Chapter 8
926words
When I walked into the executive boardroom as the majority shareholder, jaws dropped around the table.
The same executives who had fawned over Nathan while treating me like wallpaper now sat with bowed heads, silent as church mice.
"Effective immediately, I, Iris Harrington, am assuming the position of Chairperson of Cosmos Technology."
I surveyed the room, not bothering to hide my contempt.
"As for Mr. Nathan Miller," I paused for effect, "he no longer holds any position within this company, nor will he have any input on business decisions."
My announcement hit like a bomb.
The boardroom erupted into chaos.
"I object!" One of Nathan's loyal VPs shot to his feet. "Mr. Miller has given everything to this company. You can't just toss him aside!"
I fixed him with an icy stare. "By virtue of the sixty percent shareholding now in my possession."
I slammed the equity documents onto the table with a crack that silenced the room.
"I run Cosmos Technology now. Anyone who objects is welcome to submit their resignation. I won't stand in your way."
My steel-cold resolve froze everyone in place.
The VP's face darkened to a mottled purple, but he sank back into his chair, defeated.
One public execution was all it took.
Over the next few hours, I systematically purged Nathan's allies from the company, replacing them with my own carefully selected team.
By the time I walked out of the building, night had fallen.
Susan waited in her car, flashing me a thumbs-up as I approached.
Word reached me that Nathan had confronted Vivian, resulting in a spectacular mutual airing of dirty laundry.
Both ended up at the police station for disturbing the peace.
Nathan was exposed for adultery and misappropriation of funds.
Vivian was revealed as a con artist who'd committed paternity fraud.
The officers handling the case couldn't believe the soap opera unfolding in their precinct.
By morning, their sordid drama dominated the front pages.
The public devoured every salacious detail.
Cosmos Technology's stock plummeted, triggering circuit breakers.
The market vultures circled, certain Cosmos was finished.
That's when I called a press conference as the new Chairperson.
Facing a wall of cameras and microphones, I stood composed in a crisp white power suit.
"Good afternoon. I am Iris Harrington, Chairperson of Cosmos Technology."
"Regarding the recent publicity surrounding Nathan Miller's personal affairs, I express my regret. However, these matters concern his private life and have no bearing on Cosmos Technology's operations."
"I am announcing today that Cosmos Technology has completed its internal restructuring. Nathan Miller no longer holds any position within the company. Operations continue uninterrupted, and all projects remain on schedule. Furthermore, our next-generation AI system 'Skynet' will revolutionize the industry and usher Cosmos Technology into a new era of innovation and growth."
My speech hit all the right notes—distancing the company from Nathan's scandal while strategically revealing our game-changing Skynet project.
By closing bell, our stock had not only stabilized but begun climbing steadily upward.
The market realized that without Nathan Miller, Cosmos Technology wasn't weaker—it was stronger.
And I, once dismissed as merely "Mrs. Nathan Miller," emerged overnight as the new queen of Silicon Valley.
No one dared look down on me now. No one whispered about my family troubles.
They saw only a formidable businesswoman steering a tech empire through turbulent waters.
A week later, a haggard Nathan Miller appeared at my office.
Gray streaked his hair, his eyes were dull, his once-confident posture now stooped and broken.
"Iris..." His lips trembled, his voice a raspy shadow of its former self.
"Mr. Miller," I corrected him coldly, "you'll address me as Chairperson Harrington."
He flinched as if slapped, a bitter smile twisting his lips.
"Chairperson Harrington," he mumbled, his proud head bowed, "I have nowhere to go. Vivian cleaned out my accounts. I'm broke—homeless."
"That sounds like a personal problem."
"Nathan Miller." I rose and approached him, each word precise as a scalpel. "Remember when you said Cosmos succeeded because of your genius? That the Harringtons were just your stepping stone?"
"Well, this stepping stone is done being walked on."
"As for Andy—your son—he'll soon have a new father. One a hundred times the man you are. And you will never see him again."
My words shattered what remained of his composure.
He crumpled to the floor, sobbing like a lost child.
I stepped around him without a second glance.
This man would never again be part of my story.
As for Vivian Woods, rumors said she'd fled to Myanmar with Nathan's money, searching for her long-lost Ryan Thompson.
She found no trace of him and vanished into the country's shadowy underworld.
Months later came whispers of a heavily made-up hostess in a seedy Myanmar casino who bore a striking resemblance to her.
Everyone who had hurt Andy and me had reaped what they sowed.
A year later, under my leadership, Cosmos Technology's IPO shattered records, its market cap soaring tenfold.
Skynet revolutionized the tech landscape, and I graced Time magazine's cover as the "Mother of Skynet."
At the award ceremony, I brought Andy as my date.
Under the spotlights, he wore a miniature version of my outfit. No longer the timid, frightened boy, but confident and bright-eyed.
He squeezed my hand and whispered, "Mom, you're such a badass."
I smiled and ruffled his hair, my heart melting.
I looked down at him as he gazed up at me, the future stretching bright and limitless before us.
A brilliant tomorrow that belonged to us—mother and son—alone.
