in front of Gen.
He shook his head. “There’s a meeting of the board to discuss the attack.”
Then my eyes widened. “Is that why he thought we were at risk?” I hoped that was coded enough for our conversation. I could feel Gen watching us in the rearview mirror.
Bryce shook his head. “It’s hard to know.”
“Can I come?” I asked. I’d need to ask Esther if I could take my break early, but I wanted to be there, to have a say. “If this is affecting our safety, I deserve to be part of the solution.”
Bryce seemed to hesitate, then nodded. “The meeting starts at ten.”
I instantly got out my phone and texted Esther. Luckily, she responded, saying they would cover for me.
Work was a good distraction while I waited for the meeting to start. Knowing that there were people out there wanting to cause Bryce’s company harm left me feeling uneasy, especially after Jude’s warning. I hoped being in this meeting would help me feel better, like I was part of the solution.
I held that hope in my mind as I rode the elevator to the top floor and met Bryce and Maya at his office.
The three of us walked down the hallway toward the conference room. The founders sat at the head of the table, the nine board members sat in the extra chairs, and everyone else filled in along the walls. I stood next to Maya, feeling my heart beat so strongly I could hear it in my ears.
I only recognized the founders, including Jude, who wouldn’t meet my eyes, and Simon, who gave me an encouraging smile.
One of the men I didn’t know—a tired-looking Hispanic male said, “The meeting begins soon; all unauthorized guests must leave the room.”
Bryce glared back at him. “Jada is my fiancée and was at the gala during the attack. She has valuable insights as an eyewitness.”
“It’s not a good idea to have her here,” Jude warned.
“Jude,” Simon grumbled where he sat toward the head of the table.
Jude didn’t apologize, only stood his ground. But another board member cleared his throat. “She has an NDA?”
Bryce nodded.
“Continue,” the man said. By the way he spoke, he seemed in charge.
Jude spoke up. “I move to have a vote of no confidence for Bryce Madigan, our current CTO.”
“Seconded,” a scrawny man with wispy hair said.
The room fell so silent I could practically hear my heart in my throat.
They wanted to do what?
“What is this about?” Cruz spoke up at the same time Aaric said, “Is this a joke?”
Then Jude said, “I motion for a closed session.”
“Seconded,” the scrawny man said again.
Jude sounded almost robotic as he said, “All non-board and non-founder guests are asked to leave the room before security must get involved, according to company bylaws.” He gave me a cold, unfeeling stare.
Bryce got up, walking over to meet me as I shuffled out of the room with everyone else.
In the hallway, I held on to Bryce’s arm, ignoring the chaos going on at the table as Bryce’s friends burst out in protest. All weekend we had thought that this meeting would be spent discussing the attack.
Never in a million years had I thought his job would be on the line.
I looked up at him, saying, “I’m here for you. ”
Bryce’s eyes grew misty before he closed them and gave me a long kiss on the forehead. “I know,” he whispered. “Let’s meet after work.” The unspoken If I still have a job lingered between us.
“I don’t want to leave you,” I admitted, reaching up to hold his face. It didn’t seem fair he go through this alone.
For the first time that morning, Bryce smiled. It was a dim echo of his typical smile, but it was there for all of a second before he took my hand, kissing my palm.
“I’ll be okay,” he said.
I wasn’t quite sure I believed him, but the door was opening to the conference room and people were walking out. Maya was waiting for me, pleading with her eyes for me to join her.
So I nodded, and then I gave him a chaste kiss. “You’ll text me to let me know how it goes?”
He nodded in return and then squeezed my hand.
I wanted to tell him I loved him—that’s what this was, right? This fierce protectiveness that was flooding my veins and making me want to stay and lash out at every single person threatening his position?
Every nerve in my body protested as I followed Maya out the door and it shut behind us. For extra measure, I could hear the click of the lock. That sound barely had time to register before I watched Maya get in the face of Jude’s assistant.
“What the fuck, Owen? You didn’t tell me this!” Her face was red. I’d never seen her so angry before.
The man, a good six inches taller than Maya, had the good sense to act apologetic. “I had no idea he was going to do that!”
“If you did, would you have told me?” she questioned.
All of us in the hallway stared, waiting for his answer.
After a long pause, a small jerk of his head to the side was his answer. He was loyal to Jude, the same way Maya was loyal to Bryce. Still, she looked disgusted as she regarded the man. “I don’t know how you could work for such a snake.”
“I could say the same thing about the company you keep,” Owen responded.
It seemed like there was more to his answer, but Maya gnashed her teeth and said, “Let’s go, Jada.”
I followed her, my heart racing. My baby jittered in my stomach, thrown off by the chaos like I was. “What does this mean?” I hissed.
Her gaze darted around. “Let’s get somewhere private. I don’t want to be overheard.”
I understood the need for privacy, but the walk to Bryce’s office while remaining in the dark was still painful, even if it was short.
Because I knew that Jude was punishing Bryce for his involvement with me.
I couldn’t help but think if we hadn’t run into Jude at the gala, this wouldn’t be happening.
This wouldn’t be happening if I wasn’t in the picture.
As soon as the door to Bryce’s office closed, I rushed out, “There has to be something we can do. Jude is just trying to get back at Bryce for—” I cut myself off, remembering my agreement with Bryce.
If we move forward, this baby is mine.
God, how I wished she was biologically his.
“For what?” Maya asked. “For the baby?”
My lips parted. “You know?”
She gave me a wry smile. “I found out the same day Bryce did.”
But did she know what Bryce and I discovered Saturday? That the baby was biologically Jude’s? I couldn’t tell her. I refused to betray Bryce’s trust. “What happens if they vote Bryce out? Is it like a probation period?”
Maya was somber as she shook her head. “If they vote Bryce out, he’ll have no access to the company anymore. He’ll continue to get paid, but will have no job, no say, nothing.”
My eyes widened at the cruelty of it. “They can do that?”
“According to the bylaws, they can,” Maya said. “They’ve never actually tried before today.”
I felt like I was going to be sick. “There’s got to be something we can do to stop this.”
She shook her head slowly and spoke like the words made her sick. “All we can do is wait.”