Suspicion
The boardroom was silent.
Too silent.
Isabella stood beside the screen, holding the presentation file tightly in her hands.
Her heart was steady—on the outside.
But inside?
Not so much.
This wasn't just any meeting.
This was the board.
Powerful men.
Sharp eyes.
Judgmental minds.
And at the center of it all—
Alexander Knight.
"Begin," he said calmly, his voice cutting through the silence.
Isabella nodded slightly.
"Yes, sir."
She started the presentation.
Her voice clear.
Confident.
Slide after slide, she explained everything precisely—numbers, projections, strategies.
At first—
Everything went smoothly.
Too smoothly.
Until—
"Interesting."
The voice broke the flow.
Mr. Lucas.
He leaned back in his chair, his sharp eyes fixed on Isabella.
The same man who had insulted her before.
The same man who never liked her.
"You've improved," he said slowly.
It didn't sound like a compliment.
Isabella straightened slightly. "Thank you, sir."
His gaze shifted—
From her…
To Alexander.
And then back to her again.
"Very impressive… for an assistant."
The room grew tense.
Alexander's jaw tightened slightly.
"Get to your point, Mr. Lucas," he said coldly.
A faint smile appeared on Lucas's face.
"Oh, I will."
He leaned forward, folding his hands on the table.
"I've been observing something lately."
Silence.
"Your assistant…"
His eyes returned to Isabella.
"…seems to have gained quite a lot of… access."
A few board members shifted slightly.
Now they were listening.
Isabella's grip tightened around the file.
"Access?" Alexander repeated, his voice dangerously calm.
Lucas nodded slowly.
"Meetings. Decisions. Close involvement in matters that are usually restricted."
The implication hung in the air.
Clear.
Sharp.
"Are you questioning my management?" Alexander asked.
Lucas smirked slightly.
"I'm questioning your judgment."
The room froze.
Isabella felt her heartbeat rise.
"Because from where I'm sitting," Lucas continued, "this looks less like professionalism… and more like favoritism."
A murmur spread across the room.
That word—
Favoritism.
It hit hard.
Alexander stood up slowly.
The room immediately went quiet again.
"Be careful with your words," he said, his voice low but firm.
Lucas didn't back down.
"Then give me a reason to believe I'm wrong."
Silence.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
All eyes were now on Alexander.
And Isabella…
She felt it.
The pressure.
The judgment.
The weight of being seen.
For the first time—
This wasn't just about work anymore.
This was personal.
Alexander's gaze hardened.
"She's here because she's capable," he said clearly.
Lucas raised a brow.
"Is that all?"
A pause.
A dangerous pause.
Because for a split second—
It almost felt like Alexander was going to say more.
Something else.
Something personal.
But he didn't.
"That will be all," he said instead.
The meeting ended shortly after.
But the tension?
It didn't leave.
Outside the boardroom—
Isabella walked beside him in silence.
"Sir…" she started softly.
He stopped walking.
Turning to face her.
"Don't let it get to you," he said.
She looked up at him.
"But he's right… people are noticing."
A brief silence followed.
"Let them," Alexander replied.
Her heart skipped slightly.
"It doesn't change anything."
But Isabella wasn't so sure anymore.
Because now—
This wasn't just whispers in the office.
The board was watching.
And that made everything…
More dangerous.