Updated Mar 22, 2026 • ~3 min read
Chapter 17: Family Warfare
JASPER
The board meeting is brutal.
Monday morning.
9 AM sharp.
Twelve board members.
All staring at me with varying degrees of fury and disappointment.
“Mr. King. Care to explain the situation with Maren Ross?”
The chairman. Gerald Harding.
Old guard. Conservative. Ruthless.
“Maren and I are in a relationship. She’s pregnant with my child. We’re moving forward together.”
Silence.
Then: “Are you insane?”
Drake, my CFO and best friend, tries to intervene.
“Gentlemen, let’s remain professional—”
“Professional? He’s sleeping with a ROSS. The family we’ve been competing against for forty years. This is a conflict of interest. Corporate sabotage.”
I lean forward.
“Maren has never shared confidential information. Neither have I. Our relationship is personal, not professional.”
“Personal? You got her pregnant!”
“Yes. And I’m taking responsibility.”
“By moving her into your apartment? Making this a public spectacle?”
“By being there for my child. And the woman I love.”
The chairman’s face reddens.
“Love. You’re jeopardizing this entire company for love?”
“No. I’m building a future. Maren and I are planning to start our own agency. Merge our expertise. Create something better than this endless feud.”
More silence.
Then: “You’re fired.”
I expected this.
But it still hits hard.
“Excuse me?”
“Effective immediately. You’re removed as CEO. The board will appoint an interim replacement.”
I stand.
“You can’t do that. I own forty percent of this company—”
“And we own sixty percent. Combined. You’re out, Jasper. Clear your office by end of day.”
***
MAREN
Valeria calls.
Aunt Valeria.
Conrad’s wife.
The only family member still speaking to me.
“Maren, sweetheart. How are you?”
“I’ve been better.”
“Conrad is… processing.”
“He disowned me.”
“He’s angry. Hurt. But he loves you.”
I don’t feel loved.
“He kicked me out of the agency, Valeria. Suspended me. Called me a traitor.”
“I know. And I’m working on him. But you have to understand—your mother died competing against the Kings. He sees this as a betrayal of her memory.”
I’m crying again.
Seem to be doing that a lot lately.
“I didn’t mean to betray anyone. I just… I fell in love.”
“I know. And that’s not a crime. Conrad will come around. Eventually.”
“What if he doesn’t?”
Silence.
“Then you build your own family. With Jasper. With the baby. You’ll be okay.”
I want to believe her.
***
CONRAD
I’m drowning my rage in whiskey.
Home office.
Alone.
Valeria keeps trying to reason with me.
“She’s your niece. Your responsibility.”
“She made her choice.”
“She fell in love. That’s not a crime.”
“With a KING. That IS a crime. In this family.”
Valeria sits beside me.
Patient. Calm.
“Your sister didn’t die because of the Kings, Conrad. She died because she worked herself to death. Because she couldn’t let go of a grudge.”
That stings.
“How dare you—”
“I dare because someone has to. You’re doing the same thing. Holding onto this feud like it’s all that matters. But Maren matters. That baby matters.”
The baby.
My grandniece or nephew.
A King baby.
I can’t.
“She betrayed us.”
“She chose love. And if you keep pushing her away, you’ll lose her forever. Just like you lost your sister.”
Low blow.
But effective.
Because I DID lose my sister.
To this feud.
To the endless competition.
And now I’m losing Maren too.
But I’m too proud to admit it.
Too angry to apologize.
So I pour another drink.
And push my family further away.
END OF CHAPTER 17
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