Divorce to Destiny: Reclaiming My CEO Husband

(Winona)

Today isn't just any meeting-it's the meeting. The one where the board either gets behind my vision for the app's future or decides I'm just a placeholder CEO with a famous name.

I step out of the bedroom, grabbing my portfolio from the dresser. Jayden is in the kitchen like he doesn't have a million things to do before he leaves for Brussels.

He looks up as I walk in, his gaze sweeping over me in that slow, assessing way.

"Wow! Stunning. You look like you could fire everyone before they've even said hello," he says, smirking.

I huff, placing my portfolio into my leather briefcase. "I'm considering it."

"Nervous?"noveldrama

I scoff. "No."

He raises an eyebrow. "Winona."

"Fine, I'm nervous. Only a lot," I quip.

Jayden folds his arms. "They'd be idiots not to get behind you. You've already proven it's your priority."

"That doesn't mean they're going to just hand me the budget I need," I counter. "The marketing strategy is aggressive. The rebrand isn't cheap. The amount of money I'm asking them to invest is—"

"Exactly what they need to do if they want to dominate the market," he cuts in. "Winona, you know this industry. You know finance. You know people. Lance wouldn't have you in that chair if you weren't the right person for it." I let out a slow breath. He's right, but that doesn't mean I trust these board members will see it that way.

"Go in with no doubts," he says, his voice firm. "You have the numbers to back you up. You have the research. Don't doubt yourself. You've done the work, no go sell the idea with no hesitation."

He's right. "No hesitation."

Lance did believe in me. That's why he left me this. But he also had a habit of throwing people into the deep end just to see if they'd sink or swim. They didn't all swim. Sometimes, even the right person just isn't ready. "You can do it," Jayden says simply.

I nod. "I need to go."

Jayden catches my wrist before I can grab my bag. His touch is warm, grounding. "Call me after," he says. "Let me know how it goes."

He pulls me into a hug and kisses me gently. "For good luck. Not that you'll need it. But Winona, if you get in there and you feel strongly that it really isn't for you. There's no shame in that, you know?" "I know."

"Me and Global will take you with open arms."

"Thanks, Jayden." I squeeze his hand before pulling away. "I'll call you as soon as I can."

As I walk out, I push everything else to the back of my mind-Jayden leaving, Kit and River starting, Lisa's confusion with Logan, my fall and everything that entailed-none of it matters right now. Right now, I have a board to convince. The rest will still be there later.

***

The boardroom is intimidating as hell, but I walk in like I own the place. Because, literally, I do.

The members are all seated, some offering polite nods, others barely glancing up. I take my place at the head of the table, setting down my portfolio with a decisive thud.

"Thank you for making the time," I say, my voice clear, strong. No hesitation. I've met them all before and I've studied their details.

"Let's get straight to it," Douglas Harrow, the oldest and most traditional member, says, adjusting his glasses. "We've reviewed your proposal for the app's rebranding. It's... ambitious." Ambitious. A polite way of saying 'expensive.'

"It's necessary," I counter smoothly. "The financial market is evolving. If we don't evolve with it, we die."

There's a slight shift in the room. I have their attention. Good.

I click the remote, bringing up the first slide of my presentation. "The current version of the app is outdated, clunky, and struggling to retain users under thirty-five. We're losing market share to newer, sleeker platforms that offer the same services but with better UX design, better branding, and stronger consumer trust."

I move through the slides with precision, laying out every key point-where we're failing, where we can win, and exactly how much it will cost to execute my strategy.

"This is a bold strategy, Mrs. Brennan," one of the women on the board says, tapping her pen against her notepad. "What guarantee do we have that this investment will pay off?"

I don't blink. "No investment is guaranteed. But I do guarantee that if we don't do this, we'll continue hemorrhaging users, and within one year, we'll be irrelevant."

Silence. Some of them exchange looks. Harrow clears his throat. "Your marketing budget is substantial. Why not roll out these changes in phases instead of all at once?"

I shake my head. "Because that's

how you half ass a rebrand. We either commit fully, or we let this app die a slow, embarrassing death. It's lot of money but here are the projections..." I bring up the next slide. "The returns are there Market

research proves this area M

very

profitable right now."

More silence. Then, one of the younger board members, a tech guy named Lewis, nods. "She's right. The app now is useless. This makes sense." That's all it takes. The momentum shifts. I can see it in their faces-hesitation turning into acceptance, acceptance turning into reluctant approval. Harrow exhales sharply, leaning back in his chair. "Fine. You have your budget."

I don't let my relief show. I simply nod. "Good choice."

"Mrs. Brennan, you're the owner, you have the skills, You could finance this. Why even bother with the formalities of a board of directors?"

"Because Lance chose you all, and every employee here. I know he did that for a reason, and I'd be a fool to not to keep things in place. I'm no fool, Mr. Harrow. Thank you all for your time. I'll be here first thing tomorrow morning and I won't let you all down."

The meeting wraps up with formalities, but as I step out of the boardroom, I feel it. The achievement of what I just accomplished. The adrenalin surges inside me.

I did it.

Now, I just have to execute it. But I did it!

I pull out my phone, dialing Jayden as I head along the corridor. He picks up on the first ring.

"Well?" he asks.

I let out a slow breath, a smile creeping onto my face. "They said yes."

The pride in his voice is clear. "Told you."

I laugh. "Yeah, yeah. You were right."

"Damn right I was," he says smugly. "So, how do you feel?"

I glance back at the boardroom doors, then toward the elevator, where my future as a CEO just became very, very real. My company.

"Like the hard work is about to begin," I admit.

Jayden chuckles. "Buckle up, babe. Welcome to the billionaire business club."

He's right. It's different.

But it's amazing.