Page 83 of No Ordinary Love

Arthur cleared his throat, leaning forward slightly. "Hugh, I'm afraid I can't support this motion. Lucas has proven himself as a capable leader, and while we may not agree on every decision he's made, I believe his vision is what's best for LPC."

Marjorie nodded. "I agree. Lucas's leadership has taken LPC in a direction that ensures not just our profitability, but our reputation and legacy as well. I stand behind and with him."

Michael, who was a pragmatist, added, "Lucas's made some tough decisions, and they've been the right ones. I won't vote to remove him—which is what I told you when we spoke the last time about this."

"Careful, Mike—"

Michael cut him off. "No, Hugh. You can't blackmail me into doing what you want. I talked to my wife last night, and she knows about my affair. Put that in your pipe and fuckin' smoke it, asshole."

Hugh's face turned a deep shade of red, his hand dropping back to the table as he realized the vote wasn't going his way. He'd thought he'd convinced Arthur and Marjorie and thought to bring Michael to heel by threatening him.

Kath went pale as she watched her father's plan unravel in real time.

Grandma, the Chairwoman of the LPC board, leaned forward slightly, her voice carrying a note of finality. "The motion to remove Lucas as CEO has been rejected."

Hugh's eyes flashed with fury as he looked from me to Grandma and then to the board members who had betrayed him. "This is ridiculous. You're all making a huge mistake."

I remained calm, leaning forward slightly as I addressed the board. "Since we're on the topic of leadership and the best interests of LPC, I'd like to propose a motion of my own."

Hugh's eyes narrowed, suspicion creeping into his expression.

"I'm proposing the immediate removal of Hugh Bellamy from the LPC board," I said, keeping my tone cool and detached—I wasn't about to give that prick the satisfaction of seeing any emotion. "His actions today were driven by personal vendetta, not the company's best interests. His continued presence on the board is a conflict of interest, given his repeated attempts to undermine LPC's leadership."

The silence in the room was deafening, and the tension was so dense it was suffocating. I kept my gaze locked on Hugh, watching as anger and disbelief played across his face.

"Let's put it to a vote," I said, my voice hard.

Grandma immediately raised her hand. Arthur, Marjorie, and Michael followed suit, raising their hands in unison. It was a swift, decisive vote that left no room for interpretation.

Hugh's face was frozen in shock and humiliation as the reality of his defeat sank in. The board had turned against him, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"The motion to remove Hugh Bellamy from the LPC board has passed," Diedra announced, her voice cold and final.

"Effective immediately, Hugh, you are no longer a member of this board," Grandma's tone was bland, like she was reading a weather report.

Hugh's chair scraped against the floor as he stood abruptly, his face contorted with fury. "You'll regret this, Lucas," he spat. "You'll all regret this."

He stormed out of the room, his footsteps echoing in the silence that followed. Kath remained seated, her hands trembling slightly as she stared down at the table. She knew what this meant for her, too.

I took a deep breath, letting the tension drain from my shoulders. It was done. Hugh was out, and the company was safe—for now.

"Thank you all for your support," I addressed the board. "Let's continue with the next agenda point. Kath? Can you walk us through the financials?"

Kath looked at me then, her eyes wide, fear riding in them. "Ah…I…I'm afraid I'm not prepared."

I nodded. "Diedra, can you set up a shorter board meeting for December so we can review the year's finances and the budget for next year? Would that be okay for you, Kath?"

She continued to sit like a statue. I didn't blame her. She knew that by siding with her father on this, she'd sealed her fate in the company.

"Kath?" Diedra prompted.

Kath looked at my EA and nodded, her eyes immediately falling to her hands that lay limply on her lap.

I then turned to the others, and we discussed how we would kick off the coming year.

The board was professional, and we continued our meeting as if the unpleasantness with Hugh had been forgotten. I knew it wasn't, but the show, as they said, had to go on.

When we were done with all our discussion, I concluded the meeting.

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