Twilight Romance: Flash Marriage to Mature Tycoon – Episode 68
Jocelyn ended the private meeting without answering. She documented the offer and sent it to Ray, the nonprofit board, and Astor compliance. Secret bargaining had no place in the marriage they rebuilt.
Ray’s anger focused on the investor, not Jocelyn. He formally terminated negotiations and released the improper condition through required regulatory channels. The investor denied coercion until meeting notes confirmed it.
Astor directors worried that walking away would accelerate losses. Some argued Jocelyn’s resignation was a small price compared with thousands of jobs. The opinion reached the press through an anonymous leak.
Commentators framed her career as a hobby competing with a major corporation. Jocelyn recognized the language once used against unpaid caregivers: women’s work mattered only until powerful men required convenience.
Ray addressed the board. He said any investor willing to dictate his wife’s employment would eventually dictate Astor labor, governance, and values. Rejecting the condition protected the company as much as the marriage.
The board remained divided. A group of shareholders prepared a vote questioning his leadership. Ray might survive financially and still lose control of Astor Group.
Jocelyn asked whether he wanted her to resign. He answered no, then admitted part of him wished the problem could disappear that easily. Honesty allowed the selfish feeling to exist without becoming a request.
She appreciated the distinction. Love did not eliminate inconvenient thoughts; it determined which ones became demands.
The nonprofit publicly supported her position but worried continued controversy would distract from programs. Jocelyn offered to take temporary leave during the shareholder vote. The board declined, refusing to reward the investor’s tactic.
Violet organized no campaign this time. She had learned that not every crisis required the family to perform unity online. She attended school and called both adults at dinner.
Harry asked former Astor workers to speak about the company’s recent policies, but Ray discouraged coordinated pressure. Shareholders needed accurate results rather than emotional loyalty alone.
Financial reports showed slower recovery was working. Debt had fallen, core projects remained profitable, and employee retention improved. The overseas investment promised speed, not survival.
Independent analysts began questioning why shareholders demanded risky capital when the company was stabilizing. Public pressure shifted toward the board faction supporting the investor.
Compliance discovered several dissident shareholders had purchased positions recently through funds associated with the overseas group. The proposed vote resembled a quiet takeover attempt.
Ray presented the evidence to regulators and postponed the vote under company rules. The investor’s influence campaign unraveled. Astor Group barred the conflicted shares pending review.
Jocelyn’s career was no longer the central issue, though the emotional damage remained. She had spent days wondering whether everyone would be safer if she stepped aside.
Ray traveled East to see her after the crisis. He found a resignation draft open on her desk. She had written it but not submitted it.
Jocelyn admitted the old instinct still lived within her. Growth did not erase it; growth allowed her to pause before obeying it. Ray did not tear up the letter for her.
She deleted the draft herself. Then they took a walk without discussing companies, programs, or sacrifice. Their silence felt chosen rather than avoidant.
When they returned, a message from the Astor board waited. The shareholder faction had called a new vote—not to remove Ray, but to require that he choose between remaining chairman and staying married to Jocelyn.