My Husband Chose His Ex I Became His Regret novel Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Aidan

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The board meeting officially begins at eight oclock. I can already tell it will be a total bloodbath.

Wilson is seated at the head of the long conference table, arms crossed and looking very serious. All seven members of the board have troubled looks on their faces. Instead of a strategy meeting, this is going to be an intervention.

Immediately after taking my seat, Wilson speaks up. “We need to discuss the elephant in the room. Mark Knight is systematically killing our reputation, eliminating our clients and causing us to lose credibility. The fire damaged our main offices. The lawsuit that has been filed against us, while it is completely without merit, has frightened away nearly all of our investors. And the media coverage of your… relationship with Ms. Stark has raised serious questions as to your judgment as a leader.”

I lean back in my chair and fold my arms across my chest. “Are you proposing I resign?”

Silence fills the room.

“We are asking,” Sarah Martinez speaks up slowly, “if you have given thought to taking a temporary break until this situation stabilizes.”

“No.”

“Aidan…”

“No!” I say louder and more forcefully now. “I will not take a break from my own company just because Mark Knight is attempting to bully me into abandoning my company. And I will not abandon Lila while she is in need of support more than ever before”.

“This isn’t about abandoning anyone,” Richard says. “This is about protecting Storm Industries. Your relationship with an employee, regardless of when it began, opens up a very dangerous liability for the company. The optics of that situation alone…”

“The optics of that situation,” I reply, “are that I hired a strategic genius who was instrumental in closing our single largest international deal in five years.” I reach into my bag and pull out my tablet. I go to my downloaded copy of the Lee Corporation contract and display it for the room to see. “This $200 million, three-year partnership exists solely because of Lila Stark’s strategic contribution to this effort.” I said.

Another member of the board interrupted. “But there are allegations against you.”

“All of those allegations are lies made up by an individual desperate to remain relevant,” I stated as I pulled up another document, “A full timeline is included, I have barely even started a relationship with Ms Stark.”

David Chen, CFO, said, “A timeline helps, but Aidan how do you address the damage that has already been caused? There are already three major clients no longer working with us; the possibility of a lawsuit attached to this; and the fire investigation may uncover code violations that could shut us down for several weeks. How do we fight this on all fronts simultaneously?”

“I say we fight all fronts simultaneously.” I stood up and walked to the large screen in the conference room. I

10:16 Wed, May 13 N

Chapter 56

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pulled up my plan. “Mark Knight is currently operating from a position of weakness and not strength. The Knight Group has lost five major contracts in two months. Their stock price is down over twenty-three percent. They are bleeding cash. The attack on the us is not an attempt at strategy; it is an act of desperation.”

“What do you have in mind?” Sarah asked.

“Publically, professionally, and legally expose Knight for who he really is.” I advanced to the next page of the presentation. “The first step is that Lila is doing a live interview this afternoon regarding Knight’s abuse during her marriage, including affairs, emotional manipulation, and lying. Lila will no longer be viewed as a cheating wife but rather as a survivor of abuse.”

“I’m not sure if this approach is a good idea as it may backfire,” Wilson cautioned.

“Not going to happen, Wilson. We’re fighting this battle with the absolute truth; and a properly disseminated truth is the strongest weapon we have.” I rotated to the following page. “Legal will also be filing a countersuit against Knight on the grounds of defamation.”Interfering with a business relationship through a tort might be called “harassment” in some cases. In addition to defending, we are also going on the offensive.”

“There is evidence of arson. Video surveillance confirmed someone entered the office building the night of the fire who should not have been there. We have also turned over information to law enforcement. If Mark had anything to do with the fire – even if he didn’t directly start it – he could wind up in jail.”

Murmur and calculation were present in the room as people thought about the risk versus reward and the stability versus the war.

“What about the clients we’ve lost? Henderson, Morrison and Patterson. How do we get them back?” asked

David.

“We will not get them back. The room went silent; they made their decision based on lies and expected discounts that Mark will never be able to provide on a continuing basis. Once Knight Group’s performance does not continue to hold up, then those clients will be back to us. When they do, we will be able to negotiate from a position of strength.”

“This is a gamble,” Wilson said after the pause.

“Staying in business is also a gamble. Everything is a gamble; we either rely on calculated risks or we roll over because the going gets tough.”

“What about new clients? How do we replace the income we have lost?” sarah pushed back.

Next slide. “The Lee Corporation is opening doors for all of Southeast Asia. I am meeting with 3 prospects in Singapore, 2 in Tokyo and I in Seoul; we will pivot and expand internationally while Knight Group tries to figure out how to stay relevant in the US.”

“What if the investigation into the fire leads to us being shut down?” Wilson pushed.

“We will work remotely until this is resolved; we will adapt. We did it once during COVID and we can do it again.”

I looked around the table and saw skepticism and doubt.But more than anything – it’s about hope. It’s about possibility.

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“Mark Knight thinks he’s going to crush us,” I say to them; “What he doesn’t realize is he’s pushing us forward. He’s pushing us to evolve and grow. He’s pushing us to show that Storm Industries isn’t defined by a building. a CEO, or a single convenient story. We’re bigger than that, we’re stronger than that.”

“What’s Ms. Stark’s part in all of this?” Wilson asks softly. “Where does she fit in?”

“She is my Chief Strategy Officer.” I pause. Reflect. “She is someone that I trust completely. Someone that has repeatedly proven her worth to Storm Industries and she’s not leaving.”

“Even if we lose clients? Investors? Reputation?”

“Even if.” I stare at Wilson straight in the eyes and say, “Some things matter more than optics. Some things are bigger than just having a good reputation. Integrity, loyalty – those are two of those things. We will not let the actions of bad people convince us to give up the good ones.”

The room is silent. Finally, David breaks the silence.

“I’m in.”

Everyone looks to David.

“I’m in.” He says again, “I’ve been working with Lila for four months now. She’s incredibly talented and hard- working. Everything that Aidan told me about her is spot on. If we let Mark Knight bully us out of keeping her, we’re failures.” David scans around the table. “We should do everything possible to fight. To the end of the line.”

Sarah nods very slowly and says, “I agree, but we will need a coordinated plan of action. Legal, PR, business development, etc.”

I reassuredly answer, “Already in motion; Marcus is already collaborating with every department. Tomorrow morning we’re going to do the full court press. New outreach to current clients and media statements; legal filings; everything will happen at once.”

“So what about today?” Richard inquires.

“Today is when Lila tells her story, and we’ll be behind her all the way. In every aspect. We show Mark Knight that there are consequences for attacking our people.”

Wilson stares at me for a moment before he nods. “I’m putting my trust in you here, Aidan. But if it all goes wrong.”

“It won’t.”

“You can’t guarantee that.”

“I can’t. But I will promise that we’ll pull out all the stops to ensure that it does not.”

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