I wanted to talk to you about something. " Viven's expression had shifted to something more serious. The board meeting is next week. They're voting on the Southeast Asia expansion. That's good, right? You've been working on that for months.
It's complicated. There's a faction that thinks we're expanding too fast. They want to slow down, consolidate, play it safe. She leaned against the counter. If the vote doesn't go my way, it could undermine everything I've been building.
What do you need? Honestly, I need to remember why I'm doing this. The company, the expansion, all of it. Lately, it feels like I'm just going through motions because it's what's expected. Ethan pulled her close and she melted against him.
So why are you doing it? Because it's what my father would have wanted. What he spent his entire life building. That's not an answer. What do you want?
She was quiet for a long moment. I don't know anymore. I used to know. When I took over after he died, it was so clear. Make the company bigger, better, more successful.
Prove I deserve to be there. But now, she pulled back to look at him. Now I spend 80 hours a week in meetings and I come home to an empty apartment and I wonder what the point is. The point is whatever you decide it is. You're the CEO.
You make the rules. It's not that simple. Why not? Because there are shareholders and board members and 40,000 employees whose livelihoods depend on me making the right decisions. And what about your livelihood, your happiness?
When does that factor in? She didn't answer. Just buried her face against his shoulder. They stood like that in her sterile kitchen, surrounded by empty takeout containers and the quiet sound of Sophie's breathing from the living room. "I'm tired," Vivien said finally.
"I'm so tired of performing, of being Vivien Hart, CEO, instead of just Viven. " "So, stop performing. At least when you're here with me. " I don't know how. Then learn. We'll figure it out together. They moved to the living room, careful not to wake Sophie, and sat on the floor with their backs against the couch.
Viven leaned her head on Ethan's shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around her. "Tell me about your day," she said. "The real stuff, not the sanitized version. " So, he did. Told her about the van with the mysterious rattle that turned out to be a loose heat shield. About Marcus accidentally ordering the wrong brake pads and having to rush order replacements.
About the customer who tried to argue that oil changes were a scam invented by mechanics to steal money. "What did you tell him? " Vivian asked. "That he was welcome to never change his oil and see what happens. He changed his mind real fast. " She laughed and it sounded lighter than earlier. "I wish I could do that.
Just tell board members they're being idiots and watch them backtrack. You're the CEO. You can do whatever you want. " That's not how it works. Why not? What are they going to do?