He Wants An Open Marriage? Done!

Richard and Roxanne exchanged glances across the hallway.

Roxanne’s mind spun out of control. An emergency board meeting called without warning was never a good sign, but holding one in secrecy signaled an outright rebellion.

Richard ran a broad hand through his hair, dragging his palm down his face. "This is the absolute last thing I need today," he muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. "And why on earth was I not officially informed of this?"

Libby’s throat bobbed visibly as she swallowed hard. "I am afraid they did not—" She paused, swallowing again to calm her visible nerves. "The chairman ordered the directors to assemble first. They intended to discuss whether you should be invited into the formal session."

Richard’s face twisted in sharp disbelief. "They were planning to hold an emergency meeting without the sitting president of this company?" he demanded, his voice dropping into a harsh, incredulous whisper.

Roxanne looked up at him, her heart sinking. "That is a terrible sign, Richard," she whispered, her voice trembling despite her effort to stay composed. "You know exactly what this means. You are losing the board’s trust, and that is precisely what Thomas and Nicholas are counting on."

Richard’s fists clenched tight at his sides, his dark eyes fixing on the wall ahead. "They are going to regret this move," he murmured through tightly locked teeth.

He turned back to Libby, his expression darkening further. "They cannot know that I am already aware of their gathering. No one holds a secret meeting inside my headquarters and expects me to remain absent."

Roxanne exhaled a sharp breath, forcing herself to push past the mounting panic. Her mind raced to find a solution. She looked at Richard, her eyes bright with sudden realization. "We have to convince the board that we saw this leak coming all along," she declared.

Richard looked down at her, his brows furrowing as he weighed her suggestion.

"I am sorry to interrupt," Libby chimed in cautiously, her tone delicate. "But won’t the board members ask why you failed to alert them before the stocks began to slide?"

Richard nodded slowly, his eyes narrowing into calculating slits. "I will tell them that we deliberately allowed the leak to go public because we needed Nicholas and Thomas to believe their first strike had succeeded," he said. "Once they expose their next move, we’ll have the evidence we need to destroy them."

Roxanne gave a firm nod. "That is the best strategy we have," she agreed, squeezing his forearm.

"I just sent all the media files to your inbox," Libby said, glancing down at her tablet screen.

Before Richard could respond, the sharp ring of his mobile phone shattered the heavy silence. He reached into his inner jacket pocket, pulled out the device, and glanced at the caller ID. His jaw set into stone.

"Who is calling you?" Roxanne asked, noticing the deep crease forming between his brows.

Instead of answering, Richard tilted the screen toward her. Roxanne’s eyes widened as she read the name displayed across the glass.

"Nicholas?" Roxanne murmured in surprise. She looked up into Richard’s hard face. "I do not think you should answer him right now."

Richard gave a single nod, pressing the side button to silence the ringing call. "He wants to know whether we’re panicking," he said coldly.

"So let’s give him exactly what he expects," Roxanne agreed.

Together, they walked into Richard’s private office, closing the door behind them. They sat side by side at his desk.

Richard turned his large monitor toward them, and together they began reviewing the damage and news reports Libby had compiled.

Roxanne paused, her hand hovering over the desk. She looked at Richard’s rigid profile. "What do you think is the worst outcome of this meeting?"

Richard exhaled a slow breath, his shoulders slumping slightly under the weight of the moment. "The board could officially vote to ask me to step down as president."

Roxanne’s heart skipped a sharp beat. No. She shook her head fiercely. "We cannot allow them to do that," she said, her voice quiet but resolute.

Richard met her fierce gaze and nodded in agreement.

They reviewed every detail carefully, their eyes glued to the screens.

Roxanne suddenly stopped scrolling. "Richard."

He looked at her, his brows furrowing.

"Look at these articles." She turned the screen toward him. "They were published by three different news outlets, but the wording is almost identical."

Richard’s eyes narrowed, his jaw hardening. "That isn’t a coincidence."

"No," Roxanne shook her head, tapping the screen. "Someone gave the journalists a prepared narrative."

Richard leaned back slowly. "So this wasn’t just Nicholas leaking the pregnancy."

Roxanne shook her head. "It was a coordinated media attack."

The room fell silent at the realization.

Then a quiet knock echoed at the office door. Libby stepped inside, closing the door softly behind her. "Sir, every single board member has entered the main boardroom," she reported quietly.

Roxanne felt her pulse hammering wildly against her ribs, and she could sense the tension radiating from Richard.

Richard stood up smoothly, picking up his dark suit jacket and sliding his arms into the sleeves. He adjusted his collar and looked down at Roxanne. "Are you ready to face them?"

Roxanne stood up, smoothing the fabric of her dress with steady hands. "Let’s do this," she said quietly.

Richard stepped around the desk and wrapped his warm fingers around hers. Side by side, they walked out of the office and down the quiet hallway toward the boardroom. Their fingers remained tightly interlocked, their strides synchronized and firm.

As they drew closer to the double doors, a muffled voice drifted through the wood. The board was already opening the floor without him.

"We all know that we need to make an immediate executive decision regarding Richard’s position as—"

The doors flew open and Richard stepped inside. "Regarding my position as what?" he asked, his brows furrowed, his voice booming across the room.

Every head turned instantly toward the entrance. A heavy silence fell over the long table as the directors stared at Richard and Roxanne standing together at the doorway.

One of the board members stood up slightly from her chair, shaking her head. "Mr. President, you really shouldn’t be—"

"I wasn’t asking you." Richard’s voice dropped into a deadly calm. He turned his attention back to the chairman. "I’m waiting."

The chairman of the board stood slowly, adjusting his suit. "President Vance, you were not invited to this discussion."

Richard’s grip tightened around Roxanne’s hand. "Then perhaps you should explain why you were discussing my position without me."

The chairman’s expression hardened. "Because we are questioning whether you are still fit to lead this company."

Richard’s eyes narrowed as he slowly looked around the table. "Then let’s stop hiding behind closed doors." He walked into the room now, his grip tightened around Roxanne’s hand. "Tell me exactly what you intend to do about it."

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