The boardroom was colder than Nyla expected.
Not in temperature—
But in atmosphere.
Glass walls. Polished table. Quiet authority.
Power lived here.
And it did not smile.
Nyla stepped in beside her aunt, her heels clicking softly against the marble floor. Conversations didn't stop—but they shifted. Subtly.
Eyes followed her.
Some curious.
Some dismissive.
Some calculating.
At the head of the table sat Uncle Jay, composed as ever, fingers steepled, gaze unreadable.
He looked at her once—just once—
And that was enough.
He knew.
Not everything.
But enough to be watching.
"Ah," Jay said smoothly, gesturing toward an empty seat. "Nyla. Decided to join us today?"
Nyla smiled lightly, almost shy. "Just observing, Uncle. I don't want to disturb anything."
A few board members exchanged glances.
Observing?
That was new.
Cherry took her seat, crossing her legs elegantly.
"Well," she said, her tone laced with subtle mockery, "let's hope observing doesn't turn into confusion."
A soft ripple of restrained laughter moved around the table.
Nyla only smiled, unbothered.
Perfect.
Let them laugh.
The meeting began.
Financial reports.
Quarter projections.
Partnership negotiations.
Numbers flew across screens, charts shifting with each presentation.
Nyla leaned back slightly, her chin resting lightly on her fingers.
To anyone watching—
She looked bored.
Distracted.
Her eyes occasionally dropped to her phone.
Scrolling.
Typing.
A typical social media addict.
Cherry noticed.
Of course she did.
Her lips tightened slightly as she watched Nyla glance at her phone again.
After a few minutes, she finally spoke.
"Nyla," she said sharply.
The room quieted just a little.
"If you're going to sit in on a board meeting, the least you could do is pay attention."
Nyla blinked, looking up as if caught off guard.
"Oh—sorry," she said quickly, sitting up straighter. "I was just… checking something."
Cherry's expression didn't soften.
"Clearly."
A pause. Then—
"Or perhaps this is too advanced for you?"
The air shifted.
Subtle tension.
Cherry leaned back slightly, her tone now sweet—but cutting.
"Would you prefer a private session? Something… simpler? So you can understand what's actually happening in your father's company?"
A few heads lowered, hiding faint smiles.
Others watched carefully.
This wasn't about concern.
This was a test.
A dismissal.
Nyla lowered her gaze briefly.
Almost embarrassed.
Almost small.
Then she nodded slightly.
"Maybe…" she said softly. "It is a bit much."
Cherry smiled.
Victory.
Or so she thought.
⸻
The presentation resumed.
A senior executive began discussing a new expansion proposal—numbers, projections, projected returns.
Nyla glanced at the screen again.
Then at her phone.
Then back at the screen.
Her expression shifted—just slightly.
Not enough for most to notice.
But enough.
"Um…"
Her voice was soft.
Uncertain.
The room paused.
Cherry exhaled slowly, already irritated.
"Yes, Nyla?"
Nyla hesitated, as if unsure whether to speak.
Then—
"I just wanted to ask something."
Cherry gave a thin smile. "Go ahead."
Nyla tilted her head slightly, looking at the screen.
"If the projected revenue increase depends on the new supplier contracts…" she began slowly, "…then why are the logistics costs still calculated based on the old distribution model?"
Silence.
Immediate.
Heavy.
One of the executives blinked.
Another shifted in his seat.
Jay's fingers stilled slightly on the table.
And Cherry—
Cherry didn't move at all.
Because that question—
Was not simple.
It wasn't random.
It hit directly at a flaw in the proposal.
A flaw most people in the room had overlooked.
Or ignored.
Nyla looked around, suddenly unsure.
"Did I… say something wrong?"
Her voice was soft again.
Careful.
Almost innocent.
"No," one of the board members said quickly, clearing his throat. "That's actually… a valid point."
Another nodded slowly. "We may need to revisit those projections."
The presenter looked visibly uncomfortable now.
Cherry's gaze slowly turned back to Nyla.
Sharp.
Searching.
Nyla blinked again, then gave a small, awkward laugh.
"Oh… I didn't think it was anything serious," she said lightly. "I just saw something similar online yesterday—people were arguing about business mistakes like that, so it kind of stuck."
A pause.
She smiled sheepishly.
"I might be wrong though."
But she wasn't.
And everyone in the room knew it.
Jay leaned back slightly, his gaze now fully on her.
Not dismissive.
Not amused.
Interested.
Cherry didn't smile this time.
She couldn't.
Because something about that—
Didn't sit right.
The meeting resumed, but the energy had shifted.
Subtly.
Irreversibly.
Nyla said nothing else.
She returned to her phone.
Scrolling.
Quiet.
Uninvolved.
But now—
People were watching her differently.
By the time the meeting ended, chairs slid back and quiet conversations resumed.
Nyla stood, smoothing her blazer like nothing had happened.
Like she hadn't just disrupted an entire discussion with one question.
Cherry approached her almost immediately.
Her smile was back—
But her eyes weren't.
"That was… interesting," she said calmly.
Nyla tilted her head. "Hmm?"
"That question you asked," Cherry continued. "You expect me to believe you picked that up from social media?"
Nyla laughed lightly.
"You'd be surprised what people argue about online, Aunty."
A beat.
Then softer—
"I told you… I'm just observing."
Cherry held her gaze a moment longer.
Searching.
Measuring.
Doubting.
For the first time—
She wasn't entirely sure what she was looking at.
Nyla turned away first, walking out of the boardroom with calm, effortless steps.
Behind her, the glass doors closed softly.
Inside, Cherry remained still.
Disturbed.
Because that hadn't felt like luck.
It hadn't felt like coincidence.
It had felt like something else.
Something quiet.
Something controlled.
And for the first time—
Cherry began to wonder…
If Nyla had been pretending all along.
The boardroom was colder than Nyla expected.
Not in temperature—
But in atmosphere.
Glass walls. Polished table. Quiet authority.
Power lived here.
And it did not smile.
Nyla stepped in beside her aunt, her heels clicking softly against the marble floor. Conversations didn't stop—but they shifted. Subtly.
Eyes followed her.
Some curious.
Some dismissive.
Some calculating.
At the head of the table sat Uncle Jay, composed as ever, fingers steepled, gaze unreadable.
He looked at her once—just once—
And that was enough.
He knew.
Not everything.
But enough to be watching.
"Ah," Jay said smoothly, gesturing toward an empty seat. "Nyla. Decided to join us today?"
Nyla smiled lightly, almost shy. "Just observing, Uncle. I don't want to disturb anything."
A few board members exchanged glances.
Observing?
That was new.
Cherry took her seat, crossing her legs elegantly.
"Well," she said, her tone laced with subtle mockery, "let's hope observing doesn't turn into confusion."
A soft ripple of restrained laughter moved around the table.
Nyla only smiled, unbothered.
Perfect.
Let them laugh.
The meeting began.
Financial reports.
Quarter projections.
Partnership negotiations.
Numbers flew across screens, charts shifting with each presentation.
Nyla leaned back slightly, her chin resting lightly on her fingers.
To anyone watching—
She looked bored.
Distracted.
Her eyes occasionally dropped to her phone.
Scrolling.
Typing.
A typical social media addict.
Cherry noticed.
Of course she did.
Her lips tightened slightly as she watched Nyla glance at her phone again.
After a few minutes, she finally spoke.
"Nyla," she said sharply.
The room quieted just a little.
"If you're going to sit in on a board meeting, the least you could do is pay attention."
Nyla blinked, looking up as if caught off guard.
"Oh—sorry," she said quickly, sitting up straighter. "I was just… checking something."
Cherry's expression didn't soften.
"Clearly."
A pause. Then—
"Or perhaps this is too advanced for you?"
The air shifted.
Subtle tension.
Cherry leaned back slightly, her tone now sweet—but cutting.
"Would you prefer a private session? Something… simpler? So you can understand what's actually happening in your father's company?"
A few heads lowered, hiding faint smiles.
Others watched carefully.
This wasn't about concern.
This was a test.
A dismissal.
Nyla lowered her gaze briefly.
Almost embarrassed.
Almost small.
Then she nodded slightly.
"Maybe…" she said softly. "It is a bit much."
Cherry smiled.
Victory.
Or so she thought.
⸻
The presentation resumed.
A senior executive began discussing a new expansion proposal—numbers, projections, projected returns.
Nyla glanced at the screen again.
Then at her phone.
Then back at the screen.
Her expression shifted—just slightly.
Not enough for most to notice.
But enough.
"Um…"
Her voice was soft.
Uncertain.
The room paused.
Cherry exhaled slowly, already irritated.
"Yes, Nyla?"
Nyla hesitated, as if unsure whether to speak.
Then—
"I just wanted to ask something."
Cherry gave a thin smile. "Go ahead."
Nyla tilted her head slightly, looking at the screen.
"If the projected revenue increase depends on the new supplier contracts…" she began slowly, "…then why are the logistics costs still calculated based on the old distribution model?"
Silence.
Immediate.
Heavy.
One of the executives blinked.
Another shifted in his seat.
Jay's fingers stilled slightly on the table.
And Cherry—
Cherry didn't move at all.
Because that question—
Was not simple.
It wasn't random.
It hit directly at a flaw in the proposal.
A flaw most people in the room had overlooked.
Or ignored.
Nyla looked around, suddenly unsure.
"Did I… say something wrong?"
Her voice was soft again.
Careful.
Almost innocent.
"No," one of the board members said quickly, clearing his throat. "That's actually… a valid point."
Another nodded slowly. "We may need to revisit those projections."
The presenter looked visibly uncomfortable now.
Cherry's gaze slowly turned back to Nyla.
Sharp.
Searching.
Nyla blinked again, then gave a small, awkward laugh.
"Oh… I didn't think it was anything serious," she said lightly. "I just saw something similar online yesterday—people were arguing about business mistakes like that, so it kind of stuck."
A pause.
She smiled sheepishly.
"I might be wrong though."
But she wasn't.
And everyone in the room knew it.
Jay leaned back slightly, his gaze now fully on her.
Not dismissive.
Not amused.
Interested.
Cherry didn't smile this time.
She couldn't.
Because something about that—
Didn't sit right.
The meeting resumed, but the energy had shifted.
Subtly.
Irreversibly.
Nyla said nothing else.
She returned to her phone.
Scrolling.
Quiet.
Uninvolved.
But now—
People were watching her differently.
By the time the meeting ended, chairs slid back and quiet conversations resumed.
Nyla stood, smoothing her blazer like nothing had happened.
Like she hadn't just disrupted an entire discussion with one question.
Cherry approached her almost immediately.
Her smile was back—
But her eyes weren't.
"That was… interesting," she said calmly.
Nyla tilted her head. "Hmm?"
"That question you asked," Cherry continued. "You expect me to believe you picked that up from social media?"
Nyla laughed lightly.
"You'd be surprised what people argue about online, Aunty."
A beat.
Then softer—
"I told you… I'm just observing."
Cherry held her gaze a moment longer.
Searching.
Measuring.
Doubting.
For the first time—
She wasn't entirely sure what she was looking at.
Nyla turned away first, walking out of the boardroom with calm, effortless steps.
Behind her, the glass doors closed softly.
Inside, Cherry remained still.
Disturbed.
Because that hadn't felt like luck.
It hadn't felt like coincidence.
It had felt like something else.
Something quiet.
Something controlled.
And for the first time—
Cherry began to wonder…
If Nyla had been pretending all along.