CHAPTER 32 +25 BONUS LARRY I couldn't look her in the face . She was depriving me crazy and thus was beyond anything I could take . " L - Larry , " she tried calling me . I ignored her and continued walking ahead . There's no way she's going to convince me otherwise because if things escalate beyond this then I'm not going to let this go lightly . " Larry . Can you please listen to me ? " I turned around . My jaw clenched as I looked at her with pure anger on my face . " What was that ? What's that nonsense you displayed in the court , huh ? " She started crying . " I ... I didn't know what came over me . I just don't like the way everyone's trying to put the blame on me and my hormones must- " " Dont try to pin this on the baby , Brandy , " I cut in . " You knew exactly what you were doing and you knew the consequences behind this so don't try to drag into this . " " The driver is going to take you home . Don't try anything funny , Brandy . I expect you to just go home and leave all this to me . I'm going to handle it myself . " She nodded slowly . I alerted the driver and didn't leave the spot until it was out of sight . Then I started feeling a throbbing headache in my head . It was killing me slowly , wondering how I was going to solve this . " Are you okay ? " Jack Came in front of me . I didn't know what to say . I wanted to yell loudly and inform him that my brain is raging in my head and I didn't know what to do about it . Instead , I took a deep breath and nodded . " You don't have to worry about me , Jack . I would be fine , " I answered . He looked nervous , like he wanted to tell me something but was kind of hesitating too . " What's wrong , Jack ? Spill the beans , " I urged . He was anxious . " I didn't want to say anything , considering how you reacted but things have already escalated and we need to return to the office stats . " I took a deep breath , mustering enough courage to hear the news . " What's going on , Jack ? " He replied , " The board of directors knows about it and your presence is requested . There's an emergency meeting . " " Fuck , " I cursed . I decided to control myself , not wanting to scare Jack any further . I nodded in response and gestured for him to lead me to the car . We drove to the company in silence . I didn't say a single word the whole ride . My mind was a mess . My chest felt heavy , and my head was pounding like a drum . Jack kept glancing at me through the rearview mirror , but I ignored him . When we arrived , I stepped out of the car and fixed my suit jacket , even though my hands were shaking . The building suddenly felt like a mountain I had to climb . I hated this feeling . Jack walked behind me as we entered the elevator . He pressed the button for the top floor . The whole ride up , I kept thinking of what I was going to say to them . What excuse could I give ? What could I possibly say to make them understand ? When the elevator doors opened , I saw them already waiting inside the big boardroom . All of them . Every single member of 1/3 A Try Fall Out +25 BONUS the board . Their faces were serious . No smiles or greetings , just cold , angry eyes staring straight at me . " Good afternoon , " I said , trying to sound calm . No one replied . I sat down slowly in the chair at the head of the table . Jack stood behind me like a shadow . I cleared my throat and forced a little smile . " I know why we're here , " I began . " And I want to make it clear that this situation is being handled . The video ... the incident at the mall ... it's unfortunate , yes , but it's not what people think . " One of the directors , Mr. Collins , leaned forward . " Not what people think ? Larry , the company is all over the news . Our stock price dropped this morning . Clients are calling . Investors are threatening to pull out . And you're telling us it's not what people think ? " I swallowed hard . " It's a misunderstanding . Personal issues- " " Personal issues that went public , " another director , Mrs. Grant , cut in sharply . " You let a private scandal turn into a circus . You stood there and allowed a woman to falsely accuse someone , in public , and it's all over social media . Do you have any idea what this is doing to our reputation ? " A clenched my fists under the table . " I'm fixing it , " I said firmly . " We already held a press conference . Brandy apologized . Maya accepted . It's going to die down soon . " " Die down ? " Mr. Collins almost laughed . " Larry , the press conference made things worse . Marvin - the man who was with Maya - threatened to sue you in front of cameras ! Now the media is reporting a possible lawsuit on top of the scandal . This is a disaster . " I felt my jaw tighten . " I'll talk to him . I'll handle it . " " No , " Mrs. Grant said coldly . " You won't . " I blinked . " What do you mean ? " She looked straight into my eyes . " We had a vote before you came in . And the decision was unanimous . " My heart skipped . " What decision ? " Mr. Collins leaned back in his chair and folded his arms . " Until this case is resolved and the public mess dies down , you are suspended from your position as CEO . " The room went silent . I froze . For a few seconds , I didn't even breathe . I just stared at them , thinking I heard wrong . " You ... you can't do that , " I said finally , my voice low . " We can , " Mrs. Grant said . " And we already have . Effective immediately . " I felt something break inside me . My chest felt tight . My hands were trembling under the table . " Do you know what you're doing ? " I asked slowly . " Do you have any idea what this will do to the company ? " " What it will do ? " Mr. Collins raised his brow . " Larry , this is what you did . Your poor decisions got us here . The company will survive . But for now , you need to step back before you destroy everything . " My throat went dry . I looked around the room , searching for even one friendly face . There was none . They were all against me . Jack shifted uncomfortably behind me , his eyes filled with pity . I wanted to argue and fight . To tell them they were making a mistake . 2/3 A Try - Far Out But what could I say ? They had already decided . And just like that , everything I worked for ... everything I built ... was slipping through my fingers . +25 BONUS 3/3