Chapter 58: Chapter 58
"Marcus Blackwood is angry that we terminated a contract with his company due to conflicts of interest." I met her eyes directly. "We chose integrity over profit. Is that really instability?"
Sarah hesitated.
I pressed my advantage, using my empathic abilities to sense her concerns and address them directly.
By the end of the meeting, Sarah had reinstated the contract.
I repeated this process with four more clients.
Some were harder to convince than others. But my empathic abilities gave me an edge—I could sense their real concerns beneath the surface objections and address them directly.
By the end of the week, I’d won back three of the five lost clients and secured two new contracts.
The board meeting where I presented these results was satisfying as hell.
James looked like he’d bitten into a lemon.
Robert actually smiled. "Impressive work, Sophie."
"We’re not just recovering from the Blackwood situation," I added. "We’re turning it into a strength. Our commitment to ethical business practices is becoming a selling point."
Christian’s pride flowed through our bond, warm and solid.
After the meeting, Diana caught up with me in the hallway.
"I found something you need to see," she said quietly.
We went to her office, where she pulled up security footage.
"This is from last week. The parking garage."
The video showed James meeting with someone in the shadows.
"Can you identify who he’s talking to?" I asked.
Diana zoomed in.
My blood ran cold.
James was meeting with Mr. Blackwood.
"They’ve been meeting regularly," Diana said. "For weeks."
"James is feeding information to the Blackwoods." The betrayal hit me hard. "He’s sabotaging Knight Industries from the inside."
"We need to tell Christian."
"No." My mind was already racing. "If we confront James directly, he’ll deny everything. We need proof of what he’s sharing with Mr. Blackwood."
"How?"
I smiled grimly. "I’m going to give him something to share. Something that will expose him."
Over the next two weeks, I carefully fed James false information about a major deal Knight Industries was supposedly pursuing.
I made sure the information was detailed enough to be believable but fake enough to be traceable.
Then I waited.
Within three days, a competitor made a move based on the false information.
A competitor that Marcus Blackwood had connections to.
Bingo.
I presented the evidence to the board.
"James Mitchell has been selling Knight Industries’ proprietary information to our competitors," I laid out the timeline. "Specifically to companies connected to Marcus Blackwood."
James’s face went white. "That’s insane. I would never—"
"Here’s footage of you meeting with Marcus Blackwood six times over the past month." Diana pulled up the security videos.
"That doesn’t prove anything."
"No, but this does." I showed the board the competitor’s actions based on the false information. "The only person who had access to this deal information was you, James. And within seventy-two hours, Blackwood’s associates made moves based on that exact information."
The board erupted.
"This is corporate espionage," Robert said, his voice shaking with rage.
Christian stood, his Alpha presence filling the room. "James Mitchell, you’re terminated immediately. Diana, escort him from the building. Our lawyers will be in contact about legal action."
James tried to argue, to defend himself, but security was already there.
As they led him away, he turned back to me.
"You bitch," he spat. "You set me up."
"No." I met his eyes calmly. "I gave you rope. You hung yourself."
After he was gone, the board sat in stunned silence.
"Well," Elder Thompson said finally—yes, he was on the Knight Industries board because apparently pack politics and corporate life were inseparable. "That was dramatic."
"Sophie saved the company," Robert said. "Again."
Christian pulled me aside after the meeting. "That was risky. If James had gotten suspicious—"
"But he didn’t." I leaned into him. "I’m learning to play the corporate game, Christian. And I’m getting good at it."
"Too good. You’re terrifying."
"Is that a compliment?"
"Absolutely."
With James gone and the Blackwood threat neutralized, Knight Industries stabilized.
I found a new VP of Operations—a woman named Patricia who actually respected my position.
The Apex deal continued succeeding beyond projections.
And I started developing partnerships with other supernatural-aware businesses, creating a network that benefited both Knight Industries and Shadow Ridge.
One evening, Christian and I were reviewing quarterly reports in his office when he suddenly closed the folder.
"You’ve completely transformed this company," he said.
"We transformed it. Together."
"No." He shook his head. "This was you, Sophie. You identified problems I didn’t see. Found solutions I wouldn’t have thought of. Took risks I was too cautious to take."
"Are you complaining?"
"I’m in awe." He pulled me into his lap. "I’ve learned more about leadership from watching you these past months than I learned in years as Alpha."
"What have you learned?"
"That sharing power doesn’t diminish it. That trusting others makes you stronger, not weaker." He kissed me softly. "That I’m a better leader with you beside me."
My throat got tight. "Christian—"
And with that he kissed me passionately.
