He Wants An Open Marriage? Done!

All eyes remained locked on Richard and Roxanne as they sat motionless at the long table. The air in the boardroom felt heavy, thick with unresolved tension and quiet judgment.

"You cannot just demand something like that from them," Henry’s calm voice cut through the heavy silence, carrying the steady weight of a father and leader.

"We are all simply searching for a viable solution here, aren’t we?" the board chairman replied, giving an indifferent shrug of his shoulders.

"It is far more complicated than a simple PR fix," Margaret added, her refined voice turning firm as she leaned forward. "Marriage is not a decision this board gets to make for them. And as I mentioned earlier, we were already handling our private affairs internally. As a family."

The chairman stood up slowly, pushing his chair away from the table as he buttoned the front of his suit jacket.

"Well, that remains the advice of this board, and frankly, it is the exact outcome we would love to see," he said, resting his hand on the back of his seat. "And Richard, we stand ready to offer whatever corporate resources you need to clean up this public mess with Cara."

Richard offered a stiff nod. "I appreciate the support," he replied quietly. He turned his head to look at Roxanne, searching her face for any signal.

Roxanne kept her gaze fixed straight ahead, staring at a blank spot on the glass wall. She did not meet his eyes. Her throat felt tight, and a faint chill ran across her arms despite the warm room.

"And why exactly do you believe forcing a marriage is the best strategic route?" Margaret pressed, remaining seated as the chairman stood over the table.

The chairman shifted his gaze back to Roxanne, offering her a brief nod before turning his attention back to Margaret. "Because we have already been through one scandal surrounding her," he stated plainly. "This board does not want to view her as a liability to our company."

Roxanne’s heart skipped a sharp beat. She looked up at him, her eyes widening slightly as the words sank in. A liability. Her fears were confirmed. The board was officially framing her presence as a threat to the firm.

She swallowed past the dry lump in her throat, her mind churning. Was she truly ready to tie her life to Richard under this kind of external pressure?

"Richard is an adult who can make his own choices," Margaret remarked, pressing her thin lips into a tight line.

The chairman’s brows pulled together into a subtle frown. "You seem to have far more of a problem with this arrangement than Richard himself, Lady Vance," he noted, his voice dropping into a probing tone. "Is there something you are not sharing with the board?"

Margaret scoffed, turning her head away before looking directly at her son. "Say something to defend yourself, will you, Richard?"

Before Richard could formulate a response, the chairman cut in, looking at Richard with absolute seriousness. "We have observed both women involved in this situation, and Roxanne is clearly the kind of partner this board would proudly stand behind," he said. "Let us be entirely honest here. It is the most professional outcome available. After all, you fought this entire table just to keep her by your side."

"Thank goodness your personal opinion carries zero weight in my family," Margaret murmured under her breath, turning her head so Roxanne caught the sharp glint in her eyes.

The board chairman glanced around the room and gave a final nod to his colleagues. One by one, the remaining directors gathered their folders, stood up from their chairs, and began filing out of the quiet room.

As he reached the double doors, the chairman paused, turning around to lock eyes with Richard once more. "One more detail, Mr. President," he warned, his face hardening into a solemn mask. "We currently have an alternative proposal sitting on the table from an outside party. If this situation deteriorates any further beyond its current state, we may have no choice but to evaluate it. So move quickly, Richard. The clock is ticking."

At those sharp words, Richard and Roxanne immediately exchanged a knowing glance. The silent message was crystal clear.

Riggs Group had already approached key shareholders with a buyout or restructuring offer. If they failed to regain control of the narrative within forty-eight hours, they risked losing control of Vance Enterprises entirely.

"Do not let this board push you into making a life choice you are not prepared for," Margaret’s voice broke the silence the moment the door clicked shut. Her sharp eyes settled heavily on Roxanne.

For a brief second, Roxanne thought she detected a genuine hint of protective concern in the older woman’s words. But the brief warmth evaporated instantly as Margaret’s eyes narrowed into cold judgment.

"You left early yesterday, so you didn’t get to hear the rest of the discussion," Margaret stated, her tone dripping with quiet disdain. "A decision was discussed last night. And if you had simply—"

"That is enough, Margaret!" Henry snapped, his deep voice booming across the empty room as his brows furrowed in anger. "Stop this right now!"

Margaret’s features twisted into open defiance. "Do not try to silence me, Henry. You know how much I despise being dismissed," she argued back, raising her chin. "Someone in this room needs to lay out the plain truth for her."

Roxanne refused to grant her the satisfaction of a reaction. She did not utter a single word or allow her expression to change.

Instead, she slid her chair back smoothly and stood up from the table. She cast a single look at Margaret, then turned on her heel and walked toward the exit. Her steps remained perfectly steady, even as a chaotic storm of doubts battered her mind.

As the door swung shut behind Roxanne, Richard’s jaw locked tight. A deep wave of anger flushed through his chest as he glared at his mother. He stood up abruptly, planting his broad palms flat against the mahogany surface as he leaned over the table.

"I cannot even begin to comprehend how insensitive you can be, Mother," Richard said, his low voice trembling with pure, controlled rage. "I have tolerated your continuous disrespect and disregard toward Roxanne. But no more! Do you hear me? I am completely done with it!" he snapped.

Without waiting for a reply, he turned and stormed out of the boardroom, his footsteps echoing down the hallway as he chased after Roxanne.

Left alone in the grand room, Margaret threw her arms wide in total disbelief. "What on earth did I do wrong?" she asked, looking at her husband.

Henry stood over his seat, pressing two fingers firmly against his forehead as the sound of Richard’s quickening steps faded down the corridor. He looked down at his wife, his eyes filled with a deep exhaustion.

"It is long past time you stopped hiding behind the excuse of protecting our family legacy," Henry said softly, his voice measured but heavy with disappointment. "You need to stop prioritizing your own pride and start caring about the actual well-being of our children. We already lost one son to our rivals, Margaret. If you continue down this destructive path, Richard will walk away from us too."

Margaret’s brows pulled together into a deep crease as Henry turned and walked slowly toward the door, his posture stooped under the burden of their fractured family.

"Henry?" she called out, her voice echoing in the quiet room.

He did not turn around. He opened the door and slipped out into the hall without another word.

Margaret remained seated by herself at the empty table. Her brows creased even deeper into a frown, but after a long moment of silence, she squared her shoulders and gave a small, stubborn shrug.

"I am only protecting my family," she whispered to the empty room.

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