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All right, so we weren’t all in the dark about this.

“We don’t have a successor chosen yet, and I demand one be named with the announcement. Retract it until we have done so.”

The entire call goes silent.

“Marcus, in case you have forgotten, I’m not retired yet, and I still call the shots around here. A successor is ready to run King Enterprises. I have made my choice. If anyone has a problem with it, they can come to me.”

His statement shocks me. If he was going to be this firm on how everyone reacted to his choice, why didn’t he say this sooner? Like before Grace and I decided to fake a relationship sooner.

“Who is it?” Bash asks when Dad doesn’t go on. He’s been staring at Marcus, challenging him to reply.

Shockingly, he keeps his mouth shut.

“Preston King will fill my position.”

Marcus lets out a fuck that can be heard loud and clear through the computer, while the others nod and either wait for my dad to say more or they start taking notes.

“I think I can speak for all of us when I say that he has proven himself more than we expected over the last few years, especially the last couple of months. While no leader is perfect, Preston will be exactly what this company needs to continue its success.”

“I have concerns,” Marcus says quickly.

Of course he fucking does.

“Let’s hear them now.”

“When will the role be transferred?”

“Late spring to early summer.”

“Will positions within the board shift?”

“No.”

“Will that be a clause in the transfer?”

“No. Once Preston takes the lead, positions will not shift within the board. He will, however, have full discretion on who remains on the board.”

“That’s bullshit,” Marcus snaps.

“Watch it,” my father says. “I can remove you now, and it would be a shame to lose your job based on something this petty.”

“Petty! This man is unpredictable. He is dating one woman one day and engaged the next. He takes on companies only to give them back to the owners. That doesn’t move us forward. And let’s not forget that he is not here. He has been working remotely. How long does he plan to do that? Are we really to expect the new CEO to work out of state completely? When does he plan to return? Hell, when does he plan to get married? Everyone is so obsessed with his commitment, and yet, he hasn’t even set a date.”

“Listen, I⁠—"

“Let’s set aside the decision of Preston’s personal life. Although we understand your concern, when he chooses to get married has nothing to do with the company,” Anthony says, and my father nods.

“However,” Anthony goes on, “we do agree that the CEO position would be best run by someone who is here full-time. Remote will work when necessary, but this is something I would like an answer for as well.”

I didn’t plan to go back to LA full-time. I have been able to run everything from here with zero problems. I didn’t think that would be an issue if they named me CEO. All everyone talked about was my failure to show commitment. Nothing was said about where I chose to do the work.

“I hear you,” I tell them. “I will come back when I am needed, but as of right now, I don’t have a date for a full-time return.”

The call goes silent.

“Preston.” My father sighs. “I’m afraid I agree with the board on this one. We need you here.”

I nod.