"Lily would kill me if I said no. She's already planning what space fact she'll teach you next. And you?" "I stopped being afraid of scary things when I had to watch my wife die." Daniel said simply.
"Reporters and internet trolls don't even make the top 10. So, yeah, I'm willing." The emergency board meeting convened at 7:00 a.m. on Monday. Victoria sat at the head of the table in Hale Tech's 42nd floor conference room, facing eight board members whose expressions ranged from concerned to furious. Thomas Brennan, the board chair and an early investor, led the assault.
"Victoria, we need to address the elephant in the room. This relationship is creating serious concerns about your judgment and the company's public image." "My personal life isn't a board matter." Victoria replied calmly. "It is when it affects shareholder value." countered Jennifer Moss, representing a major institutional investor.
"Our stock price dropped 2% on Friday. Investors are questioning your stability, your focus. The narrative is that you're having some kind of breakdown. The narrative is tabloid speculation." "My work performance hasn't changed."
"Actually, it has." Thomas said, pulling out printed calendar reports. "You've declined three major investor meetings in the past 2 weeks. You left the office at 6:00 p.m. twice last week. You attended my goddaughter's school event and had dinner with friends.
Victoria interrupted. Novel concepts, I know. Don't be flippant. This is serious. You're right.
It is serious. Victoria stood, walking to the wall of windows overlooking Manhattan. For 12 years, I've given this company everything. Every waking hour, every decision, every piece of myself. I built Hail Hale Tech from nothing into a $3 billion enterprise.
I've delivered 32 consecutive quarters of growth. I've never missed a deadline, never bungled a negotiation, never let you down. She turned to face them. And now you're telling me that because I've started spending time with another human being, I'm suddenly unreliable? That having a personal life makes me unfit to lead?
No one's saying you're unfit, Jennifer said carefully. We're concerned about optics. About the message it sends when our CEO is publicly involved with a building maintenance worker. It raises questions about judgment, about about class, Victoria finished. Let's be honest about what we're actually discussing.
You'd have no problem if I were dating a CEO or a venture capitalist or someone from our social stratum. The issue is that Daniel Brooks fixes elevators for a living. The room went silent. Thomas cleared his throat. The Singapore partnership is at a critical stage.
We need complete focus, complete commitment. Perhaps, once that deal closes, no. Victoria said flatly. Excuse me? No.