He Chose His Ex So I Chose My Empire Chapter 04
Today, I walked into the Vance Foundation’s boardroom with the final version of my proposal.
Everyone had arrived except Serena.
She walked in with Liam.
As the representative of the ten-million-dollar donor, my husband held the deciding vote.
Outside the boardroom’s floor-to-ceiling windows stretched the New York skyline.
Liam had his head bent slightly, listening to Serena.
Whatever she was saying made him smile.
It was a relaxed expression I never saw when he looked at me.
Our eyes met.
He gave me a curt nod.
As if I were just another colleague.
The speaking order was decided by drawing lots. I was before Serena.
I walked to the front, opened my presentation, and went through the proposal my team and I had spent months preparing.
While I spoke, I tried not to look at Liam.
When I finished, the applause was sparse.
The only person clapping with any real enthusiasm was Chloe.
She was the analyst who’d been with me since she graduated from Columbia. Sitting in the front row, her face was flushed with anxiety.
Liam leaned back in his chair, his face unreadable, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.
Arthur Hayes kept glancing at him, as if trying to divine the outcome from his expression.
Then it was Serena’s turn.
She barely looked at the presentation on the screen.
First, she looked at Liam and smiled. He returned a faint smile of his own.
Several board members exchanged looks, wearing the expressions of people settling in for a good show.
Chloe leaned closer and whispered, “Elara, do we even have a chance?”
I didn’t answer.
I couldn’t even manage a real smile.
When Serena finished, the applause was thunderous.
Hayes was the first to his feet, clapping as if she had already single-handedly saved the foundation.
This time, I saw it clearly.
The corner of Liam’s mouth twitched into a smile.
During the break, I watched Liam and Serena walk out to the terrace together.
They stood side by side against the light, their bodies close.
My chest ached.
The man I’d once wanted so badly had always reserved the most important place in his heart for another woman.
Only Chloe and I were left in the boardroom.
She took my hand.
Her palm was warm, but I couldn’t feel a thing.
After the break, the verdict came quickly.
Hayes cleared his throat, plastering on a standard professional smile.
“After discussion among the board members, we have decided to entrust the Legacy Initiative to Miss Serena’s team.”
Three votes.
All for her.
After he finished, he glanced pointedly at Liam.
“Of course, this decision also fully reflects Mr. Liam’s opinion as our primary donor.”
My mind went blank.
My eyes burned, and I bit the inside of my cheek to keep the tears from falling.
My colleagues immediately swarmed Serena to congratulate her.
“Congratulations, Serena!”
“I knew it would be you!”
I turned and walked out.
Like a contestant who had already been voted off.
“Elara.”
Serena followed me out, stopping me in the hallway.
She looked at me, her face holding the easy confidence of a winner.
“Even if you’re his wife, at work, I will always come first.”
Her voice was quiet, but every word landed like a blow.
“What you work so hard for, I can get just by reaching out my hand.”
Yes.
She made it sound like the truth.
I looked down the hall.
Liam was walking toward the elevator with Hayes.
His expression was neutral, as if the vote had nothing to do with me.
A wave of exhaustion washed over me.
I was done fighting Serena.
And I was done with him.
The elevator doors were open.
When Hayes saw Serena and me, he smiled and called out, “Elara, Serena, come on in. You can ride down with Mr. Liam.”
I stepped inside and stood in the corner.
The small space was thick with Serena’s perfume, choked by a silence no one dared break.
The elevator descended slowly.
One of the board members spoke up, trying to break the tension.
“Mr. Liam, you and Miss Serena really are a great match. You work so well together.”
The others immediately chimed in.
“Yes, the two of you look wonderful together.”
“It’s rare to see such a compatible pair.”
I listened quietly, my heart a dull, numb thing in my chest.
I could feel Liam’s eyes on me.
Hayes nudged me with his elbow and whispered, “Elara, why don’t you say something?”
The elevator doors opened.
I lifted my head and met Liam’s gaze.
“They do look very well matched.”
Liam froze.
His lips parted as if to say something.
But I was done listening.