CHAPTER 84

Now that Charles was out of the picture, I was reinstated as acting CEO again, and I wasted no time in getting my affairs in order. There was no rest to be had. I needed to clear my name with the board and rebuild trust—not just with them, but with the entire company.

With what had happened lately, I couldn’t let Charles’ lies taint the legacy I had worked so hard to build.

After the board meeting concluded, Thiago and I walked back to my office. He remained silent, but I could tell by the glint in his eyes that there was more to the way he looked at me. I could feel his gaze on me as we entered my office, but I kept my back to him, pretending to review the papers stacked neatly on my desk.

Yet, I couldn’t deny how the air was thick with the unspoken tension between us.

Finally, I turned to him. "You knew all along, didn’t you? You knew Charles was setting me up from the start." I ask since I couldn’t help myself but want to.

Thiago’s lips curled into a slow, knowing smile. "I knew