HERMIONE
I knew this day would come.
Just not so soon.
Not like this.
The elevator ride to the legal department feels suffocating. Every floor we pass is another set of eyes, another whisper, another judgment.
Even behind closed doors, I can feel them talking.
They saw the article.
They saw the photos.
They saw me.
As soon as I step out, silence falls like a dropped pin.
No one makes eye contact.
Not Clara, my paralegal.
Not James, who shared his granola with me three days ago.
Not even Maria, who cried when her cat died and hugged me in the copy room.
I walk toward my office slowly. Deliberate. My heels feel like gunshots on tile.
I open my door and shut it behind me before I fall apart.
But before I can even sit down, my work phone buzzes.
Incoming Call — Internal Extension: CEO
I hesitate… then answer. "Hermione Vale."
Dylan's voice is low, calm, and unreadable. "You have ten minutes before the board demands an emergency meeting. They want you on the call."
"Of course they do."
"I'll be on it too. But don't say a word unless I tell you to."
"I don't need you to shield me."
"I'm not shielding you, Hermione." A pause. "I'm protecting us."
The line goes dead.
Ten minutes later, the board is on-screen. Every single face grim. Controlled.
Elliot Barnes, the CFO, leans forward. "Mr. Voss, this... situation is a public relations disaster. We're getting inquiries from shareholders. Legal Affairs is trending on X. And the timing—"
"—is irrelevant," Dylan interrupts, voice cool and sharp. "Our head of Legal is being attacked in the media. That's what we're here to address."
"Attacked?" one of the senior VPs scoffs. "She was photographed in intimate proximity to her CEO. The same CEO who hired her after an unusually fast vetting process. Can you blame the press for—"
"I can absolutely blame them." Dylan's jaw tightens. "Hermione's hiring was based on her qualifications, and if you have doubts, I suggest you revisit her résumé — or her courtroom wins."
I speak up. "I didn't leak those photos. I didn't ask to become the story. But since I am, let me be clear: I have nothing to hide. Not my credentials. Not my position. And certainly not the fact that I've earned everything I have."
The room goes silent.
Until Dylan smiles coldly. "There's the Hermione I know."
Then a new voice breaks in — Adrian, joining the call.
"We found the leak."
My blood runs cold.
Adrian continues. "It came from inside the penthouse event. The server with the lens brooch? Paid off by a shell company. The trail leads back to…" He looks up. "Elijah Crane."
One of the board members — Elijah — goes still.
"I don't know what you're talking about—"
"You hired the shell company two weeks ago," Adrian cuts him off. "The same week Ms. Vale's salary was flagged in an internal audit you ordered. I traced your emails."
"I was looking out for the company's—"
"No," Dylan says. "You were trying to sabotage the woman I trust most."
Elijah sputters. "This is nepotism at best. She's your mistress, for God's sake—"
"She's the Head of Legal," Dylan says coldly. "And effective immediately, you're no longer on this board."
Elijah freezes. "You can't—"
"I just did."
Click. Dylan disconnects him.
Silence falls.
Then Dylan looks at me, on-screen, for everyone to see.
"Anyone else have a problem with Hermione Vale?" he says.
No one speaks.
Meeting adjourned.
Back in my office, I exhale for what feels like the first time in hours.
My phone buzzes again. This time, it's a message from Dylan.
You held your ground.
I'm proud of you. Now let me take you home.