Chapter 98 Retirement
Aiden
“I’m tired,” Sarah Lancaster said at last. “I want to retire.”
The words landed softly, but they sucked all the air out of the boardroom.
For a moment, no one spoke. The hum of the air-conditioning suddenly felt louder, intrusive, like it didn’t know it was interrupting something important. I leaned back in my chair slowly, watching my mother’s face for any sign that this was a joke, or some dramatic threat she planned to retract.
She didn’t look like she was joking.
“Retire?” I repeated, narrowing my eyes at her. “Just like that?”
She met my gaze calmly. Too calmly. That was how Sarah Lancaster always looked when she had already thought ten steps ahead of everyone else in the room.
“Yes,” she said. “Just like that.”
Caleb shifted beside me, his jaw tightening. I could feel the tension rolling off him in waves. Ever since the day he came back without Elsie, something had cracked between us, and it never healed. I still couldn’t explain it, but the timing gnawed at me every time I thought about it.
Elsie wouldn’t just disappear.
Not without a word. Not for seven years.
And yet, she did.
“Who’s going to take your place?” I asked, my voice sharp. “Please don’t tell me you’re thinking of handing everything to this dumbass.”
I gestured lazily toward Caleb.
He shot me a glare that promised violence later.
Things had been sour between us ever since that day. I couldn’t shake the feeling that he knew more about Elsie’s disappearance than he let on. No phone call. No message. No trace. Just gone. And Caleb had returned with excuses and silence.
Mum exhaled slowly. “First of all, watch your mouth.”
I didn’t respond. I kept my eyes on her.
“Secondly,” she continued, “it’s not up to me alone.”
Caleb straightened in his seat. “What does that mean?”
“Of course,” Mum added smoothly, “my recommendation will weigh heavily when the final decision is made. But there is a process.”
“A process?” Caleb echoed. “Out of the three of us, you know I’ve put in the most work. I’ve practically lived here.”
“You have,” Mum agreed easily. “And no one is denying that.”
That answer didn’t soothe him. It made him suspicious.
“But,” she continued, folding her hands together, “the board of directors has forwarded the name of another prospective contender for the role.”
The room shifted.
Caleb’s expression hardened instantly. “What?”
“The investors are satisfied with the recommendation as well,” Mum said mildly, like she was discussing the weather.
Caleb stood so abruptly that his chair screeched against the floor.
“What the hell are you talking about?” he demanded. “Who wants to take over what I’ve spent years building? From me?” His voice rose, echoing across the glass walls of the boardroom. “I’ve slaved for this company. I’ve bled for it. And you’re telling me someone else gets to walk in and take it?”
“No one is throwing you out,” Mum said calmly. “You will still have a place here.”
Caleb laughed, sharp and humorless. “Working under them?”
“Yes,” she replied without blinking.
The silence that followed was thick.
“Who is it?” Caleb asked, his voice vibrating with anger. “Who’s this person who thinks they can snatch control of TitanCrest from our family?”
Mum smiled.
It wasn’t warm. It wasn’t cruel. It was controlled.
“MedLyn is family.”
“Who?” Caleb barked.
Mr. Thomas, one of our senior managers, cleared his throat. “MedLyn Lancaster,” he said carefully. “That’s who you’re referring to, correct?”
“Yes,” Mum confirmed. “She’s done an excellent job expanding TitanCrest into the IT sector. TitanCrest Solutions has become a recognized name among Silicon Valley firms in California, largely because of its leadership.”
That got my attention. We do not have any female family member called that name, but we certainly aren’t the only family with the Lancaster name across the states.,
I sat up straighter, suddenly alert. Across the table, Jacob lifted his head too, interest flickering across his face. The mention of MedLyn’s name seemed to unsettle Caleb even more than the announcement itself.
“Why haven’t I heard of her before?” Caleb muttered, his voice low but edged.
“You’re too focused on what’s directly in front of you,” Mum replied. “That’s not a flaw. You’ve been laser-focused on strengthening our construction dominance. But TitanCrest cannot afford to stay in one lane.”
She leaned forward slightly.
“Innovation matters. Expansion matters. We’re looking for adaptability, not just control.”
Mr. Thomas nodded. “Diversification is what keeps companies alive long-term.”
“She’s never even been to headquarters,” someone else chimed in.
“No,” Mum said. “She’s been building a base in Los Angeles. That was intentional.”
“I heard she’s young,” Mrs. Anabas added, her tone curious rather than dismissive.
“Yes,” Mum replied. “And brilliant.”
Caleb didn’t say anything. He just stood there, fists clenched, his face locked into something cold and unreadable. I’d known my brother long enough to recognize that look.
He wasn’t listening anymore.
“When does she arrive?” Mr. Thomas asked. “I’d very much like to meet her.”
“She’ll be here next week for an official board meeting,” Mum said. “We’ll also arrange a dinner that evening. Informal. It will give everyone a chance to get acquainted.”
“Will family be invited?” another manager asked. “My daughter could use inspiration. Someone like MedLyn would be good for her.”
Mum smiled faintly. “Of course. MedLyn was among the top graduates of California State University. She values education.”
That landed like a final blow.
Caleb’s chair toppled backward as he turned away, dragging a hand through his hair. I watched him, trying to decide whether I felt sympathy or satisfaction.
Maybe both.
For seven years, he’d acted like TitanCrest belonged to him already. Like he was untouchable. Like none of us could see the cracks forming underneath his obsession with control.
And now, someone else had stepped into his blind spot.
I leaned back, crossing my arms.
Whoever MedLyn Lancaster was, she had just changed everything.
And for the first time in a long time, I felt something close to anticipation stir in my chest.