The buzz around my appointment as acting CEO was translating into growth for the company, and my influencer status was skyrocketing. But today, I was at my wit's end. The executive meeting was turning into a shouting match, with directors and shareholders at each other's throats.
Numbers, projections, and egos clashed louder than reason itself.
I leaned back my chair at the head of the table, watching them tear at each other like hyenas in suits. For weeks I've endured it, the subtle tests, the whispers behind my back, the patronizing tones. But today, my patience frayed to its last thread.
Leaning slightly toward my right, i whispered to the man seated beside me.
"Zach... how long is this meeting supposed to go on for?"
Zachary Hale, my new secretary, didn't flinch at my tone. Calm, composed, with his ever-present notebook in hand, he leaned closer to me discreetly. His voice was low, smooth, and utterly unshaken by the chaos around us.
"Technically, until order is restored and an agreement reached," he murmured. His eyes flicked briefly over the bickering men at the table, then back to me. "But if you permit me, Miss Saints, I can end it in five minutes."
His words were measured, respectful, but there was a quiet steel beneath them.
The arguments raged on, none of the directors noticing the quiet exchange between me and my trusted aide.
With a sigh, I turned my gaze to the boards of directors and shareholders, still bickering, and then I raised my voice, biting out the words, "Quiet!!! All of you!!"
The room fell silent, all eyes on me. "You all have been bantering and arguing, and yet none of you have come up with a solution." I scanned the room, my eyes landing on one of the directors. I pointed at him. "You there."
He looked straight at me, a mix of surprise and curiosity on his face. "Do you have an idea on how we can counter the stakes and move up the company's profit by 10 percent?" I asked him, my voice firm and expectant.
"Well... I uh..." he cleared his throat, fumbling with the pen in his hand. "I suppose we could... perhaps review the quarterly budget allocations, maybe cut some overhead..." His voice trailed off as he realized how flimsy and unprepared he sounded.
The room, once filled with thunderous argument, was now heavy with silence.
Every pair of eyes followed my lead, waiting, half in awe, half in fear of what i'd do next.
The silver-haired director's face flushed red as he avoided my eyes, unable to give a concrete answer.
Across the table, another shareholder coughed nervously, fiddling with his tie. "Miss Saints... if I may," he began cautiously, "with a more aggressive marketing push and diversifying our partnerships, it is possible to aim for a 10% growth margin. But it would require decisive strategy and unity at this table."
The way he said it, decisive strategy, was almost a challenge. As if daring me to prove i had the steel for it.
The silence stretched again, thick and expectant.
I chuckled, a hint of amusement dancing in my voice. "He says to cut some overhead... you say to diversify our partnership, and to make things more interesting... you want an aggressive marketing push." I said with a grin, my eyes scanning the room.
But my expression turned serious, a stern frown etched on my face. "Perhaps you all think me foolish," I said, my voice low and measured, the words hanging in the air like a challenge.
The directors froze after at my outburst, exchanging wary glances. The man i'd singled out, face red, collar tight against his throat, shifted uncomfortably in his chair, clearly regretting ever opening his mouth.
Another, a lean shareholder with sharp glasses, tried to salvage the silence. "N-no, Miss Saints, of course not... we didn't mean to imply foolishness. We were only... weighing options." His words stumbled, weak, barely holding together.
A younger board member, ambitious but nervous, muttered just loud enough to be heard, "She has a point. We keep circling the same ideas quarter after quarter..." He trailed off the moment an older colleague elbowed him, warning him to shut up.
"If this board cannot provide a solution, then perhaps you should consider why you hold these seats at all." I say
The silence thickened, pride and fear colliding in the room. Some directors dropped their eyes, others bristled at my words, but none dared raise their voice again.
"I'll give you all one more week" I say and close the file in front of me which zach removes "if I still don't get a good strategy in one week, I'll have cats and children in 4th grade filling your positions" I say and Stood up to leave
Chairs scraped as several directors shifted uneasily, the weight of my words sinking deep.
The silver-haired director's mouth opened as if to protest, but the warning look from another shareholder silenced him instantly. A nervous cough broke from the younger member who'd dared to support me earlier, though in his eyes lingered something else, admiration.
One of the more seasoned shareholders cleared his throat, his voice tentative. "U-understood, Miss Saints. We'll... ensure you have the strategies you've requested."
No one dared argue. No one dared even mutter.
Zach, moved with calm precision, sliding the files into his leather portfolio. His expression remained unreadable.
As i walked out, the heavy doors of the boardroom shut with a decisive thud, leaving behind a room full of directors who, for the first time, realized the balance of power had shifted.
They had come expecting to test me. Instead, they'd been tested.