Page 62 of Sacrifice (Corrupt Empire 2)

Chapter Eleven

Avery

I sat holding the pen over the dotted line. At the conference table in front of me, the five members of the board sat. All but Mrs Sophia Anderson were male. Their eyes were turned my way. I swallowed. I was going to be the owner of my father’s company. Whilst the board took charge of most of the day to day work, I’d have the final say when it came to all the important decision making. A concept which terrified me.

I pressed pen to paper, signing my name on several documents.

It was official.

I owned my father’s business.

“Congratulations, Miss Daniels,” Mike Manning said.

He was another of my father’s close friends who’d been elected to the board ten years ago. He was a stout man with an idiotic twiddly moustache.

We’d already spent the past hour discussing business with each other. Well, I’d sat listening because I didn’t have much to add. I didn’t want to seem like I was stepping on anyone’s toes. Thankfully, they’d agreed to Ed’s appointment. I was going to text him after the meeting to let him know.

Mike stood and collected up the papers I’d signed, giving me a nod. The meeting was over. It was merely a formality, the signing of the documents. I shook hands with each member, who left one by one. Mike stayed in the conference room.

“I do hope you don’t mind me saying I think you’ll do just fine, Miss Daniels.”

I smiled at him.

“Please, call me Avery. And thank you.”

He smiled back and nodded at me again. I walked out, intending to go back to my office. I was pulling my phone out of my pocket when I bumped into someone coming out of the lift.

“Oh, sorry,” I said, looking up and stopping in my tracks.

Standing there with his dark hair slicked back, mud brown eyes appraising me with no small amount of disdain was Tristan Shaw. I fought back the urge to hurl an insult at him for merely being alive. I took a step back, needing to be away from him.

“Hello Avery.”

His voice grated on my ears. He sounded like a stuck up posh twat. I took a deep breath.

“Hello Tristan. What brings you here?”

His lips curved up into a cruel smile.

“Why, I’m here to collect copies of the handover documents for my father.”

I should’ve known Frazier would send him here just to taunt me. He knew exactly how much I hated his son. The two of them made me sick.

I waved at the door I’d just come out of.

“Mr Manning has them. It’s nice to see you, but if you excuse me, I have a lot to get on with.”

I didn’t give him a chance to respond. I walked away and shoved open the door to the ladies. I planted both hands on the sink counter, staring at myself in the mirror. Tristan being here rattled me. I didn’t want to go back out there.

The door to the bathroom opened. I straightened, looking over at it expecting to see another woman. Instead, the man I wanted to avoid strode towards me. I tried to back away, but he caught me and pressed me up against the counter.

“Running away from me, Avery?”

There was a deadly note to his voice. I trembled, unable to keep my limbs locked in place.

“What do you want?”

Tristan’s cruel smile made the hairs on the back of my neck stick up.

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