Chapter 44: We Are Holding A Vote
Christian’s face went entirely white. "You’re choosing him? You can’t be serious, Roxanne!"
Roxanne didn’t offer him another word. She simply watched as the two guards forced his arms behind his back. As they began dragging him backward out of the dining hall, Richard’s voice sliced through the air.
"Don’t bother showing up at the office tomorrow, Westbrook," he said, his voice ruthless. "You are fired."
"You can’t do this to me! I will sue you! I will sue every single one of you corrupt bastards!" Christian screamed, his voice echoing frantically down the marble corridor until the doors were slammed shut, cutting off his voice for good.
Roxanne slowly shook her head, her eyes burning with hot, angry tears that she refused to let fall.
The silence in the room was heavier now, suffocating and judgmental.
Margaret stood up, her cold eyes locking onto Roxanne like a sniper rifle. "I explicitly told you before we sat down that I would not tolerate a single stain of scandal near my family name," she said, her jaw hardening to stone.
Before Roxanne could even open her mouth to defend herself, Margaret raised her right hand high into the air, looking around the long table. "I officially call for a vote to remove Roxanne Westbrook from the executive board with immediate effect and terminate her employment. Who stands with me?"
Roxanne felt the last trace of warmth drain completely from her face.
"What on earth are you doing, Maggie?" Henry asked, his thick brows furrowing as he stared at his wife.
"What is the meaning of this, Mother?" Richard demanded. His deep voice shook with a dangerous mix of disbelief and anger as he glared at the head of the table.
"I am protecting the name this family spent generations working so hard to build!" Margaret shot back, her chin tilting upward.
"Put your hand down, Maggie. Please," Henry said, keeping his voice low and calm. "This is entirely unnecessary."
"Oh, you bet it is necessary," Margaret muttered, her expression turning stone-cold as her eyes locked onto Roxanne.
Suddenly, a second hand cut through the air. A collective gasp rippled across the dining room.
"I stand with Mother," Nicholas declared. He leaned back in his chair, a smooth, satisfied smirk on his lips. "Roxanne hasn’t even clocked in for her first day, and her husband is already throwing around wild accusations in our dining room. Richard knows the rules better than anyone. No scandals. Period."
Roxanne felt her chest heaving, the air in the room suddenly turning scarce. Her hands trembled beneath the table. She had just fought so hard to win the respect of these executives, and Christian had ruined it all in less than two minutes.
"Besides," Nicholas added, his venomous tone sounding calm. "I don’t believe merit was the deciding factor."
Richard’s jaw clenched so hard a muscle jumped violently in his cheek. "Stop talking nonsense, Nick," he warned through gritted teeth.
"Nonsense? We both know it isn’t nonsense," Nicholas said, looking around the table to gather support. "Has anyone actually stopped to ask why he chose her? How did Richard even know that someone outside the company would be perfect for a high-level directorship?"
"Because as the owner and head of Vance Enterprises, I am the chief talent acquisition specialist," Richard shot back. He kept his delivery steady, but the raw power in his voice leveled the room.
He turned his burning gaze onto his mother. "Ever since I took over the reins from Father, not a single person at this table has questioned my hiring decisions. Why? Because they have always led to massive profits for this conglomerate. I want to know why this choice is any different. Why are you questioning me now?"
"Maybe because you have never looked at a member of your staff the way you look at her," Cara’s sharp voice sliced through the tension. She leaned forward, her eyes flashing with jealousy. "Plus, she is still a married woman. That is a volatile combination for our stock prices."
"Oh, shut up, Cara," Pamela snapped, rolling her eyes in deep annoyance. "This is a private family matter. You have absolutely no business speaking right now."
Cara’s face flushed a violent, angry red. "How dare you—?"
"Stop bickering!" Margaret snapped, her palm hitting the table. "We are holding a vote. Right now. Who is with me? Hands in the air!"
Roxanne’s heart battered against her ribs like a trapped bird. She had finally secured the career breakthrough she had spent her whole life deserving, and now it was slipping through her fingers before she could even get settled into the office. She closed her eyes for a brief second, forcing a slow, deep breath into her lungs to steady her nerves.
Opening her eyes, she looked directly at the matriarch. "One question, Mrs. Vance," Roxanne said, her voice cutting through the noise. "Is this motion a purely professional decision, or is it simply because you do not like me?"
An oppressive silence fell over the massive room. The two hands remained raised in the air, casting long shadows under the chandelier.
Margaret’s face suddenly turned incredibly pale. "As you can plainly see, this is a professional decision," she spat, her composure slipping. "I am simply doing what I have always done. Protecting my family legacy. I will not sit back and let you, or anyone else, destroy the reputation and decades of success we have built."
Pamela let out a soft, mocking scoff. The sound was small, but it echoed loudly in the tense quiet. "If the public actually knew what went on behind closed doors in this family, Roxanne’s marriage would be the absolute least of your worries, Mother."
"Hold your tongue, Pamela!" Margaret snapped, her chest heaving with rage.
"Put your hand down, Maggie. Enough of this drama," Henry said, pressing his lips into a hard, frustrated line. "No executive appointment made by the chief executive will be overturned in the middle of a dinner party. This discussion ends here."
"Are you seriously making excuses for her now, Henry?" Margaret cut him off, her voice laced with disbelief.
"What are you talking about?" Henry asked, his broad shoulders sagging slightly under the weight of the argument. "I am simply telling you the right way to handle this."
Margaret turned fully toward her husband, her lips curling with venom. "You are either standing with me or you are standing against me. If you aren’t going to support me, then I want no more words from you tonight."
She turned back to the rest of the silent room, her eyes wide and fierce. Her gaze drifted over the faces of the shareholders before stopping cold on Roxanne. "Who else is going to stand up with me so we can cut out the problem and move forward?"
The dining room went deathly quiet. The only sound left was the frantic thudding of Roxanne’s own heartbeat echoing in her ears.