Chapter Sixteen: The Vote
The elevator ride to the 49th floor was silent.
Leo stood like stone — hands in his pockets, jaw tight, not a single emotion cracking through. But Rayhan, at his side, could see it in his eyes.
War.
When the doors opened, the boardroom lights were already on.
Every seat was filled.
And at the head of the table sat Madam Kartika Darmawan, Leo's mother — power draped in pearls, her gaze as sharp as the empire she helped build.
"Leo," she said calmly. "We appreciate you joining us."
Leo didn't smile.Didn't sit.
He walked to the end of the table and stood.
"Let's get on with it."
✧
Ayla didn't know where Leo was.
He hadn't told her about the meeting — but she could sense it in the air. The silence in the house felt different today. Like the walls were holding their breath.
She sat in the nursery, her laptop open to a blank document.The article title still sat there:
The Second Wifeby Ayla Darmawan
She tried to type.
Deleted the first line.
Typed again.
Deleted that, too.
Then her phone buzzed.
A message. Unknown number.
You don't know me, but I believe in what you're trying to do.They're voting today.And they're using you to cut him down.
Below it, a single line:
Don't let them speak for you.
✧
Back in the boardroom, the meeting began.
An older executive — Mr. Lim, head of acquisitions — cleared his throat.
"We want to raise concerns, Leo. This... marriage of yours. The timing. The press. The instability."
Leo didn't blink. "You're talking about my wife."
"We're talking about your judgment."
Another voice spoke up. Younger. Female. Elena Soemarno, known for her careful diplomacy.
"The public trusts this company because we've never made it personal. You made it personal."
Leo leaned forward slightly.
"You think protecting the woman carrying my child is a liability?"
Kartika finally spoke again.
"I think it's emotional.""And emotion does not run an empire."
Rayhan checked his phone under the table.
No signal.
Where was Ayla?
They needed a wild card.
✧
Ayla stood in front of the Darmawan Foundation headquarters, palms sweating.
The press hadn't noticed her yet.
Her heart pounded. Her mouth was dry.
She'd never done this.
She wasn't raised to fight like this.
But her child would be born into a world shaped by this name.
She wouldn't let someone else write what that name meant.
✧
Inside the boardroom:
Kartika tapped her pen twice. "We'll proceed to vote."
Leo remained silent. He didn't plead. He didn't explain.
He just stared down the table, daring them to choose power over principle.
"All in favor of a temporary reassignment of CEO duties—"
"Stop."
The doors opened.
Every head turned.
Ayla stepped into the room.
✧
She walked slowly, carefully, but with something in her eyes they'd never seen before.
She didn't sit.
Didn't ask permission.
"You want to talk about liability?" she said. "Fine. Let's talk."
Kartika's mouth was tight. "This is a closed meeting."
Leo spoke, voice low. "Let her speak."
Ayla looked at the board — men and women in suits, half of whom had only read about her in headlines.
"I didn't marry Leo to ruin your company. I didn't seduce him. I didn't manipulate him. I didn't even want him — not at first."
She looked at Kartika.
"I wanted to be left alone."
"But he saw me. He saw a woman trying to rebuild herself. And he didn't offer me money. Or power. He offered me space to breathe."
She stepped forward.
"Now you're using my survival story as an excuse to control him. You're saying my trauma makes him unfit. That my truth is bad for business."
She paused.
"Maybe it is. But what's worse is a board that fears humanity more than headlines."
Silence.
Utter, complete silence.
And then—
Elena Soemarno stood.
"I vote no."
Mr. Lim looked stunned. "What—"
"I vote no," she repeated. "Leo stays."
One by one, hands followed.
Even Kartika's stayed down.
✧
Outside the boardroom, Leo caught her in the hallway.
He didn't speak at first. Just looked at her like he was still catching up.
Then:
"You walked into a room built to destroy you."
Ayla smiled faintly.
"That's funny. I thought I walked in to remind them who built the future."
Leo pulled her into his arms.
And for once… he didn't need to say thank you.
Because her body said it first — I'm here. I choose this. I choose you.
✧
That night, Ilham stood by his office window as Adelina poured herself a drink.
"Didn't go as planned," he said.
Adelina didn't answer right away.
Then:
"She's more dangerous than I thought."
Ilham smirked. "She's just louder now."
Adelina's voice dropped.
"No. She's not louder. She's rising."
To be continued...