He Wants An Open Marriage? Done!

"No! You can’t just do that," the board chairman barked, slamming his palms onto the table as he lurched half out of his chair.

Henry turned his gaze slowly toward the older man. For a second, the skin between his eyebrows puckered, a rare flicker of hesitation crossing his weathered face, but he didn’t utter a word.

"You cannot just dismiss this meeting without answering a direct question, Henry," the chairman pressed, his knuckles turning white as he refused to back down. "That is not how this board operates. You owe every single person in this room an explanation."

For a fleeting breath, Henry’s harsh expression softened. He looked almost defeated, as if the heavy weight of the secret was finally tearing through his armor.

Roxanne’s eyes darted sharply between both men, the air in the room so thick and suffocating that it felt hard to swallow.

Then, the moment broke.

Henry stood abruptly, the heavy leather chair screeching backward against the floor. "Then I will excuse you all," he said, his voice flat.

"Father, you can’t just walk out on us like this," Richard pleaded, surging to his feet as well. He stared at his father, his chest heaving, his tone desperate for the old man to see reason.

Henry didn’t look at the rest of the room, only at his son. "Well, I can. And do not argue with me, Richard. This is for the best."

"With all due respect, Mr. Vance, it is absolutely not for the best," the head of the legal team interjected. He leaned forward, his voice clipping the air cleanly. "What will make this salvageable is for you to tell us exactly what happened. If you give us the truth, we can actually build a defense and control the narrative before the press tears us apart."

A heavy silence fell over the room as every head turned back to Henry. Under the glare of the recessed lights, his eyes flickered, looking genuinely conflicted for the first time.

"It’s the only way, Father," Richard urged softly, trying to soothe the tension. "We have to do what is necessary to stop the bleeding. We can still save our name. We can still protect this family."

Beside him, Margaret let out a sharp exhale, her fingers twisting her pearls as she shook her head. "I told you we should have sent her far away, but you wouldn’t listen," she hissed, casting a bitter glare at her daughter. "Now, look at this. I told you Pamela would eventually ruin this family."

"Me? No, Mother!" Pamela shrieked, her voice frantic, completely unraveled. She looked around the table, her chest heaving as panic took over. "I didn’t tell him anything! That video was clearly doctored. Besides, I was completely wasted. No one in their right mind would take my word for it. He was manipulating me, putting words in my mouth!"

"You are truly unbelievable," Cara muttered under her breath, staring down at her lap and shaking her head in pure disgust.

Pamela ignored her, throwing her gaze across the table toward the head of legal. "Please, tell them that video won’t hold up in court. Tell them I’m right! Everything I said in that room means absolutely nothing."

The chief of legal let out a slow, tired sigh and shook his head. "It depends."

Richard’s brow furrowed, his eyes narrowing. "What does that mean? What exactly does it depend on?"

The lawyer leaned forward, propping his elbows on the polished wood and locking eyes with Pamela. "It depends on whether there is an actual, physical record of whatever Pamela was trying to hint at. If an official trail exists," he paused, letting the silence stretch tightly over the room, "then her words will be treated as an admission of knowledge. A testimony. Drunk or not."

A wave of frantic whispers instantly rippled across the table.

Richard pressed a palm hard against his forehead, blocking out the light. Roxanne felt her own heart hammering violently against her ribs, the adrenaline turning the tips of her fingers icy cold.

"There has to be a way around this," Roxanne said, her voice cutting through the murmurs as she stared at the legal counsel. "There has to be a way to contain this."

The lawyer nodded slowly, his eyes shifting from Roxanne back to the patriarch. "Yes, Roxanne, you’re right. There is a way."

A collective, audible breath of relief washed through the room. Even Henry paused, slowly lowering himself back into his seat to listen.

The head of legal focused entirely on Henry. "You need to tell us exactly what transpired, or at the very least, give us proof of your innocence. If you cooperate, we can act proactively and scrub this mess. The absolute last thing this corporation needs is the police knocking on our doors, because if your arrest goes public, and it will, this company spirals completely out of control."

Richard looked over at Henry, who was now sitting with his face buried in his palm. "Do you want to say something now, Father?"

The room held its breath. Dozen of eyes locked onto the old man, waiting for the dam to burst.

Henry slowly dropped his hand, exhaled a long, heavy breath, and shook his head. "No."

Richard stared at him, utterly defeated, before turning a desperate look toward his mother. "Mother, please talk some sense into him. We need to move right now."

"Pamela mentioned her name, too," Roxanne pointed out, shifting the pressure. She looked directly at the older woman, shrugging her shoulders calmly. "If Henry isn’t willing to tell us what he’s hiding, then maybe she can."

Margaret snapped her head toward Roxanne, her eyes flashing with pure annoyance. Folding her arms defiantly across her chest, her posture went rigid. "I have absolutely nothing to say to you," she clipped out, instantly turning her gaze away to look only at her husband.

Henry let out a weary sigh and stood up for the final time, pushing his chair back into the shadows. "We’re leaving, Maggie," he murmured, his voice sounding older, drained of its usual power. "I need to rest."

Margaret gave a tight nod. She pushed her own chair back and immediately looped her arm securely through Henry’s, anchoring herself to him as they stepped away from the table, leaving the rest of the board to drown in the silence.

"Mr. Vance, if you leave this room without answering, I have no choice," the head of legal said.

Henry stopped, his brows furrowing. "What choice?"

"As chief legal officer of Vance Enterprises, I will have to notify the regulators myself," the head of legal declared.

The entire room froze.

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