No Ordinary Love (A Modern Vintage Romance #5)

30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Lucas

T he LPC boardroom was a grand, imposing chamber and a constant reminder of the weight of the family name that bore down on my shoulders. The walls, paneled in rich, dark oak, seemed to have absorbed the echoes of decades—each conversation, every decision carved into the very essence of the company, shaping it into the powerhouse it was today.

A long, polished mahogany table commanded the room, its surface gleaming under the muted light. High-backed leather chairs encircled it, creaking under the strain of the legacy they supported. At the far end, tall windows stood sentinel over Charleston's historic district.

The tension in the air was thicker than the humidity outside. It clung to the edges of the room, curling around the corners like smoke. This wasn't just your everyday board meeting—it was a battlefield. And everyone in the room knew it.

Gene Lombardi, our General Counsel, sat to my left. I knew his expression was neutral as he reviewed his notes. We'd worked to make sure legally Hugh would not be able to pull a rabbit out of his hat or anywhere else.

The man of the hour who used to be like a father to me sat across from me with a confident smirk, his fingers drumming lightly, revealing his impatience, on the table. Kath sat next to him, she tried to look like she was under control, but she was nervous as fuck. You just had to see how she gripped the edge of the table just a little too tightly. As the CFO, she didn't have a vote but was present at board meetings.

Grandma was seated to my right and was reading through some documents, her reading glasses perched on her nose.

The other three board members—Arthur Jenkins, Marjorie Kane, and Michael Donovan—were seated around the table, their expressions going from anxious to unreadable.

Diedra, my Executive Assistant, sat at the far end of the room. She was the only one with an open laptop as she would be taking the minutes. I had warned her that there may be fireworks today and she told me it was high time. She never liked Hugh or Kath. When I'd asked her once why she disliked Kath, she'd simply said, " She's not authentic."

As the meeting's owner, I looked around the room and kicked us off. "Let's get started. We have a full agenda today. Diedra, can you walk us through it?"

Diedra spoke without inflection. "We have three agenda items. First, we have a motion that Mr. Bellamy wants to propose; after that, Kath will run us through the year-to-date financials; and finally, we will discuss the annual kickoff meetings in January."

"The floor is yours, Hugh," I remarked.

Hugh straightened, his sneer growing into a full-blown smile as he glanced around the table. He clearly thought he had this in the bag, that today would be the day he finally ousted me from the company. He probably spent the entire morning imagining Kath in my chair, but what he didn't know—what he couldn't have known—was that his scheme was already dead in the water. Hugh underestimated Grandma and me—and worse than that, he overestimated himself.

"Yes, thank you, Lucas," Hugh began, his voice dripping with false politeness. "I'd like to propose a motion to remove Lucas Covington from his position as CEO of LPC, effective immediately."

Diedra's fingers flew over the keyboard, recording every word.

I leaned back in my chair as I watched Hugh with cold, calculated detachment. "And your reasoning for this motion, Hugh?"

Hugh beamed with malicious delight. "Lucas, while you've made contributions to LPC, it's clear that your leadership has been compromised by personal distractions and a lack of focus on what truly matters—profitability and company growth. Under your direction, we've seen a shift toward burdensome initiatives like sustainability, which, though noble in intent, do not align with LPC's core business interests."

He shot a glance at Kath, who gave him a slight, almost imperceptible nod of encouragement.

Hugh continued, his tone growing more confident. "I've spoken with several board members, and it's clear that a change in leadership is necessary to steer LPC back on course. Therefore, I propose that Lucas step down and we appoint someone with a clearer vision and a focus on driving our profits. Kath has, as you all have seen, demonstrated her commitment and capability as CFO, and I believe she will make a fine CEO."

The room was silent, the tension ratcheting up as everyone waited for the vote. I could feel the eyes of the other board members on me, gauging my reaction. But I wasn't rattled. I'd known this was coming. And what even they didn't realize was that I didn't care—if I were kicked out, I'd be disappointed, but life would go on, and I'd live it fully with Amara.

I calmly glanced around the table. "Let's put the motion to a vote."

Hugh's confidence wavered slightly because he wasn't getting the response from me that he'd imagined. "Yes, let's," he snapped.

I kept my eyes on Hugh, making him squirm with discomfort.

"Those in favor of removing Lucas Covington as CEO, please raise your hands," Diedra said and looked around the room as if counting.

Hugh's hand shot up immediately. But as the seconds ticked by, none of the other board members moved. Arthur, who had been on the board longer than I'd been alive, kept his hands firmly on the table. Marjorie and Michael exchanged a brief look before faintly shaking their heads in what could only be perceived as disgust.

Hugh's face twisted in confusion as he glanced around the table, realization dawning on him like a cold, hard slap. "Arthur? Marjorie? Michael? What the hell is going on?"

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.

The board members nodded, rising from their seats and gathering their things as they left the room. Grandma put her hand on my shoulder and squeezed, which was the most emotional thing she'd done during the entire meeting.

Gene Lombardi, had been quiet, as he had told me he would be unless Hugh went down a legally untenable path. He gave me a brief nod of approval before he followed the others out, leaving only Kath and me in the room.

She looked up at me and licked her lips, uncomfortable as fuck.

"Kath, let's meet in my office in thirty minutes."

"Lucas—," she began, but I shook my head.

"I'll talk to you in a half hour."

When I walked into my office, my heart felt heavy, and I wished Amara were here with me. Just as that thought crossed my mind, her familiar scent drifted through the air. I was convinced my mind was playing tricks on me when…

"Hey."

Amara stood by the tall windows, facing the door.

"You're here," I said dazed. Thank God she was. If I'd started smelling her when she wasn't even around, that was a sure sign I was losing my mind—and I'd need a therapist to deal with that.

We both walked quickly toward each other and met in the middle of the room. I held her close. "What are you doing here, Tesoro ?"

"I wanted to be here."

I dropped my head to rest my face in the crook of her neck and inhaled her scent. The comfort, the affection, the love—it was everything that kept me stable and had been since I met Amara. I had lost sight of that, but I would never make that mistake again.

"You still employed?" she teased, stroking my back.

I chuckled and raised my head. I kissed her then, my lips against hers, feeling like my heart would leap out of my chest.

"Yeah, Tesoro , I am."

She kept holding me, and it was the best thing in the world.

"Don't ever leave me," I whispered, looking into her eyes, desperate to make her understand how much she meant to me.

"Hey," she breathed.

I rested my forehead against hers, and I couldn't stop the tears from falling. I almost lost her; let her go, this love of my life. I knew now what I didn't know then that without Amara, I'd never be happy again.

"Yeah, love."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Thank you." I felt grateful that she'd given me a second chance, that the universe had given me a first, and it almost brought me to my knees. "I love you."

She kissed me; this time, it was more than comfort, more than love and affection; it was sexual, potent.

I groaned softly, breathing hard. All I wanted to do was spread her over my desk and be inside her, my favorite place in the world.

"I love you too." She smiled and wiped my tears. "No more of that. I'm here. You're here."

"Yeah?"

"We're a team, Covington."

I kissed her nose, feeling like the luckiest motherfucker in the world. "The best team I could ever be on." My heart was ready to burst out of me. It was so full.

"I have to go, and you have a meeting." She cupped my cheek. "Diedra let me know that you have to see Kath and Gene in a little bit."

I took a deep breath. "I have to fire her."

"You do?" She wasn't challenging me; she was just curious.

I nodded and told her what went down in the boardroom.

"She never loved you, did she?" she finally said when I was done.

"No, Tesoro , she never did."

She gave me a sad smile. "You do what you have to do. I'll be at home, waiting for you."

And thank God for that!

I kissed her softly, sweetly, because she was the love of my life, and I'd never felt it more strongly than I did right then.