Chapter Twenty-One - Kahlan’s POV - A Deal Torn Apart

The air in the boardroom froze.

Aldrich's fingers tightened around the ruined contract, his knuckles turning white as he stared at the torn pages. A slow, suffocating silence spread across the room—a silence louder than any shouting could be.

My pulse pounded in my ears. This was my fault.

Whispers rose.

"This is outrageous."

"How could this happen?"

"Kingsport was supposed to be professional."

Richard Langley's voice cut through the murmurs like a blade. "What kind of joke is this, Maximus?"

I cursed under my breath. One of these men was my threat. 

Who the heck are you? Show yourself!

Aldrich didn't react right away. He just sat there, staring at the papers as if his brain refused to process what he was seeing.

Then, with slow, terrifying control, he shut the folder. His expression was impassive, unreadable—but that only made him more terrifying.

"We're done here," he said coldly, standing.

The meeting collapsed into chaos. Some investors stormed out, others grumbled about wasted time, and Amelia scrambled to do damage control, her voice raised as she tried to salvage what she could.

But I barely heard any of it.

Because Aldrich had turned his head, and his cold, piercing eyes locked onto me.

I couldn't exactly tell what was running through that savage mind of his, but I could tell it was not going to be good. 

I prayed earnestly in my deepest thoughts. 

Let this not get any crazier than it is supposed to…

The investors had come all the way to Aldrich's office in London so now, as they left, I rounded up some documents which I was to submit to him in his office. I stacked them up and moved into the office, I knocked once. No response. I opened the door and slid in to find him standing by the window, his back to me. 

The moment the door shut behind us, I knew I was in trouble.

Aldrich didn't explode—not right away. He stood behind his desk, hands gripping the edge so tightly his fingers turned pale.

I stood frozen, my heart slamming against my ribcage.

"Do you know," he said softly, dangerously, "how much money was at stake today?"

I opened my mouth, but he turned sharply, cutting me off with just a glare.

"Do you have any idea," he continued, "how much planning, how many negotiations went into securing that deal?"

I swallowed. My throat felt like sandpaper.

Aldrich moved toward me, slow, deliberate, his gaze locking me in place like a predator sizing up prey. Then he was so close, I could feel his breath on me. Shivers ran down my spine as my body trembled and the adrenaline rush brought back some good memories I had tried so hard to suppress. 

Aldrich Maximus… My college lover!

I was back in the basement, with the extremely hot rugby player, feeling him all around me as he explored every part of me; hungry, aggressive…

And as I saw him lean so close again, all I wanted was to have him again, wrap my lips around his as he slowly slid in and out of me. 

"Who did this?" he demanded instantly snapping me back to the present. 

I forced my voice to remain steady. "I—I don't know."

His jaw tightened.

I lied to his face.

He could tell. Of course, he could tell.

Aldrich was calculating, sharp, and brutally intelligent. He'd spent years navigating the world of ruthless businessmen, cutting down liars and traitors like they were nothing.

And yet…

He didn't say the words I was expecting. Didn't accuse me outright.

Instead, he took a slow breath, as if forcing himself to remain calm.

"You were in charge of the files last night," he said, his voice quieter now. "If you didn't do it, then who did?"

A test.

A trick.

I felt it in my bones.

If I gave the wrong answer, if I slipped even a little, I was done.

"I—I don't know," I repeated, hating myself for the way my voice wavered. "I wasn't exactly in charge of anything, sir."

"You are goddamn in charge of every fucking thing! Do your damned job, Kahlan!"

Aldrich exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through his hair. Then, he laughed bitterly.

"You know," he mused, shaking his head, "I actually thought you'd change."

The words hit harder than I expected.

"I thought," he continued, "that maybe—just maybe—you'd learned something."

I stiffened, my chest tightening. "What is that supposed to mean, sir?"

Aldrich's gaze snapped to mine. "It means I should've trusted my instincts."

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

This wasn't just anger.

It was disappointment.

And somehow, that cut deeper.

Aldrich grabbed his jacket, adjusting his cuffs with calculated ease, as if he had already dismissed me from his mind.

"I'll handle the investors," he said, his voice void of emotion. "Unlike you, I actually know how to fix things."

I flinched. That was cruel.

Then, he turned to me one last time.

"This is your last chance, Walsh," he said, each word razor-sharp. "One more mistake, and you're gone."

I forced myself to nod, even as my stomach twisted into knots.

I had no right to feel hurt. I had done this to myself.

Aldrich gave me one final, unreadable look, then walked out the door, leaving me standing there with the weight of my secret crushing down on me.

I didn't know how long I stood there.

Minutes? Hours?

Long enough for the sun to shift behind the skyline, casting long shadows across the office.

I had ruined everything.

I should have found another way to stop him from signing that deal.

Shouldn't have destroyed the contract.

But what other choice did I have? Warn him? He wouldn't have believed me.

Now, he never would.

A painful lump formed in my throat as I leaned against his desk, exhaling shakily.

I was losing control.

And worse—Aldrich was starting to see through me.

If I wasn't careful, he'd find out everything.

And when that day came…

If he wasn't dead before then!