My CEO Ex: Let Me Go.-Chapter 136

Vivienne’s POV

Today, Alexander didn’t leave for the office until he made sure I finished my breakfast.

I was sitting up in bed, leaning against the headboard, reading a book.

I’d bought a few books on pregnancy and parenting for myself.

I had always been too afraid to look into these topics before—worried Alexander might find out. But now that I finally had the time, I was diving in.

Suddenly, my phone screen lit up with an unfamiliar string of numbers. My new phone didn’t have the old contact list.

I answered the call. “Hello?”

A woman’s voice came through immediately, dripping with sarcasm.

“Vivienne, feeling proud of yourself, huh? Alexander’s finally publicly acknowledged you, and now you’re pregnant with his child. You must think you’re the luckiest woman alive, don’t you?”

It was Olivia Reynolds on the other end of the line.

Alexander had already filed a lawsuit against her, and she’d been dismissed from the subsidiary.

The legal process would take some time, and Olivia was still out there, living freely.

On the day I was discharged from the hospital, Olivia happened to be there. She watched with her own eyes as Alexander carefully helped me into the car, treating me with so much tenderness. It clearly stung her.

Why?

Why would someone like me, a country girl, deserve Alexander’s love?

She didn’t think I deserved it at all.

I gave a cold smile and said slowly, “You know, I should thank you. If it weren’t for your little stunt, Alexander would never have chosen me over Isabella. He never would’ve made our relationship public. You probably didn’t know, but he had already planned to divorce me because of her. But then you stirred things up, and that made him change his mind about me. Olivia, I really owe you one.”

There was silence on the other end for a few seconds before Olivia’s voice came through, sharp with fury.

“Vivienne! You filthy woman! You bitch! I swear, I’m going to kill you!”

“You’ll have to settle for yelling at me over the phone for now,” I replied, unfazed.

Olivia let out a harsh laugh, her voice dripping with frustration.

“Vivienne, don’t get too cocky! You probably haven’t heard, but the CEO of Vanguard GE is about to be replaced! Alexander’s getting ousted! And it’s all because of you! You’re the one who’s cursed him! Your father’s death wasn’t enough—you have to drag Alexander down with you too! Sooner or later, he’ll leave you!”

“The CEO of Vanguard GE is being replaced? Who’s taking over?” I asked, pretending to be casual.

“Just wait and see! Don’t tell me Alexander didn’t mention the board meeting today?!”

I fell silent. I hadn’t responded because, since the day I was hospitalized, Alexander had handed over all my work to someone else.

I had planned to leave the company anyway, so I hadn’t been paying much attention to things lately.

Recently, Alexander had been coming home earlier than usual. When I asked if there were any issues at work, he always reassured me there was nothing to worry about.

It felt like he was just trying to comfort me.

Having been in the company for so long, I knew that Alexander was decisive, ruthless, and never showed weakness. The board members didn’t all side with him.

Olivia must’ve sensed my silence and became even more excited, her voice oozing smugness.

“You probably don’t know, since you joined the company late, but when Alexander first took over, he was a bit of a tyrant. He stepped on some toes, offended a few board members. One of them even went to the Chairman, crying for help, but the Chairman refused to intervene. In the end, that board member was forced to sell most of his shares, creating panic. Who wouldn’t be worried now that the Chairman is stepping down? Do you really think those board members won’t make their move when they have the chance?”

“It’s all your fault! If you hadn’t seduced Alexander, we wouldn’t have exposed your relationship. The stock price wouldn’t have plummeted, and Alexander wouldn’t have forced my uncle out, giving those board members a chance to strike. You’re a curse!”

My mind raced, but I replied calmly, “Thanks for the heads-up. No wonder he said yesterday that he didn’t spend enough time with me before and that he wants to make more time for me and the baby now. As for his personal businesses, if he’s no longer the CEO, it’s not the end of the world. We’ll be just fine as a family of three.”

Olivia paused for a moment, then muttered angrily, “You stubborn bitch! Keep it up, and we’ll see how this plays out.”

She must have assumed there was no way Alexander would give up the CEO position at Vanguard GE just for me.

After all, Alexander was incredibly young and already at the peak of his success, holding the reins of the company with authority and respect. He was admired by many and envied by even more!

How could he possibly be willing to walk away from all of that?

After hanging up, I sat down on the bed, Olivia’s words replaying in my mind.

If what she said was true, then who did the board consider the right candidate?

It couldn’t be a professional manager—they would never trust someone like that.

So, the list of potential candidates had to be quite short.

Could it be Uncle Tristan Hawthorne, who lived in Europe?

Tristan was Grandpa’s second son. Although he was a board member of the company, he rarely got involved in its day-to-day operations, focusing more on his own restaurant chain. Just a few days ago, Grandma mentioned that Uncle Tristan had gone on a business trip to Toronto. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

My cousin Alden Hawthorne seemed unlikely, too.

Alexander had once considered promoting Alden, but Alden refused, saying he wasn’t interested in managing the company and preferred to stay at the research center, focusing solely on his work.

So, there was really only one person left—Sebastian Hawthorne.

Sebastian was gentle and considerate, the kind of person who would undoubtedly appeal to the board members.

I thought about it for a moment, then dialed Alexander’s number.

He picked up right away, and his calm voice came through the receiver. “Vivienne, what’s wrong? Are you feeling okay?”

“No, I just wanted to know if the board meeting is happening today.”

I could hear the concern in his voice. “Who told you that? Don’t worry about it, just get some rest.”

“I won’t be able to rest until you tell me the truth.”

“Wait until I get back, and I’ll tell you then.”

I realized there was no point in pushing him for answers. Even if I got one, there was nothing I could do with it.

No matter what, once he came back tonight, we’d have the answers we needed.

I had already made up my mind to divorce Alexander, and I didn’t care whether or not he remained CEO. What I didn’t want was for him to lose the position because of me.

I didn’t want to be the reason he lost everything.

After all, Alexander had worked so hard for Vanguard GE, and the employees had all submitted to his leadership, his methods, and his skills. He shouldn’t be punished for some internal power struggle.

Alexander’s POV

I sat at the conference table, Jane standing behind me. On either side of me, the board members waited for the meeting to proceed.

Suddenly, I noticed Vivienne’s name flashing on my phone.

Before answering, I raised my hand in a silent gesture, and the room fell into a hushed stillness. Everyone’s attention was on me.

I answered the call, my voice soft and reassuring. “Who told you that? Don’t worry, just rest.”

My tone was so different from what they were accustomed to that the board members exchanged surprised glances. They probably never imagined the ruthless businessman, the one known for being decisive and tough, could have such a soft side.

After hanging up, I placed my phone on the table and glanced around the room. “Let’s continue.”

The meeting resumed, with the Chairman absent due to illness, leaving the Vice Chairman to run the session.

At one point, Vice Chairman John Smith spoke directly, his words cutting through the silence.

“Under Alexander’s leadership, both as CEO and General Manager, his personal issues and management style have severely damaged the company’s public image. Over the past few months, the company’s stock prices have plummeted, and our market value has taken a significant hit. The public’s confidence in our leadership has diminished, and shareholders are starting to protest, demanding answers.”

He paused before continuing, his voice growing more pointed.

“Moreover, the industrial park fire, which was mishandled due to CEO Alexander’s poor decision-making, has only intensified public outcry. This has had a serious impact on the company’s reputation and resulted in a loss of trust from the public.”

“And let’s not forget Jaxon Aldridge,” Vice Chairman Smith added, “who has been with the company for years, working diligently and responsibly. Yet, CEO Alexander has used his personal influence to exclude him, violating company regulations. For these reasons, I propose that Alexander be removed from both his CEO and General Manager positions.”