The emergency board meeting felt like walking into an execution chamber. Alexander entered the conference room at exactly 3 PM to find all twelve board members already seated, their faces ranging from apologetic to openly hostile. Victoria Crane sat at the far end of the table like a queen holding court, while Richard Blackwood occupied the seat that had traditionally been reserved for Alexander's closest allies.
The message was clear: he was outnumbered and outmaneuvered.
"Alexander," Margaret Thornton began without preamble, "thank you for joining us on such short notice. I know this has been a difficult time."
"Difficult doesn't begin to cover it," Alexander replied, taking his seat at the head of the table with deliberate calm. "Especially since someone in this room has been feeding confidential information to the press."
The accusation hung in the air like a physical presence. Several board members shifted uncomfortably, but Victoria Crane's expression never wavered.
"That's a serious allegation," she said smoothly. "Do you have proof?"
"I have a timeline of leaked information that corresponds perfectly with board meetings and executive briefings," Alexander said, his voice deadly quiet. "I have quotes from 'anonymous sources' that could only have come from people in this room. And I have a pattern of coordinated attacks that suggests someone is very invested in seeing me removed from leadership."
Richard Blackwood leaned forward, his expression one of manufactured concern. "Alexander, I understand you're under tremendous stress, but paranoid accusations aren't going to help anyone. We're here because we care about this company and its future."
"Are you?" Alexander's gaze swept the room, cataloging allies and enemies. "Because from where I sit, it looks like you're here to stage a coup."
Margaret cleared her throat delicately. "Alexander, please. No one wants to see you removed from leadership. But the situation has become... untenable."
She gestured to a stack of documents in front of her. "Since the media coverage began, we've fielded calls from seventeen major clients expressing concerns. Our stock has dropped twelve percent. Three acquisition deals are on hold pending 'evaluation of current stability.'"
"Most of which," Alexander said coldly, "is based on fabricated or exaggerated reports fed to the media by someone with inside information."
"The source doesn't matter," Victoria Crane interjected. "The damage does. Perception is reality in our business, Alexander. You know that."
Alexander studied the faces around the table, seeing calculated ambition masquerading as concern. These people had circled like vultures the moment they sensed weakness, ready to pick apart the company he'd built from nothing.
"What exactly are you proposing?" he asked.
Richard Blackwood consulted his notes with obvious satisfaction. "A temporary leave of absence while you deal with these personal matters. Six months should be sufficient for the media attention to die down and market confidence to recover."
"And during this temporary leave of absence?"
"I would step in as interim CEO," Richard said, not bothering to hide his eagerness. "Just until things stabilize, of course."
"Of course," Alexander repeated, his tone making it clear what he thought of that promise. "And my return to leadership would be contingent on...?"
"On demonstrating that your personal life won't continue to create corporate instability," Victoria Crane said bluntly. "Which means either ending this engagement or postponing it indefinitely while you focus on rebuilding the company's reputation."
There it was, the ultimatum he'd been expecting since the moment the media storm began. Choose the company or choose Sophia. Choose professional success or personal happiness. Choose the safe path or the one that led to love.
"You want me to break up with my fiancée to keep my job," Alexander said, his voice completely level despite the rage burning in his chest.
"We want you to prioritize the thousands of employees who depend on this company's success," Margaret said quietly. "The shareholders who've invested their trust and capital in our leadership. The clients who need stability and consistency."
"And you believe that stability comes from rewarding corporate sabotage and media manipulation?"
"We believe it comes from leadership that puts business before personal gratification," Richard said sharply.
Alexander stood slowly, using his height and presence to psychological advantage. Around the table, several board members seemed to shrink back from the cold fury radiating off him in waves.
"Personal gratification," he repeated softly. "Is that what you think this is? You think I'm risking everything I've built for some mid-life crisis fling?"
"Alexander…" Margaret began.
"No." His voice cut across hers like a blade. "You want to talk about stability? About leadership? Let me tell you about the man I was before Sophia came into my life."
Alexander began to pace, his movements controlled but predatory. "I was a grieving widower who buried himself in work to avoid dealing with his children. I was so consumed by guilt and loss that I nearly lost Emma and Ethan to emotional neglect. My leadership was reactive, defensive, focused on maintaining the status quo rather than driving growth."
He stopped directly in front of Victoria Crane, his dark eyes boring into hers. "The record profits you're so worried about protecting? They started the quarter after Sophia and I got together. The expansion into Asian markets? That happened because I finally had the emotional bandwidth to think strategically instead of just surviving day to day."
"That's... that's not..." Richard started.
"That's not what fits your narrative," Alexander finished coldly. "You want to paint this as a distraction from business, but the numbers tell a different story. Since Sophia became part of my life, Steele Industries has posted its best performance in company history."
Margaret looked genuinely troubled. "Alexander, even if that's true, the current situation…"
"The current situation is the result of a coordinated attack by people who want to see me fail," Alexander said, returning to his seat but remaining standing behind his chair. "People who are using fabricated concerns and leaked information to manufacture a crisis."
"Even if that's true," Victoria Crane said, "it doesn't change the reality we're facing. The board has a fiduciary responsibility to act in the company's best interests."
"Then act on them," Alexander said simply. "Stop rewarding the saboteurs and start backing the leadership that's actually delivered results."
Richard Blackwood's patience finally snapped. "This is exactly what we're talking about! You're so blinded by this relationship that you can't see how it's affecting your judgment. A rational CEO would recognize the need for temporary sacrifice to protect long-term interests."
"A rational CEO," Alexander said, his voice dropping to the dangerous whisper that made competitors nervous, "would recognize an attempted coup when he saw one."
The room fell silent. Alexander could see the moment when several board members realized he wasn't going to capitulate quietly. This wasn't going to be the easy transition they'd hoped for.
Margaret tried one more time. "Alexander, please. We're not asking you to end your relationship permanently. Just... step back until things calm down. Show the market that Steele Industries comes first."
"Steele Industries does come first," Alexander said firmly. "Which is why I'm not going to hand it over to someone who thinks corporate leadership means bowing to every gossip columnist and market rumor."
Victoria Crane's mask finally slipped, revealing the steel underneath. "Then you're choosing her over the company."
"I'm choosing integrity over cowardice," Alexander corrected. "I'm choosing to fight for what I've built rather than surrender it to people who mistake weakness for wisdom."
Richard leaned forward, his expression triumphant. "Then I'm afraid we have to call for a formal vote of no confidence."
The words hung in the air like a death sentence. Alexander had known this moment was coming, but hearing it spoken aloud still hit like a physical blow.
"You want to remove me from leadership," he said quietly.
"We want to protect the company," Margaret said, but she couldn't meet his eyes. "Alexander, if you'd just consider…"
"I've considered everything," Alexander interrupted. "And my answer is no. I won't take a leave of absence. I won't postpone my wedding. And I sure as hell won't break up with the woman I love to appease a board that's forgotten what actual leadership looks like."
Victoria Crane smiled coldly. "Then you leave us no choice."
"You've always had a choice," Alexander said, buttoning his suit jacket with deliberate precision. "You chose to believe gossip over performance. You chose to reward manipulation over merit. And you chose to side with my enemies instead of the man who built this company from nothing."
He moved toward the door, then paused with his hand on the handle.
"The vote of no confidence requires a two-thirds majority," he said without turning around. "Eight out of twelve votes. You might want to make sure you have them before you call for a formal ballot."
"We do," Richard said with obvious satisfaction.
Alexander turned back to face the room, his expression completely calm despite the devastation of the moment. "Then I guess we'll see, won't we?"
As he left the boardroom, Alexander felt strangely liberated. For the first time since the media storm began, he knew exactly where he stood. They'd given him an impossible choice, but in doing so, they'd also given him clarity.
He wouldn't sacrifice his family for their comfort. He wouldn't choose fear over love. And if they wanted to take his company from him, they'd have to do it openly, in front of shareholders and employees and the whole world.
Let them try. He'd built an empire once before.
He could do it again.
But first, he had to go home and tell the woman he loved that choosing her might have cost him everything else.
Somehow, that felt like the easiest decision he'd ever made.