CHAPTER 139: CHAPTER 139

Upon hearing what James just said she raised a brow, folding her arms, clearly still irritated.

He continued, holding back the bitterness in his throat. "I’ll make sure everything still goes as planned. The venue. The guests. The dress. Everything. You won’t have to lift a finger."

Then he looked up at her, his expression tired but determined.

"You have nothing to worry about."

At that moment, hearing what James just said, Emily slowly drew in a breath, her arms folding across her chest as she stared at him with a mixture of disappointment and emotional exhaustion. The fire in her voice was low, but it burned with clarity.

"No problem," she said softly, but there was no softness in her eyes. "But for now... I will not be going back to your house again."

James’ brows furrowed in confusion. "Emily, what are you talking about? You’re leaving?"

"I’m going back to my apartment," she answered without hesitation. "I need to step away from all this. Everything that’s happened today, James, do you even see how far you’ve fallen? Do you know what it’s like watching the man who once stood so tall now crawling in circles trying to catch up with people like Cora?"

Immediately James tried to speak, but no words came out.

Emily continued, her voice rising just slightly, "When the time is right... if I see that you’re really doing something trying your best to become the man you once were... If I see you fighting, not just talking... if you manage to keep your promise to me... if you can show me that you still have that fire I once admired..."

Her voice trailed off briefly before picking up again.

"...then I can think about maybe coming back. But as for now?" She shook her head slowly. "I don’t see you coming back at all. James, you promised me everything. You told me you would take care of me, provide for my every need, stand strong no matter what. But now?"

She glanced around the empty hallway they were standing in. Her voice cracked ever so slightly.

"...Now I don’t see that man anymore."

James looked like he had been slapped. The guilt, the shame it was all written across his face.

But Emily wasn’t done.

"I’m not saying this to break you. So don’t see this as a breakup," she said, her tone softening just enough to sting. "See this... as me pushing you. Pushing you to man up. To fight for what’s yours. To stop complaining, stop blaming everyone else, and start getting back the life you let slip through your fingers."

And with that, she turned and walked into the elevator, her heels clicking sharply against the floor, her back straight, her head high leaving James rooted to the spot, staring after her, her final words echoing in his mind.

"See this as me pushing you to man up, fight for what is yours and get it."

At that moment, James stood still, watching Emily disappear down the hallway without looking back. He couldn’t say another word, even if he wanted to. His throat tightened, his pride buried deep beneath the weight of disappointment, shame, and helplessness. Every step Emily took away from him echoed like a countdown in his ears a warning that his world was falling apart faster than he could piece it back together.

Deep down, James knew exactly what her words meant. Whether she said it nicely or not, this was a breakup. Maybe not loud, maybe not final... but it was a shift. It was Emily saying, "Until you become the man I need, I’m done." And that hit him harder than he expected. He had traded Cora for Emily with the belief that Emily would stand by him, that she would push him forward, not abandon him in the storm.

But now, here he was alone, stripped of his power, stripped of his company, and now slowly being stripped of the woman he thought would never walk away.

Still, he tried to make sense of it all. "Maybe she’s just testing me wanting me to push harder," he muttered under his breath. "Maybe if I fix things, she’ll come back."

He tightened his fists.

The only thing he was sure of now was that he had to act fast. Time wasn’t on his side anymore, and the walls were closing in. He still had some cash left, enough to arrange something for Emily’s birthday at least. That was the one promise he could still fulfill without anyone’s permission.

But Cora... Cora was the thorn in his side that refused to go away. He didn’t know how she pulled this off how she managed to flip everything on its head and get the board and the shares all dancing to her tune. The more he thought about it, the more William’s name started to echo in his head.

"Could William have betrayed me?" he whispered.

James didn’t want to believe it, but the facts were staring him in the face. There was no other explanation for how that 30% share was rerouted behind his back. He had to talk to William again. Maybe just maybe William knew something he didn’t, or maybe he slipped something he wasn’t supposed to. Either way, James knew one thing for certain.

He was going to pay Cora back. One way or another. Even if it was the last thing he ever did.

*

Meanwhile, back inside the conference room, the atmosphere had shifted. Now that James had stormed out after Emily, and his threats had dissolved into silence, Cora sat calmly at the head of the table. But her mind was far from calm. If anything, she was equally disturbed, just hiding it better.

She looked around at the board members, her eyes scanning each face carefully, and then with a firm but composed voice, she spoke.

"I want to know," she said slowly, her voice clear. "This Mr. B..."

She leaned forward.

"I want to know who he is. How did he contact you? When did this happen? Where did the meetings take place?"

The room fell into a hush.

"I mean it," Cora added, her tone sharpening ever so slightly. "I really want to know. Because I don’t remember authorizing any dealings with Mr. B. I don’t even know who this person is. Yet, somehow, he now owns 30% of this company."

She sat back in her chair, folding her arms.

"So tell me something, anything. Because right now... I need answers."