The Proud CEO

The boardroom had never been this quiet.

Adrian stood at the head of the long table, Eliana at his side—not behind him, not outside waiting. Beside him.

He adjusted his cufflinks, took a breath, and said, "We have an announcement."

Murmurs rippled through the room. The board members leaned forward.

"I'm stepping down temporarily as CEO of Wolfe & Kings."

Gasps.

Eliana didn't flinch.

"I'll still serve as chairman, but day-to-day operations will be led by our capable COO. This decision comes from a place of growth—both professionally, and personally."

He looked at her.

She nodded.

"Eliana and I are expecting a child," he said.

Silence.

Then, applause.

Polite. Cautious. Curious.

Outside the glass doors, phones buzzed, the internet churned, the whispers began.

But none of it mattered.

Adrian turned to her, slipped his hand into hers.

"We're more than a headline," he said softly. "We're a beginning."

And for the first time, Eliana believed it too.