[thank you for all your comments and votes. it makes my heart swoon. ily all.]
T H I R T Y S I X
"I'm sorry, Elouise, there are a lot of people on Jones' side."
I huff, crossing my legs over one another in the plush seat. Mark's airplane is the largest private plane I've ever been on, with rows and rows of tan leather seats. Everyone's here, Zayn, Calinda, Liam, Harry, Katherine, and Mark (of course); and their support comes unwavering. They make no questions of my actions, which makes me feel accomplished and terrified at the same time.
"Well, find the people who are feeding him information and fire them."
"Fire them?" Louis asks, feeling stunned.
"Louis, how long have you been a board member?"
"Almost seven years," he admits.
"Well, I'd like to make you my CFO. You're honest and loyal and hardworking. Fire anyone who you think doesn't deserve to be there and I won't ask any questions." I clear my throat. "I want you to clear the board and restructure it with your most trusted coworkers."
"And Jones?"
"Leave him for now. I want to make sure when we nail him we do it right. No risks."
"Okay, boss. I'll see you when you land tonight. Have a safe flight."
"See you then," I reply before hanging up. My inbox is full again, an unfamiliar notion after being out of work for a while. I try to sort through the useless junk and the important emails, though it wastes precious time. After a minute Calinda takes my phone from my hand.
"Let me," she says, smiling. "I'll be your assistant. But I want ten percent of the contracts I handle."
"Done." I smile, resting my head against the back of the seat as she expertly scrolls through my inbox, her fingers swiping and tapping until the unread emails significantly reduces. "I'm going to log into my old work account so I can sort your inbox for you from my phone."
For the next hour or so Calinda and I reply to emails and get caught up on the various projects and deals going on. Louis sends me a file called 'Elouise', which I open cautiously.
"What?" Calinda says at the look on my face.
"Niall broke down everything for me in this. I'll send it to you."
A moment later Calinda's reading it on her phone, her smile a copy of mine. "That bastard, he really was thinking of everything."
"It would appear so," I murmur, my eyes landing on the corner of his letter poking out from my purse. "I'm going to take a quick nap so I won't be a zombie when we land."
"Alright, boss. I'll wake you up if anything happens."
I stand and make my ways towards where Zayn is seated, a phone pressed to his ear. I can hear him saying goodbye as I draw nearer, plopping down in the seat beside his when I finally get to it.
"Was that Gigi?" I ask, snuggling into his arms when he opens them for me.
"Yeah, she's got a meeting today with Ted Baker. She's very nervous."
I smile. "Well, I put in a good word for her."
He grins as he wraps his arms around me. His fingers find their way into my hair, running gentle paths along my scalp. I hum in satisfaction, my eyes closing in content. "You doing okay, kid?" He asks softly.
I nod. "There's a lot to do, but Niall had been structuring things so it would be easier for me. I gotta get him out of this, Zayn."
"You will. When we land you think about that. For now, rest."
The last thing I feel is his lips on my forehead before my mind finally drops off into peaceful sleep.
***
It's early morning in New York when we land. Louis is waiting in a town car for me, a briefcase in his outstretched arm.
"Alright, I'm going to need Liam and Calinda in the car with me so we can go straight to Niall's meeting with his lawyers. You lot meet us back at the courthouse, and we'll go from there."
Harry, Zayn and Mark nod, jumping into Mark's waiting car and speeding out of the tarmac before I can even make into our car.
"C'mon, darling, let's go. You've got a boy to save."
In the car Louis hands me the new list of board members and who he'd fired. "Jones isn't happy, but I figure it doesn't matter much if he's not going to be a free man for very long."
Liam snorts. "With the evidence in Elouise's bag, he'll have no case to argue a trace of innocence."
I clutch the documents tighter in my lap. "I just hope we're not too late."
Traffic is even worse than London, though the familiar sensation of home creeps over me as we zoom through the maze of towering buildings, their shadows leaving the streets cloaked in darkness. When we arrive at the fancy building where they're holding Niall on bail, Liam swears.
"The fucking paparazzi. If Jones catches wind that you're here he'll bolt. Shit."
I look at Calinda. "Okay. They haven't seen me yet, so they're probably just here for Niall. You take this and go in. Give it to Niall, and tell him I believe him and I want him to fight this. Okay?"
She nods, taking my purse in her arm. "I'll be out in a jif."
And the plan works beautifully, as she disappears inside the building without one pap paying attention. The minutes that tick by as we wait for her seem like hours. I contemplate calling her when she emerges, her face impassive.
"Let's go," she says when she gets in, slamming the door behind herself.
"Well?" I ask.
Her face breaks into a smile. "He says he loves you too."
And for the rest of the ride to my new office, I can't stop grinning.
***
I tell myself its important to remain confident as I walk in, Liam and Calinda flanking me on either side. The guard at the door takes me directly to my office, which Louis is standing in front of, typing away on his phone.
"The board's already in the meeting room. Are you ready?"
"Yes." I look at Calinda, knowing she has some plan that none of know about.
"Just go in there and start talking about the new plans for the company. When I look at you, you'll know."
"Okay," I nod taking a deep breath. Louis opens the door for me, allowing me to walk in first. A silence falls over the room and every single person is looking at me. I hate it.
"Hello everyone," I start once they're all seated. "I know the last day or so has been a bit intense and I know you're all wondering why so many changes have happened." I meet Calinda's eyes and she nods once. "That's because there has been a problem in this company with loyalty. I asked Louis to fire everyone who was deemed disloyal and didn't deserve their spot in this board. Horan Enterprises is one of the most successful businesses in the world, and to be seated where you are is not a right but one of the highest forms of privilege. For someone to take advantage of that position," my eyes flicker towards Jones, "is an absolute disgrace and under my leadership here it will not be tolerated. That's why I've got one last person to let go."
My gaze meets Jones', who rises, the red splotches growing up from his neck and onto his face. "You can't fire me, I've done nothing but grow this company and improve its holdings."
"I'm not firing you, Mr. Jones, you just won't be working here very long."
"And why's that?"
"Well, someone in jail can't very well do business when their computer time is regulated into one-hour sessions once a day."
"You bitch," he spits, "I won't stand for this. You're just a plaything that Niall used to save his ass from scrunity."
"Maybe," I pitter, smiling. "But then again if that was true, you wouldn't have signed my name on all those falsified documents." I move closer the table, leaning over it so my face is closer to his. "I don't sign my name with hearts over the 'I', by the way."
"You've no proof of any of this. This is slander!"
"No, slander was when you hired Gillian to seduce Niall so you could get me out of the picture. It worked, except for one little thing. Niall was onto you, Mr. Jones. You're greatest weakness is your incapcity for love. Because you're so blind to it, you never realized how Niall felt about me. So he took your bait and got me away from this shitshow before you could do anymore damage. And that is how we caught you. But I'll let the FBI explain the rest to you. Calinda? Could you let them in?"
And the door opens to reveal Niall and a team of FBI agents, one of them gripping onto Gillian's handcuffed arm. "Mr. Jones, I think the lady explained it pretty well. Why don't you come with us?"
Another agent siezes his arms, handcuffing his wrists together. "I'll get you, you heinous bitch." Jones spits at me, his eyes alight with a fire I'd never seen before.
"Go ahead and try," Niall says, wrapping an arm around my waist. "You'll never touch us again."
Cheers erupt as they lead Jones and Gillian from the room, the new board members looking relieved and proud. Before Niall can say something I turn to Louis and hand him my file. "Congratulations, Mr. Tomlinson, you're the new CEO. Make this company proud."
His face brightens by a thousand beams before it falls. "You don't want it? It's everything you've worked for."
But I'm looking at Niall when I reply. "I know. I just happened to realize I want something else." Niall grins as we bid everyone a goodbye, following Liam and Calinda out of the room where we'd started it all.
Outside on the sidewalk he turns to me, his face serious. "I left you the company because I knew you could handle it. Are you sure you want to leave it all behind?"
I nod and smile. "I have no interest in power or money. You've got enough for both of us. I'm much more interested in being just Niall and Elouise. No empire between us."
He wraps his arm arm around my waist, drawing me closer. "Niall and Elouise? I like the sound of that. But what will we do with all our spare time?" He asks, drawing shivers down my spine.
"I can think of a few things," I whisper, watching his pupils dilate in want.
"It's gonna be different now," he promises, sliding his hand down the small of my back.
"I hope so, I really don't want to take down another scary old man."
"I mean it. I'm not letting you go again," he whispers. "Though I never really let you go in the first place."
"My heart's yours," I tell him. "You better not break it again."
"When hell freezes over," he says before his lips meet mine, that all too familiar fire igniting inside of me as a fervor of love and want rushes over us. He's mine now, I realize and I feel as if I might loose my head.
And that's how we lost an empire and won each other.
***
[so now you know]