Chapter 133 The Decision That Changes Everything
Chapter One Hundred and thirty Three
Valenticia’s POV
I walked into the boardroom with my heart beating too fast. Everyone was already seated. Some of them avoided my eyes. Others stared at me like I was a problem they needed to get rid of.
The chairman cleared his throat. “Valenticia, we will get straight to the point.”
I sat down slowly. “Go ahead.”
A woman from the finance team spoke first. “Your name being tied to Stefan’s lawsuit has caused a sharp decline in our stocks. Investors are panicking.”
Another added, “Partnerships are pulling back. They don’t want to be involved in a scandal.”
One of the older board members leaned forward. “There are rumors spreading that your emotional life is affecting your leadership. This is damaging the company’s future.”
I clenched my jaw. “My emotional life is none of the board’s business. And I haven’t failed any of my duties.”
The chairman cut me off. “This is not personal. This is about public image. The market reacts to perception.”
My stomach twisted. “So what exactly are you saying?”
A man in a gray suit replied calmly, “Unless you stabilize your public image immediately, we will have no choice but to consider temporarily removing you from your role as CEO.”
My chest tightened hard.
I leaned forward. “You want to push me out because of someone else’s lies?”
“It’s not what we want,” the chairman said. “But the company cannot survive another week of this pressure.”
My hands shook under the table. Losing Nona already broke something inside me. Now they wanted to take my company too?
I swallowed hard. “Fine. I will handle it.”
“We expect an update in twenty-four hours,” someone said.
I stood without waiting for the meeting to end. I left the boardroom fast, trying to keep my breathing steady. But as soon as I stepped into the hallway, I stopped and pressed a hand over my chest. Everything felt heavy and wrong.
I whispered to myself, “I can’t lose this too… please…”
I walked outside the building, needing air. The moment I breathed out, a calm voice spoke behind me.
“You’re falling apart.”
I turned quickly.
Lucas stood there like he had been waiting for me. His expression didn’t match the chaos I was living in. He looked steady, controlled, and too observant.
I frowned. “What are you doing here?”
“I knew they would pressure you today,” he said. “I knew they would threaten your position.”
My hands were still shaking. “Lucas, I don’t need you predicting my life.”
“You do,” he replied. “Because right now, you’re standing on a breaking floor.”
I looked away from him. “My company will be fine.”
He stepped closer. “Val, you are tied to a lawsuit. Investors see you as a liability. Competitors are waiting to take advantage of your weakness. Your board doubts you. And you are grieving.”
His words stung because they were true.
He continued, “If you don’t act fast, you will lose control of your company within days.”
I turned around fast. “I know what’s happening. You don’t need to remind me.”
He didn’t flinch. “Then listen to the solution.”
I glared at him. “No. Not this again.”
“Yes,” he said calmly. “Because it is the only solution that gives you protection strong enough to repair the damage.”
I shook my head. “I’m not entering a contract marriage with you.”
He crossed his arms. “If you marry me, even contractually, the narrative changes instantly. You are no longer in Stefan’s story. The media focuses on our marriage instead. Investors stop panicking. The board regains confidence in you.”
“I don’t want to marry you,” I snapped.
“You want to save your company,” he replied. “And that requires a clean public image.”
I opened my mouth to argue again, but my phone buzzed. I pulled it out and saw a new message from the board.
Board Message:
Voting session scheduled.
Proposal: Temporary removal of Valenticia Dykstra as CEO until public reputation is restored.
My heart dropped.
My hand shook as I read it again. Then again.
I whispered, “They’re actually doing it…”
Lucas watched me quietly. “You expected this. You just didn’t want to believe it.”
I stared at the message.
My breath was uneven.
My vision blurred for a second.
I whispered, “I built this company. This is all I have left.”
Lucas stepped closer, lowering his voice. “And that is why you cannot afford to lose it.”
I looked up at him, feeling my throat tighten. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because you need help,” he said plainly. “And I am offering it without emotion. Just logic. Just strength. Just stability. Something none of the men around you can give you right now.”
I shook my head. “I can fix this without—”
“Can you?” he asked. “When the media is against you? When Natasha is targeting you? When Stefan’s scandal keeps growing? When the board is preparing to remove you?”
I looked away, biting my lip as my chest burned with panic.
He stepped even closer. “A contract marriage with me resets everything. The board cannot remove you. Investors return. The narrative changes. You survive this storm.”
I covered my face with both hands. “Everything is happening too fast…”
Lucas didn’t touch me. He just stood there, steady and sure. “Valenticia. Look at me.”
I lowered my hands slowly.
“When you are cornered, you don’t collapse,” he said. “You make a move that turns everything around.”
I swallowed hard. “This shouldn’t even be happening.”
“But it is,” he answered simply.
I took a slow breath.
My grandmother was gone.
My heart was tired.
My name was being destroyed online.
My company was slipping away.
And my world was falling apart piece by piece.
Lucas looked into my eyes, unblinking. “If you want to keep the life you built, you need a shield stronger than this chaos.”
Everything inside me trembled as I closed my eyes slowly.
And then I whispered the words I never imagined I would say:
“…I’ll think about the contract marriage.”