I Married My Chaebol Rival to Keep My Company novel · Chapter 6 of 24

Chapter 6: The Board Call

The Yeoun boardroom had a long table of black glass and nine chairs.

Gi-cheol sat at the head, in Do-yoon's grandfather's seat.

He had moved into it eleven days after the funeral, and nobody had objected.

"Do-yoon-ah," Gi-cheol said warmly. "How glad I am you could join us. And Jae-wook-ssi, welcome, welcome. A guest."

"A husband," Jae-wook said.

He pulled out the chair beside Do-yoon and sat down.

Then he took Do-yoon's hand under the table and laced their fingers together.

He did it without looking at Do-yoon.

His palm was warm and dry, and it stopped the shaking in Do-yoon's hand.

"We have a motion," Gi-cheol said. "In view of the chairman's unusual will, the board must decide something."

He smiled around the table.

"Can Yeo Do-yoon keep the presidency of this division while married to the heir of our biggest competitor?"

Most of the faces looked at the table.

Two looked at Do-yoon.

One of them was Ji-ho, standing against the wall with a tablet, as white as paper.

"He means to remove me," Do-yoon said quietly to Jae-wook.

"He means to try."

"If the motion passes tonight, he takes over both the board and my division. In two weeks I'm out."

"Then we won't let it pass."

"There are nine votes. The motion needs five, and five are his on paper."

"Then we only need to turn one." Jae-wook squeezed his fingers. "Look at Ji-ho."

Do-yoon looked at the wall.

Ji-ho caught his eye, gave the smallest nod, and held up one hand with the fingers spread.

Five.

Ji-ho had phoned every proxy holder on the list in the last forty minutes.

He had turned one of Gi-cheol's votes.

Do-yoon had always believed he was the only one in his family who did the sums.

He stood.

"My uncle is right that there's a conflict," Do-yoon said. "I'm married to the man who has beaten me at everything for six years."

A few people shifted in their seats.

"That's the only reason I trust him."

"Hwan Jae-wook has never lied to me, never tried to buy me, and never told me I was good when I wasn't."

"Do-yoon," Gi-cheol said, gently.

"Call the vote."

The vote came in with four in favor of the motion and five against.

The motion failed.

Gi-cheol watched it come in with no change in his face, and only his thumb moved against his knuckles.

"Interesting," he said at the end. "How very devoted."

"Yes," Jae-wook said, rising beside Do-yoon. "It is. Goodnight, uncle."

He said the last word.

In the lift, Do-yoon leaned his head against the cold glass and shut his eyes.

His heart was racing.

"You told them I was right for the job," he said.

"I told them the truth."

"You held my hand."

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