Single Dad Turned Down His CEO Boss Twice—Then She Proposed in Front of the Board
Chapter 8
Richard Sloan left the boardroom halfway through the recording.
Security stopped him outside.
He demanded a lawyer.
Victoria ordered the doors locked.
The board members argued for nearly an hour.
Some wanted to call the police immediately.
Others feared what the scandal would do to the company.
Victoria remained calm.
Daniel stood behind her.
Finally, one director asked,
“What do you want to do?”
Victoria answered,
“Find the truth first.”
Daniel looked at her.
“And then?”
“Then we deal with the consequences.”
Two days later, investigators found Thomas Hale alive.
He had been living under another name in a small town three states away.
When Victoria saw him, she barely recognized him.
He looked older.
Tired.
But his eyes were the same.
“You came,” Thomas said.
Victoria nodded.
“My father told me you stole from him.”
Thomas laughed bitterly.
“Your father knew I didn’t.”
“Then why?”
“To protect the company.”
Victoria’s voice broke.
“You let me believe you were a criminal.”
“I let everyone believe it.”
“Why?”
“Because Richard had the evidence.”
Daniel stepped forward.
“What evidence?”
Thomas looked at him.
“The original ledger.”
He handed Daniel an old metal box.
Inside was a collection of records connecting Richard Sloan to the warehouse fire, the shell companies, and the payments used to silence witnesses.
There was one final document.
A handwritten letter from Victoria’s father.
Daniel read it first.
Then handed it to Victoria.
She read slowly.
Her father admitted he had discovered Richard’s actions but chose to protect Sterling’s reputation rather than expose the truth.
He hadn’t ordered the fire.
But he had hidden what he knew.
Victoria folded the letter.
Tears filled her eyes.
“All these years…”
Thomas nodded.
“He was afraid.”
Victoria looked at him.
“I thought he was strong.”
“He was powerful.”
Thomas paused.
“But power and courage aren’t the same thing.”
That night, Victoria returned to her father’s old office alone.
Daniel followed after finding her sitting in darkness.
“You okay?”
“No.”
He sat beside her.
She stared at her father’s desk.
“I spent my whole life trying to become better than him.”
“You are.”
She looked at him.
“How do you know?”
“Because you’re willing to tell the truth even when it hurts you.”
Victoria’s eyes filled.
“I don’t know what happens next.”
“You don’t have to know tonight.”
She looked at him.
“Why are you still here?”
Daniel answered honestly.
“Because you shouldn’t have to face it alone.”
Her breathing became unsteady.
“Daniel…”
He reached for her hand.
She didn’t pull away.
Neither did he.
For a moment, everything disappeared.
The company.
The scandal.
The board.
The investigation.
Only two people remained.
Then Victoria whispered,
“I think I’m falling in love with you.”
Daniel’s heart stopped.
He looked into her eyes.
“I think I already know.”
She waited.
He didn’t kiss her.
Instead, he squeezed her hand.
“Not yet.”
Victoria frowned.
“Why?”
“Because tomorrow morning, you’re still my CEO.”
She smiled sadly.
“And you’re still saying no.”
Daniel nodded.
“Just once more.”
She laughed through her tears.
But this time, the word no didn’t hurt.
It gave them something neither of them had expected.
Time.
