The Ex's Billionaire Boss

Chapter One

Daphne’s POV

The picture fills the huge screen hanging on one corner of the boardroom, zoomed out to its max. Staring back at me is myself, taken a few days ago. I am in a beige trench coat, stepping out of the doors of our rival, Harlow & Pike.

And the picture was even taken from my bad side. Why do my cheeks look so swollen?

"This," Tatiana Chase drawls, her perfectly manicured nails pointing at the screen, "is what the gossip columns have all been talking about today.”

Her voice is so smooth, laced with the right amount of concern and worry enough to sound believable to those who don’t know her.

And I doubt that anyone really knows her on the board.

Around the glass table, eyes stare at one another, and their lips move in a buzz. I might as well not be present, because as they scribble notes and give their opinions, no one looks directly at me.

Not even my husband.

Tatiana moves to the next slide. It bears pictures from social media threads and news headlines, all bearing my name and picture with shocking titles.

“The Future of Black Financial Empire rocked by a scandal.”

“Stock of the Black Financial Empire drops after picture of heir’s wife emerges.”

Sharp. Cutthroat.

"As you can see," she continues, her nail still in view, "the picture has travelled far and wide over the face of the internet, and now, our investor confidence is taking the most hit. In the last forty-eight hours alone…"

The chairman of the board and the CEO of the Black Financial Empire, Charles Black, who also happens to be my father-in-law, slams his hands on the table. Tatiana doesn’t jerk like me. Instead, a sly smile spreads on her face as she turns away from the screen, placing a hand on her waist.

She never looks out of place, not even on the worst days when we have to be at the office around the clock. This is an emergency meeting, yet she still manages to look like she just strolled out of a fashion magazine.

"We've lost fourteen million in market value," Charles roars, hitting the table again. "Just because my son's wife decided to visit our enemies and sit at the same table with them."

I begin to shake my head. “I…”

“I don’t want to hear a word from you!” he snaps, sending a shiver down my spine. “You have done enough damage.”

“But…”

“Zayne, if you don’t get your wife to shut up, I will. And trust me when I say it won’t be pretty.”

My husband shakes his head firmly at me, and the words in my throat die. I have a lot of things to say. For one, I was sent there by Tatiana herself to check their quarterly filings. Charles himself left the instruction that I have to do whatever she tells me to.

And now…

My lips part open again, and this time,