Zina barely slept.
Every time she closed her eyes, the night came rushing back.
Damien’s fangs.
The attack.
Her father’s secrets.
Her mother.
The marriage.
And Luca, appearing from the darkness with an apple in his hand as though the world hadn’t just gone mad.
By morning, exhaustion sat heavily behind her eyes.
She stood in front of the mirror, fastening the buttons of her black blazer.
Today wasn’t about the creatures.
It wasn’t about her blood.
It wasn’t even about the strange man who had apparently decided to become part of her life.
Today was business.
And business was something Zina understood.
She had been twenty-four when Eze Holdings nearly collapsed.
While her brothers were busy building their own lives, Zina had sat beside her father for months, going through accounts, restructuring departments, renegotiating contracts and finding ways to keep the company alive.
She had watched the company lose millions.
She had watched her father nearly break under the pressure.
And she had helped him rebuild it.
From the ground up.
So when people called her inexperienced, she knew exactly what they meant.
They didn’t mean inexperienced.
They meant female.
They meant illegitimate.
They meant not one of Chike Eze’s legitimate sons.
A knock sounded.
“Come in.”
The door opened.
Damien stood there in a perfectly tailored black suit, one hand resting casually against the doorframe.
He looked annoyingly composed for a man who had spent the previous night revealing that vampires existed.
His eyes travelled over her outfit.
“Black?”
Zina frowned.
“What?”
“The suit.”
“What about it?”
“It’s appropriate.”
She stared at him.
“Was that a compliment?”
“Don’t become accustomed to them.”
A reluctant smile touched her lips.
“Are you always this charming in the morning?”
“I’ve been told I’m considerably worse before breakfast.”
She picked up her handbag.
“You’re coming with me?”
“I believe that’s what your father’s lawyer does when the company is being handed to his daughter.”
“And here I thought you were coming because you’re my future husband.”
Damien’s eyebrow lifted.
“Future husband?”
She gave him a look.
“Don’t get excited.”
“Trust me, Zina. Excitement has never been my problem.”
There was something about the way he said it that made her look away.
He opened the door for her.
“After you.”
She walked past him.
Then stopped.
“Damien?”
“Yes?”
“If they try to embarrass me in there…”
His expression changed.
The humour disappeared beneath something colder.
“They won’t.”
“You sound very sure.”
“I am.”
She studied him.
“What are you going to do?”
His mouth curved slightly.
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“I’ll let you handle it.”
She blinked.
That wasn’t what she expected.
Damien stepped closer.
“You’ve spent two years rebuilding that company. You know those numbers. You know those contracts. You know the people sitting around that table.”
His voice lowered.
“They’re going to underestimate you.
Let them.”
“And if they cross the line?”
His eyes hardened.
“Then I’ll remind them why your father trusted me.”
Zina held his gaze for a moment.
Then she nodded.
“Let’s go.”
Damien smiled.
“That’s my girl.”
She stopped walking.
“Don’t call me that.”
“I wasn’t aware I required permission.”
“You do now.”
“Noted.”
He followed her down the hall.
“Though I should warn you, I rarely take orders.”
“Neither do I.”
“I noticed.”
The Eze Holdings boardroom was already occupied when Zina entered.
Conversations died almost immediately.
Men and women who had known her for years looked at her differently now.
Some with curiosity.
Some with suspicion.
Some with open disapproval.
Zina didn’t look away.
She walked toward the head of the table.
The chairman stood.
“Miss Eze.”
“Good morning.”
He gestured toward the chair.
“Your father’s seat.”
Zina looked at it for a second.
Then sat.
Damien took the seat beside her.
Victor and Daniel sat opposite them.
Ethan was further down the table, quiet as usual.
The chairman cleared his throat.
“Before we begin, I would like to acknowledge the passing of Mr. Chike Eze. He was a remarkable businessman, and his contribution to this company cannot be overstated.”
There were murmurs of agreement.
Zina lowered her gaze briefly.
Her father’s chair felt heavier than it looked.
The chairman continued.
“According to the terms of Mr. Eze’s will, Miss Zina Eze has inherited his controlling interest and executive authority over Eze Holdings.”
Daniel shifted in his chair.
Victor’s jaw tightened.
The chairman looked around the room.
“However, several members have requested that the board review the company’s leadership structure.”
Zina leaned back.
“On what grounds?”
Victor answered.
“Experience.”
Zina looked at him.
“Experience?”
“You’re twenty-six.”
“Yes.”
“You haven’t spent enough years in senior management to run a company of this size.”
Zina almost laughed.
“That’s interesting.”
Victor’s eyes narrowed.
“What’s interesting?”
“That you managed to say that with a straight face.”
Daniel leaned forward.
“This isn’t a joke.”
“No,” Zina said calmly.
“It isn’t.”
She looked around the table.
“When this company was drowning, who was sitting beside my father?”
Nobody answered.
“When we lost the Eastern logistics contract, who renegotiated it?”
Silence.
“When the hospitality division was bleeding money, who worked with the financial team to restructure it?”
Daniel’s expression tightened.
Zina looked directly at him.
“And when the company was almost forced to sell three of its properties to cover its debts, who stayed awake with my father until four in the morning figuring out how to save them?”
Still silence.
Zina folded her hands.
“So let’s not pretend this is about experience.”
Victor’s voice was sharp.
“Then what do you think it’s about?”
“You tell me.”
Daniel scoffed.
“Fine.”
He leaned back.
“It’s about legitimacy.”
The word landed heavily.
Zina’s expression didn’t change.
Daniel continued.
“Father had three sons who were born into this family. You were not.”
Ethan looked uncomfortable.
Victor said nothing.
Daniel wasn’t finished.
“And now we’re expected to sit here and watch an illegitimate daughter take everything?”
Damien’s expression remained calm.
Too calm.
Zina knew enough about him now to recognize when he was angry.
He wasn’t loud.
“Be careful,” Damien said.
Daniel turned toward him.
“This is a family matter.”
Damien smiled politely.
“No.”
His voice was soft.
“This is a corporate matter. And if you intend to challenge the validity of Mr. Eze’s will, I suggest you do so with evidence rather than insults.”
Daniel opened his mouth.
Damien continued before he could speak.
“And if you insist on discussing legitimacy, we can discuss the circumstances surrounding every shareholder’s acquisition of their shares.”
The room went silent.
Daniel’s face hardened.
Damien picked up a glass of water.
“I’m sure that would make for a fascinating afternoon.”
Zina looked at him.
He took a sip.
Completely unbothered.
She almost smiled.
Almost.
Victor tapped his fingers against the table.
“This is exactly the problem.”
“What is?” Zina asked.
“You.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“You walk into this room and immediately assume everyone should accept you.”
“No.”
Zina leaned forward.
“I walked into this room knowing exactly what I did for this company.”
Victor shook his head.
“You’re too emotional.”
Zina stared at him.
“Because I’m a woman?”
He didn’t answer.
He didn’t have to.
The silence answered for him.
Zina nodded slowly.
“Thank you.”
Victor frowned.
“For what?”
“For making my point for me.”
A few board members exchanged uncomfortable glances.
The chairman intervened.
“Let’s keep this professional.”
“I agree,” Zina said.
Victor leaned back.
“Then let’s vote.”
The chairman looked toward the secretary.
“Motion?”
Victor spoke.
“I move that the board appoint an interim executive chairman to oversee the company’s operations until Miss Eze has demonstrated sufficient capability to manage the company independently.”
Daniel raised his hand.
“I second.”
The secretary recorded the motion.
Zina looked at Damien.
He was reading the documents in front of him.
Calm.
Almost amused.
She leaned closer.
“You’re enjoying this.”
His eyes lifted to hers.
“Immensely.”
She frowned.
“Why?”
“Because they’re making the mistake I was hoping they would make.”
“What mistake?”
He looked toward Victor.
“Underestimating you.”
Zina’s mouth twitched.
“That’s surprisingly encouraging.”
“I have my moments.”
The chairman began calling for the vote.
“All those in favour?”
Hands started rising.
Zina counted them.
One.
Two.
Three.
Then four.
She felt the pressure in her chest tighten.
The chairman looked toward the secretary.
“Record the votes.”
The secretary nodded.
Then hesitated.
“Sir?”
“What is it?”
“There is an update to the shareholder register.”
The chairman frowned.
“An update?”
“Yes.”
She placed a thick folder on the table.
“A recently verified holding has changed the distribution of voting rights.”
Victor frowned.
“What holding?”
The secretary looked uncomfortable.
“A private individual shareholder.”
Daniel scoffed.
“And?”
The secretary glanced down at the document.
“He holds the largest individual stake in Eze Holdings.”
The room went silent.
Victor sat forward.
“Who?”
The secretary swallowed.
“Luca.”
Zina’s eyebrows pulled together.
Damien’s gaze lifted sharply from the documents.
“Luca?”
The secretary nodded.
“Yes.”
Victor laughed once.
“That can’t be right.”
“It has been verified.”
“By whom?”
“Our legal and financial auditors.”
Daniel shook his head.
“Who is this man?”
The secretary turned another page.
“He has held the shares through several private investment entities.”
Damien’s expression changed.
Not dramatically.
But Zina noticed.
His eyes had gone cold.
“You didn’t know?” she whispered.
“No.”
For once, there was no clever answer.
No teasing smile.
No calculated remark.
Damien genuinely hadn’t known.
The chairman stared at the documents.
“How much?”
The secretary gave him the figure.
Silence.
Victor’s face changed.
Daniel stopped smiling.
Even Ethan looked stunned.
The chairman slowly lowered the document.
“That’s impossible.”
A voice came from the doorway.
“People keep saying that.”
Every head turned.
Luca stood there.
And for the first time since Zina had met him, he looked exactly like the man who could own half the city without anyone realizing it.
No casual clothes.
No apple.
No careless grin.
He wore a dark, perfectly fitted suit over a crisp white shirt.
A simple watch sat beneath his cuff, expensive without screaming for attention.
His shoes were polished.
His hair was neat.
His posture relaxed.
He looked like a businessman.
Not just any businessman.
The kind who didn’t need to announce his wealth because the room already belonged to him.
Luca walked inside.
“Apologies for being late.”
Nobody answered.
He glanced around the table.
“Though judging by everyone’s faces, I suppose I arrived at an interesting time.”
Victor stood.
“Who are you?”
Luca looked at him. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
Then at the shareholder register.
Then back at Victor.
A smile slowly appeared.
“That’s a rather unfriendly greeting.”
Victor stepped forward.
“I asked who you are.”
Luca pulled out the empty chair beside the secretary and sat.
He crossed one ankle over the opposite knee.
“Luca.”
Daniel scoffed.
“That’s it?”
“It’s served me well.”
The chairman cleared his throat.
“Mr. Luca, according to these records, you hold the largest individual share in this company.”
Luca glanced at the folder.
“So I hear.”
“You didn’t know?”
Luca smiled.
“I was reasonably certain.”
Zina stared at him.
“You own shares in my father’s company?”
Luca turned toward her.
His expression softened.
“A rather substantial amount, apparently.”
“You never mentioned it.”
“You never asked.”
She narrowed her eyes.
“That’s becoming your favourite answer.”
“It works surprisingly often.”
Damien finally spoke.
“How long have you held them?”
Luca looked at him.
“Long enough.”
Damien’s eyes narrowed.
“You never told me.”
“You never asked either.”
“You and I have had considerably more important conversations.”
“And yet somehow we never discussed my investment portfolio.”
Damien leaned back.
His expression was unreadable.
But Zina could tell he was recalculating everything.
Luca turned toward the chairman.
“Now, what were we discussing before I interrupted?”
The chairman cleared his throat.
“The motion concerning Miss Eze’s executive authority.”
“Ah.”
Luca glanced at Zina.
“Her first board meeting?”
“Not exactly,” Zina said.
Luca smiled.
“Looks like she’s having fun.”
“I wouldn’t call it fun.”
“You should. Otherwise, what’s the point?”
Victor slammed his palm against the table.
“This is absurd.”
Luca looked at him.
“What part?”
“You can’t simply walk in here and interfere.”
Luca’s smile became almost pleasant.
“I can.”
Victor stared.
Luca gestured toward the shareholder register.
“I own the shares.”
“That doesn’t give you the right to—”
“It gives me voting rights.”
Victor stopped.
Luca turned toward the chairman.
“Unless the laws of corporate governance have changed while I was away.”
The chairman cleared his throat.
“They haven’t.”
“Excellent.”
Luca smiled.
“Then let’s proceed.”
The chairman looked toward him.
“Do you intend to vote on the motion?”
Luca glanced at Zina.
She couldn’t read his expression.
Not even slightly.
Then he looked back at the chairman.
“Of course.”
“And your position?”
Luca leaned back.
“I’d like to hear Miss Eze’s response first.”
Zina stared at him.
“Mine?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s her company.”
The room fell quiet.
Zina looked around the table.
Then she straightened in her chair.
“Fine.”
She picked up the motion.
“If the board believes I’m incapable of running this company, then vote against me.”
Victor smiled.
“I intend to.”
“I know.”
She placed the document down.
“But don’t appoint someone to sit in my chair while I prove myself.”
Daniel laughed.
“You’re being arrogant.”
“No.”
Zina looked directly at him.
“I’m being practical.”
She turned toward the chairman.
“I rebuilt this company with my father when it was falling apart. I know its strengths. I know its weaknesses. I know where we’re losing money and where we’re making it. I know which contracts are worth keeping and which ones need to be renegotiated.”
Her eyes moved across the room.
“You can question my age.”
She paused.
“You can question my gender.”
Another pause.
“You can question the circumstances of my birth.”
Her voice remained steady.
“But don’t question whether I know how to do the job.”
Silence.
Luca watched her without interrupting.
Then the corner of his mouth lifted.
Damien noticed.
He glanced at Luca.
Luca met his eyes.
Neither man spoke.
The chairman looked at the voting papers.
“Very well.”
He straightened.
“We will proceed with the vote.”
The secretary prepared the ballots.
Zina sat perfectly still.
Victor was confident.
Daniel looked almost smug.
Ethan looked uncertain.
Damien remained beside her, calm as ever.
And Luca?
Luca simply leaned back in his chair like a man who already knew exactly how this meeting would end.
The first ballot was collected.
Then the second.
Then the third.
The room grew quieter with every vote.
Until the secretary looked at the final sheet.
Her eyes widened.
The chairman took it from her.
He read the result once.
Then again.
Victor leaned forward.
“Well?”
The chairman slowly looked up.
“The motion has failed.”
Daniel’s face fell.
Victor stared.
Zina didn’t move.
Then the chairman added,
“By one vote.”
Zina’s eyes shifted toward Luca.
He smiled.
Not triumphantly.
Not arrogantly.
Almost playfully.
As if he had just done her a small favour and expected her to figure it out later.
She narrowed her eyes.
Luca gave her the faintest nod.
And Damien saw it.
His gaze moved from Luca to the shareholder register.
Then back to Luca.
Something about this man had just become far more complicated.
Luca reached for the documents.
“Well,” he said lightly, “that was productive.”
Victor glared at him.
“This isn’t over.”
Luca smiled.
“I sincerely hope not.”
He stood.
Then looked at Zina.
“After all, little dove…”
His smile deepened.
“We’ve only just begun.”