┏━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━┓

Distraction

┗━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━┛

Chapter 27: Distraction (Evie's POV)

When I got the message from Nate that there would be a shareholders' meeting right before the lunch break today to formally welcome and introduce Daniel to the company, I contemplated not passing the message along to Rowan because I knew how much it enraged him just to look at the man. But I also knew how important it was for us to convince the other shareholders not just that we were happily married, but that not even Daniel would affect the way Rowan runs a company. Not to mention, it would prove to Daniel that Rowan didn't fucking need him now and he never had. 

The things that Daniel said in that room to me made my blood boil in an instant. He had no right to say those things about Rowan and despite Rowan having eavesdropped, he didn't hear it all. He didn't hear all the parts where Daniel told me Rowan wasn't good enough to lead this company, all the parts where he told me his mother would be so disappointed in him if she was still alive even though I believed it would be the complete opposite. She would be proud of him, she would adore how far he'd come. 

I knew nothing that give me the right to say this, but I genuinely believed that Rowan believed the words Daniel told him, perhaps because he heard them one too many times. At the end of the day though, it wasn't my place and I was in no position to ask Rowan any questions about his past. 

Knocking on his door, I waited until I was allowed to go in. I stayed in the doorway. "We should go to the shareholders' meeting. It starts in five minutes." 

"Come inside, Ms. Spence—" He cut himself off with a soft huff. "Evie. Come in." 

I watched him in amusement as I strolled in, stopping at his desk. "We should go for the meeting," I repeated. 

He sighed in annoyance and then leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes. I stared at him until he opened his eyes and stood up, grabbing his blazer and pulling it back on. Up and down, my eyes traveled over him, taking in the dark, charcoal gray suit with the matching slacks and tie, then the crisp white button-up underneath. I couldn't help but notice the way his shirt tightened around his arms and shoulders as he pushed his arms through the jacket or the way his shirt was snug enough for me to make out a faint outline of the ridges and muscles in his body. 

Clearing my throat, I forced myself to snap out of whatever stupid daze I was in and met his eyes, noticing the glasses he still wore. 

Shit, the glasses. They keep getting me, catching me off guard and it is not good for me. 

Rowan led the way out and I followed like a little puppy until we got out of the elevator and walked into the conference room on a floor above. 

He pushed the door open and I trailed behind him, both of us slowing down to a stop upon noticing the completely empty room. I walked forward to the table and noticed that not even the notepads everyone receives were set up yet. "Are you sure the meeting was at this time?" 

"Yeah. I uh, I guess everyone is a little late...?" 

"Or maybe we're just a bit too early," he replied dryly as I turned around to face him while leaning against the table in an open space between two chairs. 

"I could swear this is the time Nate gave me." 

He rolled his eyes but didn't say more as he pocketed his hands. "We can wait for a while, I suppose. But if anybody comes in more than five minutes late, you can let them know that I won't be a part of this meeting. I'm not here to waste my time on this type of bullshit." 

"And I am?" I lifted a brow. 

He sighed softly. 

I chuckled in genuine amusement. "As much as I would love to stay behind just to pass along your message—" 

"You're right, you shouldn't." 

I lifted my brows in a bit of surprise. "Are you admitting that you're wrong and I'm right? For once?" I chuckled. 

"Well, you are. For once," he replied with an indifferent shrug. "It wouldn't make sense or seem right even if you are my assistant at the end of the day." 

"Really?" 

He nodded once, taking a step forward, coming closer to me. 

I tipped my chin up to be able to hold his gaze. "How so?" I questioned, leaning back onto my palms as he walked even closer, towering over me by a great deal. 

Rowan was always tall, so tall but it was moments like this when he quite literally leaned over me and stared down at me that I remembered his height being six foot four. "Because in public you're my wife," he said, coming forward and planting his hands on the table right beside me, trapping me in place. "And in private," he said, his voice dropping lower as his eyes traveled across my face, stopping at my lips for just a moment. 

"In private?" I asked, not realizing what a quiet whisper my voice had become. 

"In private, you're my assistant," he answered. "And that means you give me what I want." 

"And... what is it that you want?" 

He brought up a hand and tilted my chin up a bit more using a finger. Then before I knew it, he was kissing me. Bringing his lips down to mine, his other hand flew to the small of my back as he pulled me against him, taking me by surprise. 

A short gasp escaped me as his lips freely moved against mine and I found myself doing the very same, my fingers tightly clutching the edge of the desk until I felt my blood run cold at my fingertips. 

His hands slipped away from me before he reached down and took my hands, bringing them up and while I rested one hand on the nape of his neck, I couldn't help but let the other trace his chest over the shirt until I found his tie and pulled him in deeper. 

We both heard the door open and despite my first instinct being to pull away, I held back because I knew that it was probably why he kissed me. So somebody could walk in for the meeting and see us. So we could be a distraction, something for the shareholders to talk about. After another moment, someone cleared their throat loudly and we both pulled away feeling more than flushed while catching our breaths. Lingering for a moment, he waited before taking a step back and turning around to face whoever had walked in. 

"Mr. Davidson," Rowan greeted, "please, come in." 

"Am I interrupting something, Rowan?" 

"Not at all. Evie and I just happened to be early to the meeting." 

"I can see that," Mr. Davidson replied before taking a seat. Not long after that, everybody else filed in, including Nate and Daniel and we all took our seats. "I have a question for you, Rowan," Mr. Davidson announced before the meeting even began. 

"And what must that be?" Rowan replied. 

"Why on earth is Evie here? She's not a shareholder, therefore has no reason to be present for this meeting." 

Rowan's knee nudged mine. 

"I'm here because I'm his wife, Mr. Davidson." 

"You're his assistant in this office, my dear," Daniel chimed in. 

"She's my wife no matter the place and I expect everybody in this room to respect that. And if you can't, then get out," Rowan said, sending the whole room into pin-drop silence. 

I couldn't help but stare at him as he looked over everybody once before turning to me. 

"Let's get on with this meeting," Nate said, clearing his throat. 

For the first few minutes, we went through a formal introduction for Daniel Volkov and it was announced that he would be here, simply 'watching over' the company until it came down to voting on the next CEO to officially decide who it must be. 

"But Rowan's already taken over," Mr. Walsh pointed out. 

"Yes, he has," Daniel nodded, "but that doesn't mean any of you cannot vote him out when the time comes." 

"The same goes for him," Nate spat out, glaring at him. 

"You're expected to vote for whoever you think can lead this company responsibly," Rowan sighed. "Just keep in mind that whoever you choose to make the next CEO will have the company in their hands. Along with Nate, of course." 

"So we all get a vote each?" Mrs. Sylvia asked. 

"Yes. That includes Evie," Rowan answered. 

"Why does Evie get a vote? She isn't a shareholder," Daniel said almost immediately. 

I turned to him with a soft smile. "I get a vote because Mr. Volkov's will declared that I do." 

"And why would he deem you suitable to vote?" He lifted his brows at me. 

"Because he trusted me," I bit out. "More than he trusted a few people in this room. Therefore, everybody here, including me gets a vote." 

"Am I the only one who sees this as a bit unfair?" Daniel chuckled. "You're his wife, Nate is his brother. This panel seems a bit biased to me." 

I rolled my eyes. 

"It doesn't seem biased to me," Mrs. Sylvia shrugged. "They're your sons and we all know exactly how friendly you are with everybody on this panel, Daniel." 

"What is that supposed to mean, Sylvia?" 

"It means that the fact that you've chosen to come to New York now, just when everything was going smoothly for your children but now won't, thanks to you, says a lot. You're here for your own benefit." 

"I'm simply here because I've missed my children." 

"Then don't fight him for the place he deserves, for the place he earned," Mr. Walsh frowned. 

I glanced at Rowan and found him already looking at me. We both went back to silently watching the room. 

"We won't know if he truly deserves it until he's tested," Mr. Davidson said with a nonchalant shrug. "I say we wait and watch and then vote. We should see how they both handle a challenge. Unbiased." 

Nate laughed dryly. "Unbiased? That's rich coming from you, Mr. Davidson. Remind us all how much money you owe Daniel." 

"Nate," Rowan stopped him from saying more. "That has nothing to do with what happens in this company." 

I took in a sharp breath when I felt Rowan's hand brush against my bare thigh. He looked at me, holding my gaze before pulling his hand away, grabbing his armrest in a death grip. 

He is such a... damn distraction. What the hell are we talking about now, I can't even remember. 

"If anybody in this room is questioning my sudden appearance, then perhaps I should remind you all that only five years ago, this was exactly how Rowan reappeared from Russia after disappearing." 

"If going to college is called disappearing then yes, I disappeared," Rowan said, rolling his eyes. 

"College, you say? You should have paid me a visit, son, I truly missed you," Daniel responded, giving a wolfish smile. 

"Funny you never called then in the last nineteen years," Rowan bit back. 

"Did you?" 

"Would you if you were me? Knowing what you did." 

"All right," Nate interrupted, breaking up the argument. "That's not a conversation for this office. I think this meeting has lasted long enough, so I'll wrap it up." 

I watched Rowan, my eyes drifting down to his knuckles as they turned white on the armrest. Hesitantly, I reached forward, grabbing his arm and pulling his hand away, holding it down, feeling him stiffen under my touch. Taking a look at him, I caught the way his jaw clenched before he used his free hand to take his glasses off and throw them onto the table. 

"For now, let's all conclude that Daniel, very, unfortunately, is staying for a while. And when we all unanimously decide it's time for the voting meeting, we will hold one and see who will be the next CEO. If Rowan will stay or... if Daniel will ruin it all," he cleared his throat, mumbling the last bit. "Meeting's over. Everyone can leave." 

.

.

.

.

.

Chapter 27

I know I didn't update yesterday either sorryyyy but I wasn't at home y'all I'll update once more tonight I swear

next chapter: goodbyes