Page 70 of More than Fiction (Misty Springs #1)

Corbin

Lucky for us, Sullivan had arrived in Misty Springs using the company jet, and it was now parked in the hangar at the Misty Springs Regional Airport.

Andi secured a pilot, and within the hour, we were airborne, racing toward New York.

Andi had invited herself along, insisting she needed a front-row seat for whatever chaos was about to unfold.

Sullivan stayed behind in Misty Springs to help investigate whatever happened to my rental car.

Now that the adrenaline had worn off, I could feel every sore and torn muscle. I could also feel the fissure spreading through my chest as I waged an internal war with myself.

“So, you and Sophia, huh?” Andi sat across from me, legs crossed, a pen twirling like an unlit cigarette between her fingers.

I didn’t answer—I just clenched my jaw and stared out the window at the bright, full moon staring back at me.

“You know,” she continued, unfazed by my silence, “you two were so painfully obvious. I knew you had a thing for her when she came in for her first interview.”

I chuckled at the night sky, then frowned as I continued my internal deliberation.

My mind drifted to Davis—smug, manipulative Davis, spinning my downfall into a polished narrative for the board.

How bad had he made me look? When had it all started to slip away? Could he have orchestrated whatever happened with my car, too ?

My stomach churned as I thought about the unanswered questions.

And Buzz—where the hell was Buzz?

Every call to him went straight to voicemail, and his ghost act, with everything going on right now, felt more like a slight. Could he not even be trusted right now?

I swallowed the truth as it came lurching up in my throat.

Sophia didn’t belong in this fucked up world of mine.

Andi leaned forward, her sharp gaze cutting into my thoughts.

“You’re spiraling. Stop it. Whatever lies Davis has told, you’re still Corbin Buescher. Walk in there and remind them who you are.”

“What if I get everything I’ve worked for my entire life… but lose her?” I asked, surprising myself at the vulnerability I’d just exposed.

“Fuck that.” Andi threw the pen at my chest.

I glanced down at it and then glared at her, eyebrow raised.

“You think success is worth shit if there’s no one to come home to? Grow up, Corbin. Figure out how to have both—or get real about what you’re actually willing to lose.”

I stared at the pen resting against my chest, which landed like a grenade with the truth of her words.

Having someone eight years younger than me tell me to grow up was rather enlightening.

“I couldn’t keep her from getting hurt.” More vulnerability, more raw truth leaked from me.

“Corbin…” Andi gave me a disapproving glare.

I lifted the pen off my chest and handed it back to her, silently stewing in my guilt.

She grabbed my hand, forcing my eyes to meet hers.

“You think you’re the only one with assholes coming after you? Look at her dumbass ex and his insane family.”

She let go of me and leaned back in her seat, shoving her canary yellow frames up her nose.

“You can’t stop bad people from doing bad shit.

But you can surround yourself with good people—people who’ll help you face the flames others throw at you.

Or say ‘fuck it’, and light a blowtorch to help you fight back. ”

Crude, crass—exactly what I needed to hear—as usual.

She turned back to her notebook casually, like dropping prophetic truth bombs were no big deal .

But something shifted. The cracks in my chest filled with something solid.

Resolve. Purpose.

Not enough to make me whole again, but enough to hold me together.

I was going to walk into that boardroom and take control. And I was going to take anyone down who dared to stand in my way.

Andi didn’t look up again, but I saw the satisfied smirk tug at her mouth.

Once again, she’d managed to gut-check me into clarity. Once again, she'd proven she was the best damn hire I ever made.

***

When we arrived at Buescher Enterprises, the board meeting had already started. The building loomed over us, its steel and glass exterior reflecting the dull gray of the overcast sky.

Andi and I hurried inside, our steps echoing in the expansive, quiet lobby.

I was painfully aware of my appearance—bloodstains on my shirt, my arm in a sling, exhaustion etched into every line of my face.

But there was no time to change or play out the million potential outcomes. There was only time to follow my gut and implement my plan.

When we pushed open the doors to the boardroom, every conversation halted. All eyes turned to me, and the air seemed to grow heavier with the weight of their shock.

I quickly scanned their faces—no sign of Ned.

Andi took a seat in a chair propped against the wall, her expression challenging anyone in the room to question her presence.

Davis stood at the head of the table, mid-sentence, his expression frozen at my interruption. He’d been in the middle of a seemingly heartfelt monologue, one hand resting on the polished oak surface as if he were delivering a eulogy.

I didn’t give him the satisfaction of showing any reaction. I walked to my seat at the table, meeting the wide-eyed stares of the board members with a calm, deliberate gaze. I sank into my chair, the springs groaning in the quiet boardroom.

I gestured with my good hand toward Davis. “Please, don’t let me interrupt. Continue. ”

Davis’s face paled slightly, but then he recovered, forcing the corners of his mouth upwards.

“Corbin,” he said, his voice dripping with false concern. “We weren’t expecting you. Given... everything .” He gestured vaguely at my disheveled state.

“Clearly,” I countered, leaning back in my chair. “But don’t let that stop you. I’m curious to hear what you’ve prepared.”

His sharp jaw tightened, but he pressed on, his discomfort evident in how his fingers fidgeted against the table. He launched into a carefully rehearsed speech, weaving a narrative of declining oversight, Buzz’s prolonged absence, and my so-called reckless behavior.

“And most recently,” Davis continued, his voice tinged with righteous indignation, “Corbin was arrested on charges that could bring unnecessary scrutiny to this company. We cannot afford such risks, especially in today’s market.”

The room was silent, every pair of eyes flicking between Davis and me. I wasn’t sure how Davis found out about my arrest or if he was responsible, but neither of those considerations surprised me.

I was prepared for Davis either way.

I leaned forward, the weight of the moment pressing down on me. “Are you finished?”

Davis faltered, his bravado cracking under the pressure of my unwavering stare.

“I—yes.” He glanced at his watch. “That’s the situation as it stands.”

I nodded, letting the silence stretch just long enough to make him squirm. “Good. Then it’s my turn.”

I stood to address the room, holding in the groan at the strain it put on my aching muscles. I still had fight in me, and I wouldn’t be able to look at myself again if I didn’t do everything I could to keep this company out of Davis’s clutches.

I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could get a word out, the doors to the boardroom opened—and in walked Ned.

My body had a visceral reaction to seeing his face.

How had I never realized how offensive it was before?

He slithered in like a timid mouse, blustering up to Davis’s side and giving an almost undetectable nod .

“Ladies and gentlemen of the board, I’m afraid I have one more piece of information to share,” Davis added, clicking on a remote and lowering the projection screen.

I lowered back into my seat, feigning a calm presence, though Ned’s sudden appearance settled under my skin uncomfortably.

The screen glowed blue until Ned connected a cable to Davis’ computer and inserted a USB stick into a port on the side. He tapped a few keys before a video started playing.

The board murmured as they awaited whatever bullshit Davis decided to drum up next.

A video appeared, and it took me a couple of seconds to recognize the scene.

My office.

Me in my office, an angle from a hidden camera perched somewhere in the corner.

A camera I didn’t know existed.

Sophia stood near me, bent over my desk in a plaid skirt.

I knew what happened next.

We crossed a line.

Broke a rule that had toppled so many others before me.

Anything Davis brought up before was inconsequential—just opinions and unfounded accusations.

This? This was real—concrete evidence of me breaking company policy.

The entire board was about to watch me do it, and what was worse, I was about to take Sophia down with me.

“Turn it off!” I demanded as I bolted out of my chair, adrenaline and rage surging through me.

“Oh, but Corbin, it’s just getting good,” Ned sniveled as he shrank behind Davis.

I pulled Davis’s laptop off the table, yanking it free of the cable and the feed that projected my transgression, and threw his computer against the wall with a forceful blow.

The image on the screen cracked and then turned blue.

Davis looked at me with a devious grin. “Now, Corbin, that was company property.”

I used my good hand to grab Davis by the collar. The room gasped, pulling my attention away .

This is what Davis wanted: to paint me as unstable, the loose cannon, unfit to lead.

And I played right into his hands.

I released him, backing up a couple of paces.

Andi stepped to my side, surveying the room. Her gaze lingered on each board member as if trying to gauge their reactions—measuring the damage Davis had done.

“You guys can’t be serious,” she gaffed. “You’re going to listen to this conniving snake and this weaselly little pervert?”

The board murmured amongst themselves again, and I watched their faces as they flicked between Davis—calm, polished, perfectly put together—and me—disheveled, wild, bloodstains and bruises.

Every second that ticked by without a word only made the difference between Davis and me more stark.

I read it on their faces.

Davis looked like the future of the company.

I looked like a cautionary tale playing out in real time.

I looked just like my father.

“This is clearly a very emotional decision,” one of the members I didn’t recognize said as he stood to command the room.

His face was long, with harsh lines, his features seemingly painted on—fake as a Ken doll. He wore a quarter-zipped pullover with a collared shirt and tie poking underneath, his slicked-back hair gave off used car salesman vibes.

“But it’s one we shouldn’t take lightly,” he added as he paced the room, his hands behind his back.

“Corbin, I’ve been a member of this board for months and haven’t met you once. It’s evident that you are disconnected, disengaged, and flaunting like the rules don’t apply to you.”

Andi stepped forward and started to speak, but I put my hand on her arm to quiet her.

I knew whatever she added wouldn’t help the snowball that had already begun its descent.

There was no stopping it now.

“I’ve seen this before. Nepotism makes way for poor leadership, and before we know it, everyone is out of a job. The company goes under while the millionaire playboy keeps his money and flits off to the next thing. ”

Davis crossed his arms in quiet satisfaction, and I wondered if this guy was a plant. I wouldn’t put it past Davis to have his bases well covered.

“We came together to make a decision. We have all the information we need,” the man continued, eyes scanning me hostilely. “Let’s vote.”

My heart sank as the board conversed.

The future of my family’s company was in their hands, and there was nothing I could do about it.