He Wants An Open Marriage? Done!

"How can you even suggest something so ridiculous?" Margaret demanded, her chest heaving against her blouse as she stared at her son in disbelief.

Richard casually leaned back in his chair, his broad shoulders shifting. "I’m just stating the obvious, Mother."

"To be honest, I agree that we need to examine the source of this leak," Henry said, his calm tone cutting through the escalating hostility. He adjusted his watch, looking around the table.

"The Vance name has remained untarnished for decades, despite every corporate storm we’ve weathered. Whoever released that video knew exactly the kind of damage it would cause. That person is the one who should be stripped of their seat and investigated for corporate espionage. They either have zero regard for this family or they are actively feeding our competitors."

A wave of low, uneasy murmurs rippled through the board members.

"No one at this table is responsible for the leak," one of the senior attorneys from the legal team interjected, looking up from his files. "Our initial intelligence confirms that her husband, Christian Westbrook, distributed the footage to the media outlets."

Roxanne shook her head, her voice steady despite the adrenaline surging through her veins. "Christian didn’t act alone. Someone in this very room handed him that video because they saw how volatile and desperate he was at the dinner. They fed his anger and instructed him to blackmail me with it, all to force me out of Vance Enterprises."

The murmurs grew louder, accompanied by sharp frowns from several executives.

Roxanne slowly scanned the faces around the table, her gaze tracking past the hardened expressions of the board members until it locked onto Pamela.

For a fleeting second, Pamela looked entirely blameless, her wide eyes reflecting nothing but innocent concern. But the digital footprint didn’t lie. Her number was on Christian’s log. She had initiated the contact. Unless Richard had made an error, the real viper was sitting right there.

"Even if you despise me," Roxanne said, her voice quiet as she stared directly into Pamela’s eyes, "you should have considered how this would affect Richard’s reputation. You should have cared about the company’s valuation."

Pamela’s perfect brows pulled together into a tight, injured frown. "I haven’t the slightest idea why you’re looking at me and making these wild accusations, Roxanne," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "Do you honestly believe I had something to do with this nightmare?"

Roxanne offered a cold, humorless shrug.

The room went dead silent. A dozen eyes pivoted to Pamela, waiting for her defense.

Pamela let out a short, incredulous laugh, shaking her head. "I would never dream of doing something so vile, not for your sake, but for Richard’s," she said, leaning forward with fierce intensity. "Do you have any idea of what my brother means to me? Do you know how many times he has protected me, how many times he’s saved me? I know I’m carefree, and sometimes I’m reckless, but I would never, ever betray Richard like that."

Roxanne tilted her head, watching the performance. The raw emotion in Pamela’s voice was staggered, beautifully timed. If Roxanne hadn’t seen the call logs with her own eyes, she might have actually believed her.

Across the table, Margaret let out a harsh, dismissive scoff. "Stop deflecting and start taking accountability, Roxanne. This disaster is entirely your fault."

Roxanne turned her attention back to the matriarch, exhaling a slow, deliberate breath. "Mrs. Vance, I have immense respect for your poise, your wisdom, and your years of experience. Right now, I am asking you to set aside your personal dislike for me and look at the facts logically. Do it to save the legacy you are so desperate to protect."

Margaret’s jaw tightened, her posture turning to stone.

"Someone at this table is actively trying to dismantle the Vance empire from the inside," Roxanne pressed, her voice echoing in the quiet room. "And that person, Mrs. Vance, is not me."

A heavy silence descended upon the room. For a handful of agonizing seconds, Roxanne thought she had finally pierced through Margaret’s iron exterior.

Then, Margaret leaned over the table, her eyes burning with icy resolve. "You are entirely correct about one thing. I am only focused on saving this family and the empire we built," she whispered, her voice laced with venom.

"And the very first step in that process is purging you from this company. We detach ourselves from the filth you and your pathetic husband brought to our doorstep. We tell the media you coerced Richard into hiring you, or we claim a rival firm planted you here as a saboteur. I will do whatever it takes to ensure the blade falls squarely on your neck."

"That is not happening," Richard intervened, his voice crashing through the room. He shifted in his seat, his massive frame radiating authority. "No one is going to make Roxanne the scapegoat for this. Not while I am here."

"And why on earth not, Richard?" Margaret snapped.

Richard looked squarely at his mother, then swept his gaze across every stunned face at the table. Beneath the bright chandelier, he took Roxanne’s hand, lifting it up and locking his fingers tightly through hers in plain view of the entire board.

"Because I love her," he declared.

Collective gasps echoed around the room, executives shifting uncomfortably at the raw, unscripted confession.

Yet, amidst the sea of horrified expressions, one person was smiling. Pamela. She looked genuinely ecstatic, her eyes bright with apparent joy for the couple.

Roxanne stared at her, her brow furrowing slightly as a chill ran down her spine. Give the woman an Oscar. She is magnificent.

"Roxanne is staying," Richard continued, his grip on her hand solid and unyielding. "I don’t care how many videos are leaked or what the media prints. She isn’t going anywhere. So you all better start brainstorming an actual solution, because as long as I am running this enterprise, Roxanne stays right beside me."

Suddenly, the quiet was broken by the sound of rhythmic clapping. Pamela was grinning broadly, applauding them enthusiastically. As the entire room turned to look at her in stunned disapproval, her hands slowly dropped, and she offered an apologetic, muted shrug.

"If that is your decision, Richard, then perhaps it’s time this board began discussing your replacement," Nicholas said smoothly.

The air in the room froze completely.

Richard didn’t flinch. A slow smile spread across his lips, his gaze locking onto his brother’s with confidence. "You are more than welcome to try, Nick. I’m looking forward to watching you fail."

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