Stuart took a deep breath as he entered the conference hall, the gravity of the impending meeting weighing down on him. Each step he took was labored, and he relied on every ounce of strength he had in him to not run out of the hall and lock himself up somewhere. He longed for the reassuring presence of his father, his strongest pillar of support at a time like this, but the absence of that familiar figure left him navigating this critical junction alone.
The board members sat stoically, their faces holding no emotion and unreadable. Stuart could only gulp secretly at the thought of what this meeting held in store for him as he took his seat at the head of the table. He could already tell that this meeting was going to be a long one.
