"You're also the reason this scandal exists," Brandt shoots back. "Your choices, your lifestyle, your judgment. That's what gave Armand the ammunition to orchestrate this entire operation."
The real argument underneath all the diplomatic language. I made choices they disapprove of, therefore I deserve what happened.
"My private life is exactly that," I say, voice going cold. "Private. Legal. Consensual. The fact that my uncle violated that privacy doesn't make my choices wrong. It makes his actions criminal."
"Simone," Henry cuts in before Brandt can respond. "The board needs to remember that the FBI explicitly stated you were the victim here. The surveillance was illegal. The monitoring station was criminal. Everything Armand did violated federal law. We're not going to second-guess Simone's legal private activities when she's the one who was victimized."
"Henry, no one's suggesting Simone invited this," Patricia says, still using that sympathetic tone. "But we have to be realistic about the optics. Conservative investors are pulling back. Media coverage is focusing on the lifestyle angle as much as the criminal case. We need to ask ourselves whether this is sustainable for Simone or the company long-term."
"It's sustainable. And it's not open for debate," I say.
"Then we'll reconvene early next week to discuss the board's path forward," Voss says quietly. "Simone, you've made your position clear. We'll be in touch."
"I'll be here." I keep my voice professional despite the rage building underneath.
The call ends. I close my laptop and stare at it for a long moment.
They can't force me out. I own the majority of shares. But they can make my position untenable. Refuse to support initiatives. Resign from committees. Leak to investors. Make every decision I make a battle until running the company becomes impossible.
Patricia working every angle, Brandt calling my judgment into question, the fence-sitters calculating which way protects their own interests. Henry's working to counter the pressure but I can feel how coordinated this is.
The FBI arrested Armand. Put him on national television.
And they're still trying to force me out.
Luc appears in the doorway. "How bad?"
"Board wants me to step down voluntarily. Patricia's making her play as the stable alternative. Several members want me gone." I lean back in my chair. "Henry's countering the pressure campaign but it's going to be a fight."
"You going to fight?"
"Yes." The word comes out harder than I intend. "I'm going to fight. I'm not letting Armand win by stepping down now."
He moves behind my chair, hands resting on my shoulders. "Good girl."
I lean into the pressure, let his touch ground me. "I'm exhausted, Luc. I need to fight. I can't back down. But I'm so fucking tired of fighting."
His hands dig into my shoulders, not gentle. "Too bad."
The bluntness hits like cold water.
"You don't get to be tired yet. Armand's in custody. Patricia's making moves. They're pushing for your resignation." His grip tightens, possessive and demanding. "You quit now, everything we did was for nothing."
I reach up, cover one of his hands with mine. "What if the pressure works? What if they make it impossible for me to actually run the company?"
"Then they show everyone what they are." His voice goes flat. Cold. "A board willing to sabotage their own CEO because they're uncomfortable with her private life. That follows them. That sticks."
He's not promising I'll win. He's promising they'll regret trying to bury me.
An email notification pops up. Henry again.
Patricia just sent board members a memo titled "Leadership Transition Framework." She's outlining how smooth the transition would be, emphasizing her experience, positioning herself as already prepared to step in. We need to counter this. Working on it now. Stay strong. Henry
"Patricia's already writing transition memos," I tell Luc. "She's that confident I'll step aside."
"Or she's trying to make it look inevitable so you fold." He turns my chair so I'm facing him. "Don't give her that. She can't force you out. Make her work for every inch."
He's right. I can't control whether the board tries to sabotage me. But I can control how I fight, how hard I make them work for it, whether they have to own their actions publicly.
