The board meeting to formally confirm Ronan as CEO successor took place on a bright Tuesday morning, none of the tension of previous meetings hanging over the room this time. Sunlight poured through the tall windows, catching on the polished table and the rows of attentive faces gathered around it, a noticeable shift from the guarded, careful atmosphere that had defined nearly every meeting Ivy had witnessed since her very first day at the company. Desmond stood at the front, addressing the full board with a steadiness that felt entirely different from the calculating coldness Ivy remembered from her very first weeks at the company.
"After careful consideration, and after watching my son demonstrate exactly the kind of integrity this company needs going forward, I'm formally recommending
