The CEO's Rejected Wife And Secret Heir novel Chapter 46

Chapter 46: Chapter 46: Boardroom

Damien POV

The board room felt like an execution chamber.

Twelve faces stared at me from around the mahogany table—some sympathetic, most coldly calculating. They’d seen my press conference. They’d watched me commit professional suicide on live television. And now they were here to finish the job.

"Mr. Blackwood." Richard, the longest-serving board member, cleared his throat. "We appreciate your... honesty this morning. However, your personal revelations have created a crisis of confidence."

"I understand," I said, keeping my voice steady even as my world crumbled. "And I take full responsibility."

"Responsibility?" Marcus’s voice echoed through the room. He sat at the far end of the table, that same cold smile on his face. "Is that what we’re calling it? Our CEO admits on national television to emotional abuse and abandoning his pregnant wife. Blackwood Enterprises’ stock has dropped twelve percent in three hours. Our major shareholders are demanding answers."

He was right. I’d checked the numbers before coming in. The damage was catastrophic.

But I’d do it again. I’d do it a thousand times if it meant protecting Aria and Noah.

"The personal matters you reference occurred before my tenure as CEO," I said evenly. "And have no bearing on my ability to lead this company."

"No bearing?" Another board member, Sarah Mitchell, shook her head. "Damien, the entire business world is questioning your judgment. If you could be so reckless in your personal life, what does that say about your business decisions?"

"It says I made mistakes," I replied. "Ones I’m working to correct. But those mistakes happened years ago. Since then, I’ve grown this company by forty percent. I’ve secured major international deals. I’ve increased shareholder value consistently."

"All true," Richard conceded. "But perception matters in business. And right now, the perception is that you’re volatile. Unstable and a liability."

Marcus leaned forward, his eyes glinting with triumph. "Which is why I’m proposing a vote of no confidence. Effective immediately, Damien Blackwood should be removed as CEO. For the good of the company."

The room erupted in murmurs. I watched the faces around the table, trying to gauge who would support me and who would turn.

The numbers didn’t look good.

"Before we vote," I said, raising my voice above the noise. "I’d like to present some information the board should be aware of."

I nodded to Patricia, my lawyer, who’d been sitting quietly in the corner. She stood and distributed folders to each board member.

"What’s this?" Sarah asked, opening hers.

"Evidence," I said, watching Marcus’s expression carefully. "Of corporate espionage, stock manipulation, and conspiracy to commit fraud. All traced back to Marcus Blackwood."

The color drained from Marcus’s face, but he recovered quickly. "This is ridiculous. You’re making up lies to save yourself."

"Bank records don’t lie," Patricia said calmly. "Neither do email trails or recorded phone conversations. Mr. Marcus Blackwood has been systematically trying to undermine Blackwood Enterprises for the past six months. The leak about Damien’s son? That was Marcus. The anonymous tips to reporters? Marcus. The whisper campaign among shareholders? Also Marcus."

I watched the board members flip through the documents, their expressions darkening. Richard looked up at Marcus, his face hard.

"Is this true?"

Marcus stood abruptly, his chair scraping across the floor. "This is a setup. Damien is desperate, and he’s fabricating evidence to"

"To what?" I interrupted. "To protect the company you’ve been trying to steal? Everything in those folders is documented and verified. You’ve been working with our competitors, feeding them insider information, manipulating stock prices. All while pretending to be concerned about the company’s reputation."

"You can’t prove any of this," Marcus snarled.

"Actually, we can." Patricia’s voice was cold. "We have witnesses. Documentation. And we’ve already filed a report with the SEC. Whether this board removes Damien or not, Marcus, you’re facing criminal charges."

The silence that followed was deafening.

Marcus looked around the room, seeing the same thing I did—he’d lost. His grand plan to destroy me and take over the company had just imploded.

"This isn’t over," he said quietly, his eyes locked on mine. "You think you’ve won? You’ve just made yourself a target. And your family"

"Is under protection," I interrupted. "Twenty-four-hour security. Top-tier team. If you go anywhere near Aria or Noah, you’ll spend the rest of your life in prison. And that’s if you’re lucky. Because if you hurt them, Marcus, there won’t be enough of you left for the police to find."

Marcus stared at me for a long moment, then laughed—a harsh, bitter sound. "You really think you can protect them? You’re weak, brother. He grabbed his briefcase and headed for the door, then paused. "This isn’t over," he repeated. "Not even close."

The door slammed behind him.

As I slumped to my chair, the silence around me was defeaning. For 20 minutes it seemed no one wanted to speak up until Richard cleared his throat. "Well. That was... illuminating. Damien, we’ll need time to review this information and discuss next steps. But in light of Marcus’s actions, perhaps we should table the vote until."

My phone buzzed. Then buzzed again. And again.

I pulled it out, frowning. Multiple alerts from the security team I’d assigned to Aria’s building.

My blood ran cold.

"I need to go," I said, already standing. "Patricia, handle the rest."

"Damien, we’re in the middle of"

But I was already running.

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