Page 98 of The CEO Enemy

“Hold on there. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” My father interrupts, audibly clearing his throat so that everyone is forced to look in his direction. “There’s still a major discussion that needs to be had.”

I’m spared from responding by Daniela, who lets out an exasperated sigh. “I swear, Douglas,” she says in a terse tone, “if you’re going to bring up that Westerlyn chain again, I’m walking out of here.”

You can hear a pin drop. Not only because of Daniela’s forcefulness, but because she called my father by his first name, which she typically doesn’t in an official setting.

Even my father looks taken aback.

“As long as I’m the head of the board of directors,” he huffs, “I have the say on what we do and do not talk about.”

“If that’s the way you want it, then fine, let’s address it,” I say as I meet his glare with a steady look of my own. “I thought my record would speak for itself, but apparently that’s not the case. Need I remind you, that before I took over as CEO, Blackwood profits were dipping? We’ve reported profits across the board consistently for the last five years and continue to grow under my supervision. We could go even further if I was allowed to make decisions on our future.”

“Those decisions fall to me, the head of the board of directors,” my father reminds me, his voice carrying a steely resolve.

“Then maybe we need a new head of the board,” Daniela says.

My father’s eyebrows fly up. He clenches his jaw as he leans on the table, fixing Daniela with a hard glare, then me. I’m surprised as he is but try not to show it. “This is my company, and as long as I sit in this seat, I will be making the decisions.”

“There’s something you’re forgetting. This isn’t a dictatorship, it’s a democracy,” I remind him. “You may have final say, but it’s up to the board as a whole to decide. So let them decide.”

“Sean, do you really want to do this, right now? Do you want to embarrass yourself?”

“Let’s do it right now.”

Regardless of the outcome, I know I won’t humiliate myself by speaking up. I’m going to liberate myself, because if I don’t have their support, what the hell am I still doing here?

“Fine,” my father says, standing up straight and gesturing to the silent people around us. “Let’s put it to a vote then.”

Daniela addresses the board, saying, “All those in favor of Douglas Blackwood stepping down as head of board of directors, please raise your hand.”

The smug look on my father’s face fades fairly quickly.

Daniela’s hand is the first to go up and, one by one, the others follow suit. Some look at me when they do, others stare at the table and avoid eye contact with my father altogether. His confidence is gone by the time the last hand goes up. Nearly every member of the board has voted against him. Only those closest to my father held back. It doesn’t matter. Majority rules.

“Well, that settles that then,” Daniela says.

My father doesn’t respond. His eyes sweep across the room several times before they meet mine. “You can’t do this to me,” he says. “I started this company. I own this company. You can’t just vote me out!” There’s anger in his voice, but there’s another emotion that I didn’t anticipate.

He’s scared.

My father, who’s always been the epitome of a stern, authoritative figure, is actually scared. Seeing that fear in his eyes does something to me. While it doesn’t excuse anything, I realize that the reason why he’s been fighting me so hard, is because he’s terrified. Of what, I don’t know. It could be a number of things. Uncertainty, change, or perhaps even his own vulnerability.

“Apparently the board can,” I say. “As you’ve said many times before, I’m not on the board.”

“…which raises the question,” Daniela interjects, looking at me, “of whether you could potentially contribute your expertise in the future.”

My father is breathing heavily, doing everything he can to keep his composure. “You can’t cast me aside!” he snaps, looking at Daniela and the rest of the board.

“Then back off,” I snap back. “Stop ignoring my advice. You know I have good ideas and you know I have what it takes to implement some positive changes around here. Changes that will be to everyone’s benefit. If you don’t want to be voted off the board, then let me do what I’ve been training to do my whole life.”

There’s a beat of silence, and I know when my father’s shoulders slump that he realizes he doesn’t have a choice. Composing himself, he takes a deep breath and reins in his emotions.

For once, he looks old, older than his sixty-seven years.

“If the board agrees to let my son Sean have a seat in my place,” he says, “then I will acquiesce.”

“We agree,” Daniela speaks up. “I think I speak for the others when I say allowing Mr. Sean Blackwood on the board as head would be in the best interest of Blackwood Inc. as a whole.”

My father doesn’t bat an eye this time.

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