PART 13:

She looks like her mother. Exactly. He paused. Every single day, Victoria was quiet for a moment. Her hand moved just slightly to rest on her own stomach. The gesture was unconscious. He noticed it and said nothing because some moments don’t need language. Three days later, Sandra Okafor called Ethan directly. He was at Marcus’s kitchen table.

He’d been staying there since a photographer had camped outside his building for 36 hours. And leaving felt less like retreat and more like basic sense. Marcus had said obviously when Ethan asked and moved Ethan’s stuff into the guest room without discussion, which was why Marcus had been his closest friend for 15 years.

The insider trading complaint has been withdrawn. Sandra said, “Officially, the anonymous complainant declined to provide documentation when we issued the subpoena.” A pause. Interestingly, the IP address of the original submission traces to a device registered to a personal assistant employed by Margaret Sterling. Ethan sat back. So, it was her.

Officially, we can’t prove that. Unofficially, Sandra left the word there. Your employer has been notified. You’ll be reinstated Monday. Full back pay, no record. And Margaret Sterling. That Sandra said carefully is a conversation for Victoria. He called Victoria within the minute. She was in a car.

He could tell by the background acoustics and the slight delay. That meant she had someone else present. Sandra called you, she said. Not a question. Yeah. Good. A pause. My mother made a mistake. She went after your job, which created a legal paper trail. Her voice was precise and quiet. She is not accustomed to making mistakes. What does this mean for you? For the two of you? A careful silence.

She called me this morning before I heard from Sandra. Another pause longer. She wanted to discuss terms. Terms. She is willing to acknowledge the situation provisionally in exchange for certain assurances about how the relationship is managed publicly and what role she has in decisions regarding the child.

Victoria’s voice was completely level. She is trying to negotiate a position in a situation she has lost control of. What did you say? I told her that the child is not a boardroom asset and that I don’t negotiate with people who fabricate criminal complaints against my family. A pause. And then I told her that if she would like a relationship with her grandchild, she will need to start by apologizing to you directly in person.

Ethan stared at the wall across from him. Victoria, she won’t do it immediately. That’s not who she is, but she will do it. a certainty in her voice that was quiet and absolute. Because I know my mother and underneath everything she’s done, she does not want to lose access to this family. She just needed to understand that the terms are no longer hers to set. He absorbed that.

Let it settle. You doing okay? He asked. I’m in a car on the way to a shareholder briefing where I will spend 90 minutes reassuring people that I am still capable of running a company while 20 weeks pregnant. a dry, tired pause. I’m outstanding. He almost smiled. You are actually a beat.

Something softened in her voice just slightly. Don’t be charming right now. I’m trying to stay sharp. Go be sharp, he said. Call me after. I will. A pause. Ethan, the shareholder meeting. Some of what comes out today might be they’re going to ask about the personal situation. My team has prepared a statement, but there will be press after.

It could be another wave. I know. I wanted to warn you, Victoria. He kept his voice steady. I am at Marcus’s kitchen table eating leftover pizza and waiting for you to call me after your meeting. I’m not going anywhere. A silence warm somehow. leftover pizza, she said. Cold from 2 days ago. That is objectively terrible. It’s outstanding.

He said, “Call me after.” She did. 2 hours and 40 minutes later, just after 6. Her voice was a different kind of tired, not the depleted kind, the kind that comes after you’ve given everything. And the thing held. It went well, she said. “Better than expected. the lead shareholder, Hendrickx, the one who’s been on the board since the company’s founding. He spoke before I did.

He talked about his own wife who ran a company in the ‘9s. He talked about what she faced and then he said she stopped. He could hear her breath. He said that a woman who runs this company while navigating what Victoria Sterling has navigated in the last 2 weeks demonstrates exactly the character he wants leading this organization.

Ethan was quiet for a moment. “Hriris,” he said. “Yes, the one you were worried about.” “The one I was most worried about.” A pause. He came up to me afterward. He shook my hand. He said, “She stopped again.” When she continued, her voice was careful controlled holding something in. He said, “Congratulations about the baby.

👉 [Tap here for the Next Part ] 👈