When I walk into the conference room, the chatter dies. Graham is already seated at the head of the table, Malcolm to his right, both of them looking at their tablets.
Talia sits across from them, her expression more guarded than usual. She glances at me as I take my seat, and I catch something in her eyes. A warning or a show of sympathy.
An ambush.Great.
"Morning, Seamus." Graham's tone is pleasant, but it puts me on edge. "Thanks for coming in on short notice."
I nod, setting my own tablet on the table. "You said it was urgent."
"It is." Malcolm doesn't waste time with pleasantries. "The board met yesterday. Without you."
My jaw tightens. "They can't just do that."
"It was unofficial. But they are worried. Our brand favorability is down six points in the last month," Graham says.
"And?"
Malcolm holds my gaze. "There's a growing consensus that your reputation is doing measurable harm to the company."
"They think I'm incompetent?" My voice is level.
"No," Graham says. "They think because of your past, you're unpredictable."
Malcolm folds his hands on the table. "There's discussion of leadership transition."
The room goes very still.
"Transition," I repeat, but it comes out more of a growl.
"They're exploring replacement candidates," Graham says. "Nothing formal yet. But momentum is building."
My pulse slows. Cold and precise.
Malcolm's pen taps the table. "We argued for time."
Graham nods. "We bought you six months. To stabilize perception. To demonstrate competence. To shift the narrative."
I process this. They didn't throw me to the wolves. Not yet.
"And if nothing changes?" I ask.
Graham doesn't hesitate. "Then they'll move forward."
Graham and Malcolm exchange a glance. It's Malcolm who answers.
"You'd remain with the company in a reduced capacity. Perhaps as a board advisor. But the CEO role would transition to someone the board views as more stable."
I'm CEO. And I have a majority of the shares in the business. But if they argue I'm hurting the company, they could replace me.
They have the votes. They have the leverage. My father built this company, and I've spent six years rebuilding what my reckless twenties nearly destroyed.
Losing it now is unacceptable.
I lean back in my chair.
Six months to fix a reputation that took years to build and seconds to unravel.
Six months to prove I’m not the reckless man I used to be.
