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"But what if you're wrong?" Monique's voice was even more tremulous now, but the sound simply made Hallie want to cringe and puke at the same time. "What if your decision leads to poor sales, and the loss of jobs—-"
"I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is," Hallie said flatly, "and sign the necessary contract to authorize the company to recoup whatever losses they may incur—-"
Monique shook her head with a look of concern that had Hallie's skin crawling. "Please don't be rash. We're potentially talking about hundreds of millions of dollars—-"
"I know."
"And you're saying you can pay that—-"
"It's Afxisi that's the heart and soul of this company, and there is no Afxisi without all its core members. Andreus is one of those members—-"
"Please think about what you're saying. Are you really willing to risk the entire company—-"
"I'm not. Because what I'm staking my decision on is my entire inheritance—-"
"And I intend to do the same."
The assertion from Hallie's older brother had Monique struggling to hide her shock.
"As do I," Kalli, ever the loyal wife, added in a voice so determined one would think she was volunteering for battle.
"The combined net worth of our inheritances would be over seven billion dollars." Yuri turned to Andreus' wife, asking politely, "Would that be enough to mitigate your concerns?"
Monique could feel her face turning red as all eyes went back to her.
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck all of you!
Everyone was once again acting like she had done something grossly inappropriate, when in truth, she was the only one in the whole room to fucking state the obvious. Couldn't they see how utterly insane all the members of the Athanas family were acting, with the way they were willing to risk their entire fortunes just to prove their point?
"Monique is only saying the things I've asked her to say."
"Exactly," Monique averred with a pained sigh.
Andreus' words had Hallie tightening her grip on the armrests. She knew that he was doing what any good husband should do, and that he wouldn't be the Andreus she had fallen in love with if he hadn't come to his wife's defense.
But even so.
It hurt so, so much, seeing him do the things that he used only to do...for her.
"I am and will never be worth any kind of sacrifice—-"
"I'll have to beg to differ with that." Kellion had always been the lazy and playful one among the Afxisi, and so the fact that his tone now was completely serious had everyone sitting up and taking notice.
Monique couldn't help feeling flustered when Kellion's green gaze suddenly turned towards her. Whereas Andreus' good looks were rugged and masculine, the Vice-President's gorgeous features had the kind of rakish appeal that any woman would find difficult to resist.
As such, with Kellion smiling as he spoke, it took Monique a while to realize he was effectively suggesting to get rid of her.
"—-unconscionable for us to continue troubling Ms. Pratt with company concerns when she already has more than she can handle with the recent controversies surrounding her involvement with Andreus."
Ms. Pratt? Involvement with Andreus? Was it so fucking hard for everyone here to acknowledge her as Andreus' wife?
"The board has indeed been remiss in taking Ms. Pratt's personal circumstances into account," Helios acknowledged. "Members are now invited to vote on the motion to request for a change of representation for Mr. Andrew Pratt."
Monique couldn't believe how quickly things were happening, and in a blink of an eye, the majority had already ruled her out from attending any other future meetings of the board.
Fuck! Fuck you! Fuck you all!
These bastards were obviously on Hallie's side, but too fucking bad for them, who they wanted for Andreus didn't matter at all. She was Andreus' wife, not Hallie, and nothing would change that.
Everyone heard Monique release a little cry just as the meeting came to an end, and Hallie felt as if she was slapped on the face when Andreus strode past her like she was invisible.
I don't understand, God.
Hallie felt sick to her stomach as she found herself unable to look away while watching Andreus sweep his wife up in his arms before walking out of the boardroom.
Why do I still love him?
Chapter Six
“Welcome to Kalliope’s!”
The couple that had just entered immediately relaxed at the cashier’s chirpy greeting. Having known that the café was owned and operated by a Greek heiress, they had worried slightly that they would find its ambience stifling and intimidating. Thankfully, the case was the exact opposite.
Although still on its soft opening, Kalliope’s was crowded and pleasantly noisy – there were lots of cheerful chatter, laughter, and once in a while, customers could be heard sniffing and sighing appreciatively, with the air made fragrant by the scent of the café’s signature blend: a hint of cinnamon mixed with dark cacao and magnolias.
