"What? You think you can fire me?"
"Is there a problem with that?"
Beulah charged toward me, jabbing a finger inches from my nose.
"You're an uneducated nobody who can't do anything on her own! The only reason this company has any results is because you ride on other people's talent. And you have the nerve to fire me?"
She was practically screaming, every word shrill enough to echo off the conference room walls.
The shareholders glared at me with undisguised contempt, as if I were the ungrateful one, a woman with no vision and no business being in charge.
I faced them all and smiled instead of getting angry.
"Every single one of you loves to brag about your degrees from top universities. So why are you acting this stupid right now?"
The room erupted. Shareholders shot to their feet.
"Henson, what the hell is that supposed to mean?"
I let the corner of my mouth curl upward. "This woman says something, and you all just swallow it whole, is that it?"
"If Beulah Finch were really as capable as she claims, why would she settle for being a secretary?"
I thought that would be enough to make them see reason. I thought Beulah would back down.
Instead, she played her trump card. She brought up my fiancé, Terry Gilbert.
"The only reason I stayed at this company was for Terry." Her voice softened, dripping with false sweetness. "He sponsored my education abroad. Now that I've graduated, it's only natural I come back to repay him."
Then her finger swung back toward me.
"Henson, you may be the CEO, but don't forget: the other half of the shares belong to Terry."
"Unless he personally fires me, no one has the right to let me go."
The tension in the room snapped. Whatever thin veneer of professionalism remained dissolved, and every word that followed carried a blade.
The shareholders nodded along, one after another, siding with her.
I shook my head and let out a quiet laugh. This was supposed to be the company's senior leadership?
Every major contract this company had ever landed, I'd negotiated myself. Beulah Finch had stood behind me during those meetings, contributing nothing. The only reason I'd brought her along at all was because she spoke some English and French.
And now she was using that French to prop herself up, to prove her value.
I almost laughed out loud.
"Beulah, I'm warning you one last time. If you insist on clinging to this position, I don't mind—"
Before I could finish, the conference room doors slammed open.
"I'd like to see who dares fire her!"
The roar cut through the room. Every head turned.
"Mr. Gilbert!"
Those voices, falling over each other to greet him, were a slap in the face meant for me.
Deep down, none of them had ever respected me. To them, I was just an uneducated woman who'd never set foot in a university. It didn't matter that I'd built this company from the ground up. In their eyes, I had no standing whatsoever.
Terry Gilbert strode in, his gaze cold and dismissive as it landed on me.
"Was Beulah wrong? If you insist on firing her, who's going to take responsibility for the losses this company suffers?"
His voice hardened. "Olive, don't forget. You don't run this company alone."
The shareholders rallied behind him instantly.
"That's right! The tide that lifts a boat can just as easily capsize it. If you insist on firing Secretary Finch, don't blame us for what comes next!"
The voices piled on, one after another, a chorus of condemnation. I didn't flinch.
Beulah, emboldened by Terry's presence, turned on me with even more venom.
"You hear that, Henson? I'm something you could never measure up to."
"This isn't about you firing me anymore. The truth is, this company doesn't even need you."
She sauntered over to Terry's side, a thin, poisonous smile spreading across her face.
"Mr. Gilbert, I think it's time you made a choice."
Terry looked at me. Slowly, his expression shifted into something eager, almost excited.
