Chapter 8
Eight
ZOE / VICTORIA
Madison, bless her enthusiastic heart, was already guiding me to an empty seat at the far end of the table.
The sharp click of my heels against the floor echoed in the silence like a countdown to my doom.
I felt the weight of every stare—the board members’ mixture of surprise and curiosity, Sophia’s wide-eyed wonder, and Jason’s intense gaze that made me feel like I was the most interesting puzzle he’d ever encountered.
“I’ll just…” I gestured vaguely as I sank into the chair, trying not to wince at how loud it seemed when I pulled it out. Sam took up her position behind me, her tablet ready like a shield.
A distinguished-looking man to my right leaned over and whispered, “We’ve never had a spouse attend a board meeting before.” He sounded impressed rather than disapproving, which somehow made it worse.
“Oh, you know me,” I whispered back, fighting the urge to fan myself under Jason’s continued stare. “Always… breaking new ground.”
“Please.” Jason’s voice held a hint of amusement that made my stomach do a backflip. “Continue with your presentation, Miss Reeves.”
I watched Sophia gather herself, tucking a perfect auburn curl behind her ear—exactly like the book described—and launch back into her report.
Meanwhile, I tried very hard to look like someone who belonged in a board meeting and not like a romance novel reader who’d accidentally crashed her own story.
Jason took control of the presentation again, his commanding presence making every PowerPoint slide look like a work of art.
“Our green energy initiative,” he explained, while I nodded so enthusiastically I probably looked like a bobblehead, “will revolutionize how we approach sustainable technology.”
An efficient-looking woman I didn’t recognize stood near Jason, changing slides with military precision while Sophia chimed in with market research numbers, her sweet voice somehow making statistics sound poetic.
I tried not to visibly swoon at how perfectly this matched the book’s description of her “unique insight into business.”
Wait—who was the older woman with the tablet? The book never mentioned… No, focus Zoe. You’re here to observe Sophia, not solve the mystery of Jason’s surprisingly extensive support staff.
But then the questions started.
“The implementation costs?—”
“The market isn’t ready?—”
“Traditional methods are more reliable?—”
I watched Jason’s jaw tighten as he fielded each objection with practiced patience. Sophia’s confidence wavered, her perfect posture wilting slightly under the barrage of doubts. Even the efficient-looking woman with the tablet looked concerned.
My heart raced as I recognized this scene—the pivotal moment where everything went wrong.
These board members, these stubborn dinosaurs, would vote against the green energy initiative.
Their short-sightedness would cost Everett Corporation billions in lost opportunities, sending their stock plummeting and spooking investors.
Richard Hayes—Victoria’s manipulative father—would use this failure to destroy Jason’s reputation, nearly bankrupting the company.
I remembered the gut-wrenching chapters that followed: Jason’s spiral into depression, the divorce, the ruthless media coverage orchestrated by Richard Hayes.
It would take months before a brilliant business idea from Sophia would help save the company, but by then, the damage to Jason’s personal life would be irreparable.
“If I may”—a particularly pompous board member adjusted his glasses—“this seems like an unnecessary risk. Our current energy solutions?—”
Something in me snapped. I couldn’t let this happen.
Not when I knew the green energy market would explode within months, not when I knew how this decision would destroy Jason’s life.
The Victoria in the book had been nowhere near this meeting, too busy planning her next social event to care about her husband’s company crumbling. But I wasn’t her.
“Oh my God, are you kidding me?” I was on my feet before my brain could remind me that Victoria Everett didn’t typically burst out in board meetings. “It’s not rocket science, people. Though actually, some rocket science might help you understand basic progress.”
The room fell silent. Sam made a small choking sound behind me.
“Look.” I grabbed a marker and marched to the whiteboard, my heels clicking with righteous indignation. “Let me break this down like I’m explaining it to a five-year-old. Though they’d probably get it faster because children actually believe in the future.”
I drew a quick diagram, aware of Jason’s intense stare burning into my back. “Traditional energy is like using a typewriter. Sure, it works, but do any of you still write your emails on one? No? Then why are we still acting like clean energy is some crazy sci-fi concept?”
I whirled around, jabbing the marker at the stunned board members.
“While we’re sitting here debating, China is investing over one hundred billion dollars annually in renewable energy.
They’re not doing this because they’re tree huggers—they’re doing it because they know that’s where the money is.
Even Saudi Arabia—yes, the oil kingdom itself—is pouring billions into solar projects! ”
More diagrams flew onto the whiteboard as I channeled every late-night documentary I’d binged.
“Europe’s already leading the charge. Germany gets over forty percent of its power from renewables.
Denmark’s hitting fifty percent. And here we are, acting like green energy is some distant future when it’s literally happening right now. ”
“But the implementation costs—” someone started.
“The implementation costs?” I laughed. “The electric vehicle market has exploded not because it’s trendy, but because the market knows where we’re headed. You know what’s expensive? Being left behind.”
I drew another quick diagram. “Here’s your current profit margin.
And here’s what it could be if we position ourselves as industry leaders instead of followers.
The global renewable energy market is projected to reach one point one trillion dollars in three years.
That’s not a typo, that’s an opportunity. ”
“But the infrastructure?—”
“Is already happening! India is building solar farms the size of small cities. The UK is turning their windy coastline into an endless power source.”
I grabbed another marker, getting into full teacher mode. “This isn’t just about being green—though trust me, that’s going to matter more and more to consumers. This is about being smart. About seeing where the market is going, not where it is.”
“Every major investment firm is pouring money into renewable energy. The world’s largest asset managers are making it a centerpiece of their strategy.
But sure, let’s wait until our competitors have cornered the market.
I’m sure that’ll look great in next year’s shareholder meeting.
Sorry, we were too busy being scared of the future to actually prepare for it. ”
I turned back to the board, my hands flying as I sketched out potential growth curves.
“And we haven’t even talked about the tech advantages.
Battery storage technology is advancing exponentially.
Solar efficiency is improving yearly. The cost per kilowatt-hour is dropping faster than anyone predicted.
We have the chance to be at the forefront of this revolution, to be the company that others scramble to catch up to. ”
I faced the room again, finding myself pinned by Jason’s intense gaze. His eyes held something that looked suspiciously like pride, which did dangerous things to my ability to concentrate. But I pushed on.
“This isn’t just good business, it’s inevitable.
The question isn’t if the world will shift to renewable energy—it’s who will lead that shift.
We can either be the pioneers of the future, or we can be the cautionary tale in business textbooks, wondering what happened while we clung to our outdated business model. ”
The room was so quiet you could hear a corporate policy drop.
“Any questions?” I asked sweetly, channeling my best kindergarten teacher voice. “Should I draw more pictures? Use smaller words? Perhaps create a social media campaign to explain it?”
“I believe,” Jason said, “my wife has made our position quite clear.”
That’s when I finally noticed my audience had grown considerably.
Through the glass walls, I could see what looked like half the executive floor’s staff crowded in the hallway, faces pressed against the glass.
Inside the room, assistants and junior executives had slipped in during my impromptu talk, standing along the walls with expressions ranging from awe to terror.
Oh God. I’d just given a passionate speech about renewable energy while waving markers around like a caffeinated orchestra conductor. In front of the entire company. Victoria Everett, Manhattan’s perfectly poised socialite, had just morphed into a fervent champion of renewable energy.
The board members were exchanging looks I couldn’t quite read—a mixture of impressed and slightly frightened, like they’d just watched a butterfly transform into a dragon.
“Well.” One of them cleared his throat. “That was… illuminating.”
“Indeed,” another added, shuffling his papers like they might protect him from more renewable energy facts.
The crowd in the hallway scattered like startled pigeons, and I could hear excited whispers and the click of hurrying heels as they dispersed.
“That’s enough excitement for one morning,” the efficient woman who’d been manning the slides stepped forward. “Mr. Everett, shall we reconvene after lunch to discuss implementation details?”