Chapter 3 - The Boardroom Storm
At seven o'clock the following morning, Miles walked into the grand marble lobby of Harrington Urban Design headquarters on Midtown Manhattan. He was still wearing his tuxedo from the night before, his bow tie undone and draped around his neck, his jaw dark with stubble.
The morning security guard blinked in shock as Miles bypassed the executive elevators and walked straight into the main glass-walled conference room.
Sitting inside, sipping espresso, were his senior partner, Arthur Sterling, his mother, Evelyn Harrington, and his former executive assistant, Rebecca—who had recently been promoted to Operations Director.
Evelyn stood up instantly, her pearls clicking against her silk blouse. "Miles! Where on earth have you been?! You walked out on two hundred investors, the mayor, and the Japanese embassy delegation! The press is asking if you had a nervous breakdown!"
Miles didn't answer her. He walked slowly to the head of the conference table, pulled out a leather chair, and sat down. He looked directly at Rebecca.
Rebecca flushed, lowering her gaze to her tablet. "Miles, I tried to manage the fallout from last night—"
"Rebecca," Miles interrupted, his voice dropping into a deadly calm that sent a chill through the room. "Twenty-one months ago, Claire Moore called this office twice. She was pregnant with my children. You told her I was in Singapore and instructed her never to contact me again. Is that correct?"
The room went dead silent.
Evelyn frowned, looking between her son and the assistant. "What nonsense is this? Claire Moore? That little painter girl you used to see?"
Rebecca’s hands began to shake visible against the glass tabletop. "Miles... I was protecting you. You were in the middle of closing the Tokyo merger. You were stressed, exhausted, and she was an unnecessary distraction. I thought she was lying to get money—"
"You fired yourself twenty-one months ago, Rebecca," Miles cut her off, his voice flat and devoid of mercy. "Pack your personal belongings. You have fifteen minutes to vacate this building. If you are ever seen on any property owned by Harrington Urban Design, I will have you arrested for corporate espionage and tortious interference."
"Miles!" Rebecca gasped, tears springing to her eyes. "You can't ruin my career over a—"
"Get out!" Miles roared, slamming his palm onto the oak table with a sound like a gunshot.
Rebecca scrambled out of her chair, grabbing her bag, and fled the room in tears.
Evelyn stepped forward, her face tight with aristocratic indignation. "Miles, have you lost your mind? Making a scene over an assistant? And what is this absurd rumor about children?"
Miles turned his cold, gray gaze onto his mother.
"It's not a rumor, Mother," Miles said softly. "I have a seventeen-month-old son named Julian and a seventeen-month-old daughter named Ivy. They are my heirs, and Claire Moore is their mother."
Evelyn gasped, clutching her chest. "My God... she trapped you. She hid them until they were old enough to secure a trust fund! Miles, you must call our legal team immediately! We need paternity tests, a custody petition, and a non-disclosure agreement—"
Miles stood up, towering over his mother.
"If you ever speak about the mother of my children in that tone again, Evelyn," Miles warned, using her first name for the first time in his adult life, "you will never set foot inside my home, you will never attend another board meeting, and you will never hold your grandchildren. Am I making myself completely clear?"
May you like
Evelyn opened her mouth to argue, but the absolute, icy conviction in her son's eyes stopped her dead. For thirty-nine years, she had molded Miles into a ruthless business machine.
She had never seen him act like a man driven by love.
