It was clear that Ace’s father wanted nothing more than a solution to the problem that was right in front of us. Ace’s announcement had caused massive panic and the news did not take long to reach the eyes and ears of the public and that included the board of directors and the shareholders.

"You have to admit that it’s not my fault that the investors like to overreact at every little thing that I did or didn’t do," Ace retorted like it wasn’t at all his problem.

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"Every time some juicy news about Ace appears, the share price tanks instantly. Like, you know, when they highlight his various affairs," Elizabeth whispered to me before laughing.

Despite the stressful atmosphere, Elizabeth seemed to be enjoying the show immensely to the point where I had no idea what truly ran through her head. I shook my head in disbelief when I recalled Ace’s words on how I should try to get along with Elizabeth and how I should learn from her.

"How dare you say such irresponsible things!" the chairman yelled at his son again.

I felt like this argument wasn’t going to get us anywhere at all. Ace had a strained look on his face that made me wonder how much longer he could take the chairman’s aggressive words.

"If you calm down and stop yelling, I can finally tell you what I have in mind," Ace said before he pursed his lips tightly together and then offered his father a pleasant smile.

The scornful look on the chairman’s face only made the lines in between his brows look deeper and more prominent. After staring at Ace for a moment, the chairman let out a sigh and finally looked away. Silence settled in the room again and I found myself letting out a soft sigh of relief. At least, for the time being, it seemed like the storm had calmed down.

"Say what you have to say," the chairman muttered while his eyes continued to glare at Ace.

I felt a tremor run through my body and wondered how Ace could appear so calm and unaffected. Ace cleared his throat as if he was about to make an important announcement to us all and that was probably what he had in mind. I had no idea what to expect and that made me so nervous as I waited for Ace’s next words.

"Elizabeth will become CEO in my place," Ace stated with absolute calm.

…what?

I wasn’t shocked at first because the meaning behind Ace’s words had not truly struck me. On top of that, I found it so hard to believe that I didn’t think that it was true. I was more convinced that I must have misheard Ace or that he would soon correct himself. His words left my mind confused and in a dazed state for a brief moment before my mouth hung open as the seriousness of his words started to sink in. Then the shock hit me and then ran me over like a giant bus.

"What?! What did you just say?!" the chairman yelled louder than ever before as he jumped up from his seat.

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Clearly, I wasn’t the only one shocked by what Ace had just said. Elizabeth had a small smile on her lips that told me that their secret was finally out of the bag. It was truly unexpected, and it sounded too crazy to even be true.

"I said that Elizabeth will take over as CEO after me. I’ve discussed this with her for a long while now and we’ve finally reached an agreement. Now, to make this a reality, we simply need your blessing and support," Ace said before he smiled bravely at his father.

He sounded like he was asking the chairman for his permission to marry Elizabeth and that didn’t quite sit well with me. That passing thought lasted only for a few seconds before my mind zoomed into focus on the news that Ace had just shared. On top of his abrupt retirement, he planned to have Elizabeth take over his position after him.

"That not possible. It’s absolutely absurd!" the chairman yelled again.

His face had gotten so red that I was afraid that his head would explode just to let the steam out. I rarely agreed with the chairman, but in that instance, I had to admit that he was right. Elizabeth taking the role of Jessen’s and Hill’s CEO just sounded crazy and unreal. Ace still looked confident in his proposal, and I wondered what he really had in mind.

How can Elizabeth become the CEO of our company when she’s still the CEO of her family’s company?

Nothing was making sense...

"Now’s the time for you to be open-minded and open to new possibilities," Ace said encouragingly.

"Shut up! You didn’t drag me all the way out here just for me to hear another of your crazy, reckless, and impossible idea!" the chairman screamed.

His chest visibly heaved up and down as he panted from all the intense emotions raging in his chest. I started feeling sorry for the chairman and the fact that he had to deal with Ace. Despite his father’s outburst, Ace remained composed and ready to convince his father of his idea.

"Please listen to what Ace has to say," Elizabeth chimed in at just the right moment.

The chairman’s eyes focused on Elizabeth before he sucked in a deep breath as if to calm himself down. I wasn’t sure if that worked for him or not, but he did manage to lower himself down onto the sofa. Ace smiled a little before he nodded at both Elizabeth and me. It seemed like the main part of the conversation was about to start. I wasn’t sure how interested the chairman was, but I was truly interested to hear what Ace had in mind and why he was doing this.

"What is there to hear? Once again, he’s pushing his responsibilities onto someone else and running away. Just like before when he left. The only change is that this time, he’s going to run off and push his responsibilities on you of all people…" the chairman said to Elizabeth before his jaw set in a hard line.

--To be continued…

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