Chapter 7 The breaking point

Chapter Seven

Alessia's POV

“I hope whatever was so important that you had to keep us waiting was worth it.”

I walk into the conference room to find Mr. Romano checking his watch while the other board members sit around the table. Judging by their faces, you'd think I'd kept them waiting for hours instead of a few minutes.

“Good morning, everyone. Sorry to keep you waiting.” I pull out my chair and sit, placing my folder on the table. “Shall we begin?”

“Not so fast,” Romano says.

I look at him. “Pardon?”

“Your secretary told us you were meeting with Claudia Ferraro this morning. How did that go?”

I open my folder, pretending to check the documents inside. “Not well. They've decided to withdraw from the contract.”

The room instantly fills with murmurs.

“What?”

“Another contract?”

“How did you let that happen?”

I close the folder and look around the table. “Can we get on with today's meeting, please? We all have other things to do, and I'm sure none of us wants to spend the entire morning here.”

Mrs. De Luca, seated across from me, rolls her eyes. “You're always acting as though you're too busy for everyone, yet you keep losing our clients. Perhaps if you spent less time acting like you're the most important person in the room and more time doing your job, we wouldn't be having this conversation.”

I hold her gaze. “If you have something specific to say about the contract, Mrs. De Luca, I'm happy to discuss it. Otherwise, let's stick to business.”

“Oh, I'm talking about business.” She gives me a thin smile. “It's just getting harder to separate your personal problems from your failures at work.”

My fingers tighten around my pen. “What exactly is that supposed to mean?”

She tilts her head. “Haven't you seen the news?”

I know what she's talking about, but I'll be damned if I let her see how much it hurts.

“I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific.”

“Your little boyfriend proposed to another woman, Alessia.” Her smile widens. “It's all over the news. Quite embarrassing, isn't it?”

Heat creeps up my neck. “Excuse me?”

“Oh, come on,” Mr. Bellini cuts in. “We've all seen it. And no offense, Miss Bianchi, but we're all thinking the same thing. If you couldn't keep your own man, how are you going to keep this company from falling apart?”

A few people laugh.

I stare at him, wondering if I've heard him correctly.

“My relationship has absolutely nothing to do with this company.”

“Doesn't it?” Romano asks. “Your judgment is questionable, your clients are leaving, and now your personal life is all over the news. How are we supposed to trust your ability to run this company?”

“Perhaps it's time we considered someone with more experience,” another board member suggests.

“Someone who understands that this company is bigger than her ego,” Mrs. De Luca adds.

I sit there as they take turns tearing into me. Every time I try to speak, someone cuts me off. They question my decisions, mock my age, and throw Stefano's betrayal in my face as though being cheated on somehow makes me unfit to run a business.

I can handle criticism. I've spent years proving myself in rooms full of people who assumed I had no business being there. I can admit when I've made a mistake, and I know not every deal will go my way.

But this?

This is not about the company anymore. They aren't interested in finding solutions. They want to humiliate me until I either resign or hand over the control they've been trying to take from me.

And I've had enough.

“STOP!”

My palm slams against the table, bringing the room to silence.

Every face turns toward me.

I push my chair back and stand, my heart racing as I look around the table. “Are you finished? Have you all had your fun?”

Nobody answers.

“You miserable, selfish people!” I snap, knowing it's rude, but my anger gets the better of me. “My personal life is none of your business, and I will not sit here while you use it to question my ability to run this company.” I take a breath. “If you have a problem with my decisions, bring the facts and numbers instead of gossiping about who my ex-boyfriend plans to marry!”

My voice shakes, but I don't stop.

“And as for these lost contracts, I'm not as stupid as you think I am. Clients don't just change their minds without a reason, and it's suspicious that our competitors keep getting these deals just as we're struggling. I'm going to look into every lost contract and find out what's going on.”

I meet their eyes one by one.

“And if someone has been working against this company, I will find out who it is. You can count on that.”

Romano scoffs. “Are you accusing members of this board of sabotaging the company?”

“I'm saying I'll find out the truth. If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to worry about.”

His face hardens.

“If you have a problem with my leadership, take it up with my lawyer. And if you're so sure I can't run this company, withdraw your investments and leave.”

Nobody answers.

“My parents built this company, and I'll do everything I can to protect it. I won't let anyone bully me into giving up my position. So if any of you plans to stand in my way, think carefully before you do.”

Romano leans back in his chair, a mocking smile spreading across his face.

“And what exactly are you going to do, Alessia? Call on your parents' spirits to haunt us?”

A sharp slap lands on his arm.

Mrs. De Luca glares at him. “What is wrong with you? That was completely out of line.”

Romano looks at her as though she's the one being unreasonable. “What? It was a joke.”

I barely hear their exchange. I'm too busy staring at him, my anger settling into something colder.

“Count your days, Mr. Romano.”

His smile disappears. “Are you threatening me?”

“Yes, I am. If I find out you've been working against this company, you'll regret it.”

I grab my folder and walk out before he can respond, shutting the door behind me.

By the time I reach my office, my hands are trembling. I close the door and lean against it, trying to calm myself down.

My father always taught me to stand up for myself, especially when people tried to make me feel small. I've followed his advice for years, but today, standing my ground in that room took more out of me than I'd like to admit.

I walk to my desk and drop the folder onto it. Reports and financial statements are scattered across the surface, all the documents I've spent days going through while trying to figure out how to keep this company afloat.

Suddenly, I can't stand looking at any of them.

With a frustrated cry, I sweep my arm across the desk. Papers fly to the floor, my bag falls beneath a cabinet, its contents spilling out, and a ball ornament flies off the desk.

I try to catch it when I realize where it's heading, but I'm too late. The framed portrait of my parents has fallen face down on the floor.

“No.”

The word barely leaves my mouth.

I rush over and drop to my knees, carefully turning the frame around. The glass has shattered, leaving cracks across the photograph. One of the broken pieces has cut across my mother's face.

“No, no, no.”

My hands tremble as I try to pick away the glass, but a sharp edge cuts my finger. I pull my hand back and stare at the broken frame.

It's just a photograph. I know that.

But it's one of the few things I have left of them. One of the few ways I can still look at their faces whenever life gets too hard.

And now it's broken, too.

Something inside me finally gives way.

I sink to the floor, clutching the frame against my chest as tears spill down my cheeks. I try to hold them back, pressing my lips together the way I always do, but I can't. The more I try to stop crying, the harder it gets.

I've spent years pretending I can handle everything on my own. I've worked until I'm exhausted, kept my problems to myself, and convinced myself that being strong means never needing anyone.

But sitting on my office floor, surrounded by broken glass and scattered papers, I've never felt so alone.

I miss them. I miss having someone to turn to when everything goes wrong. I miss knowing that no matter how bad things get, I can go home and find them waiting for me.

Instead, I'm here, trying to save the company they left me while people who barely seem to care about its future tear me apart.

I press the broken frame against my chest and bow my head, the tears coming harder now.

“Mom, Dad...” My voice breaks as I look at their faces through the cracked glass. “Why did you have to leave me in this mess?”