Page 194 of The Scandal You Started
“Preferably. But I can ask them to defer their request to another day if you want.”
Rayna looked at Dominic, then straightened her spine. “No, today’s fine actually.”
Rayna, Dominic, and Victor met the Board in the same meeting room in which, months ago, Jim Pine had warned Dominic he couldn’t stay. Except this time, he was the only one of the seven members who was missing.
In his seat opposite Rayna sat Sheun instead, her brown-eyed stare blank but not cold the way Jim’s had been, and her braids having been changed for thin cornrows that hung to her nape.
Next to her was Lang, Jim’s lackey, who had also been against Dominic staying. There was the older brunette lady, who had been the first to voice her support, along with the black male scientist and the other two women, who’d also been on their side.
Sheun glanced from Rayna to Dominic, then smiled. It was small but unexpectedly genuine.
“I would like to start by saying welcome back, Lord Norland,” she said. “There were moments I did doubt you’d be able to achieve the theoretically impossible, but I’m not surprised you did it. Well done for proving us wrong.”
Both Victor and Dominic shifted in their seats on either side of Rayna as she blinked, both taken aback and confused by Sheun’s reaction. Wasn’t this the same woman who’d told her to let Dominic go if she really cared about him?
Dominic nodded stiffly. “Thank you.”
“I don’t know if Dr Johnson or Miss Faez have had the chance to tell you, but I’m sure you’ve noticed that Dr Pine is missing from the meeting,” Sheun then said.
“They informed me on the drive here that he had stepped down.”
“Officially, yes.” She tipped her head to the side. “Unofficially, he was presented with the evidence of his misconduct and tampering with research and was given little other choice but to resign to keep face. But he will no longer have anything to do with the project ever again.
“In the meantime, I’m temporarily standing in until the new, fairer process of electing a POTeM CEO is finalised.” She lifted one hand off the table in a small gesture. “I decided to inform the Board of what you, Dr Johnson, and Dr Harris were doing once Dr Pine resigned. Dr Johnson has since kept us informed of the progress you made over the eleven or so months you were gone. And after many discussions between ourselves, we—”
Rayna’s heart hiccupped in delayed realisation, and she sat forward. “Wait, what? Eleven or so months? What do you mean?”
Her gaze flew from the temporary CEO to Victor and Dominic, searching for an answer. Victor glanced tight-lipped over her head, and she followed it back to Dominic. His brows dipped either in apology as he squeezed her hand under the table.
“Lord Norland made a deal with me, Miss Faez,” Sheun explained. “If he couldn’t tell you what he was doing, then one month for him would equate to two weeks for you. So he has spent double the time in the past than the five, nearly six months that have passed here.”
For a long moment, Rayna couldn’t say anything, unable to figure out if the hot and cold sensation prickling her skin was caused by sadness, anger, or some guilty sense of relief.
“Rayna,” Dominic rasped thickly, placing his other hand over their clasped ones.
“Were you going to tell me?” There was a subtle accusation in her tone.
“Yes. Yes, I was.”
Rayna wasn’t sure she believed him and rubbed her teeth together as she glared.
You are in so much trouble, she warned silently.
She was pissed that he hadn’t told her, pissed that he’d let her complain about how hard it had been when he’d spent double the time away from her. Oh, she was selfishly glad he hadn’t made her wait eleven months, but she was fed up with being kept out of the loop.
Dominic opened his mouth, then seemed to think better of it, and pressed his lips together with a gulp. His chin sank and invisible ears drooped like a scolded puppy.
Rayna turned the same warning on Victor. “Is there anything else you need to tell me?”
Victor sat upright and nudged at his glasses. “No.”
She glanced between him and Dominic once more before taking a slow, deep breath. “I’m sorry, Dr Olabi,” she said to Sheun. “What were you saying before I interrupted?”
“I was saying that after many discussions, we as the Board have decided that while we do not ever want a repeat of this, nor do we want to change the rule forbidding Studies from staying, we are happy to allow Lord Norland to stay in the present now that we know his Rupture has been reduced to a safe and manageable level.” Sheun spread her shoulders. “Butonlyon the condition that you two remain a couple. If you ever break up, we will send Lord Norland back to continue his life in the past.”
The condition had been somewhat expected, Rayna supposed. But considering it was Dominic who it affected most, she glanced at him for his thoughts.
He gave Sheun a single, sure nod. “I accept your condition.” Then he dropped his gaze to Rayna. “I would rather not live in a world or time where the woman I love wants nothing to do with me.”
