Chapter 30 Step Down
Rapheal's POV
The night ended with the both of us coming to an agreement that she's going to take her time and think about it.
I woke up to the shrill piercing of the alarm cutting through my sleep. At first, I tried to ignore it, burying my head deeper into the pillow, desperately clinging to those last precious moments of slumber.
But the caller on the other end refused to let me have some peace of mind, the ringing persisting with an almost vindictive reason.
When I finally reached for the phone, the voice on the other end was clipped and businesslike.
"Board meeting starts in ten minutes. Be sure to be present."
That was it. No greeting, no pleasantries, no acknowledgment that they were calling at an ungodly hour. Short and instructive, as if I were some school boy being summoned to the principal's office rather than the founder of this entire enterprise.
The line went dead before I could even respond.
I lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling, feeling the familiar weight settling onto my chest. Board meetings with the Board members are always tense, a carefully practiced session of wicked criticism and thinly disguised challenges to my authority.
And the tension multiplies tenfold, becoming almost suffocating, especially if Claudine is present. Her sharp eyes miss nothing, her questions cut to the bone, and her presence alone seems to fill the room with an unspoken judgment.
But this is my company. I built this from nothing, from late nights and maxed-out credit cards and a vision that no one else believed in. I can't be scared of them, I told myself, even as anxiety gnawed at my insides.
In less than ten minutes, I had thrown on whatever clothes were closest, skipped breakfast, and was already on my way to the office. Another day of sitting at the head of a table surrounded by people who seemed to take quiet satisfaction in reminding me how weak I was, how incompetent I appeared in handling the affairs of the company that I built with my own two hands. The irony wasn't lost on me, but that didn't make it hurt any less.
“You're late!”
The almighty Claudine said, as I sat on the seat of the CEO.
“I know, I wasn't aware of any board meeting. This is impromptu,” I said to her, my voice above a whisper.
“And you call yourself the CEO?”
It wasn't a question for me to answer, so I decided to remain quiet while we waited for other people to join us.
Just then Damien walks in with his PA, walking slowly as if he owns the company.
“You accused me of being late a few seconds ago but your son is just coming in, walking as if he owns this company,” I said.
Upon hearing this, Damien spuned around, his expression changed slightly.
Holding a document with one hand, his other hand in his pocket, he walked up to me, his sharp gaze seeming to pierce through me.
“What do you mean by that?” he asked.
“I said what I said, Damien. You're late!”
Damien frowned, "And you think you're any better?”
He smiled. “Need I remind you that your stay in that seat isn't for a long time.”
I wasn't ready to back down in the face of challenges, I stood up immediately staring at him.
“And need I remind you that this company isn't yours, yes you might have some shares which results in you becoming a board member but that's it.
“And don't think I'll sit around and watch you and your mother take away what's rightfully mine,” I concluded and sat down.
After the meeting finally came to an end, two unhealthy hours of charts, projections, and barely concealed disapproval, I thought I might finally escape. I was already gathering my notes, mentally preparing for the solitude of my office, when I noticed that some of the other board members weren't moving. Instead, they lingered by the conference table, exchanging glances that made my stomach drop.
"Do you have a moment?" Richard asked, his tone carefully neutral. It wasn't really a question.
I nodded, setting my laptop back down with hands that I hoped weren't visibly shaking. Marcus closed the door with a soft click that somehow felt deafening in the suddenly quiet room. The two of them positioned themselves across from me, and I could feel my heart hammering against my ribs.
Richard cleared his throat, a gesture I recognized as his way to deliver bad news.
"You have been a very good businessman and a competent CEO," he said, his eyes fixed on mine with an intensity that made it impossible to look away.
There was something almost pitiful in his gaze, which somehow made everything worse.
I waited. That "but" was coming; I could feel it hanging in the air between us like a guillotine blade.
"But we are the board members," he continued, gesturing to Marcus beside him in a motion that felt rehearsed, practiced.
How long had they been planning this conversation? Days? Weeks? "And we have responsibility to this company and its shareholders."
Marcus shifted his weight, and I caught the uncomfortable expression that flickered across his face. At least he had the decency to look uneasy about this ambush.
Richard pressed on, his voice taking on that measured, reasonable tone that people use when they're about to turn your life upside down. “
We've been deliberating for some time now, and we've decided that it would be in the company's best interest if you were to step down from the CEO position. We'd like someone with a fresh perspective to take your position."
He paused, perhaps expecting me to interrupt, to argue, but I found myself frozen, unable to form words.
"Of course, we're not asking you to leave the company entirely," he added, as if this were some generous concession. "You'd be made the Managing Director. You'll still have significant influence, and still be involved in day-to-day operations."
The words washed over me in waves. My company. The business I'd built from absolutely nothing, nurtured through impossible odds, sacrificed relationships and sleep and sanity for—and now they wanted me to step aside? To be demoted in my own house?
I managed to find my voice, though it came out rougher than I intended. "Who?" It was all I could manage.
The two men exchanged another glance, and I knew, even before Richard opened his mouth again, that I wasn't going to like the answer.
“We’ve decided that you step down for someone to take your position, while you're being made the MD,” he said.