Page 68 of Forever We Embrace: The Later Years
Luca shrugs, a smile pulling at his mouth. “I just know.”
Maceo leans forward before anyone else can answer. “The baby may initially present as a Beta. Some uncommon designations present that way before their actual designation becomes clear.”
“Maceo.” I raise my hand before he reaches for another study. “Step away from the textbooks.”
He sits back, though his expression says he has several more facts available.
“We’re going to love the baby regardless of gender or designation,” I tell him. “I may not understand all of what you went through, but I know what it’s like to have people decide a designation makes you less. That isn’t happening to our baby.”
Maceo’s attention drops briefly to Luca’s stomach. “I know.”
“Good. Then no more research citations at breakfast.”
Luca takes a drink, still smiling. “He’s a boy.”
Luther rests his elbows on the table. “Twenty says Luca’s right.”
Grayson looks between them. “Are we actually betting on the baby?”
“I pick girl,” Rosalie announces.
Samuel lifts the dragon drawing. “I pick dragon.”
James frowns at him. “Dragon isn’t one.”
“The dragon still needs cake,” Rosalie says, settling the argument before anyone can continue. “Bad meetings need cake too.”
“Then we’d better get some.”
Luther follows Samuel into the living room while Maceo retrieves the cake from the refrigerator. Luca brushes his hand across the small of my back as he passes my chair.
I pull the leather folio from the bag beside me. Maceo and I have been developing the restructuring throughout the board challenge.
“Luther. Maceo.” I open the folio across the table. “Before the cake.”
They return while Grayson keeps the children occupied with the blueprints. Luca remains near the doorway, close enough to listen without pulling the children back into the conversation.
I turn the first amendment toward Luther.
“The amended bylaws separate my authority as chief executive from designation-based succession. The medical contingency preserves my decision-making authority while assigning day-to-day operations to the COO when I’m unavailable.”
Maceo leans over the table and reviews the final language again.
“His COO role now carries defined operational authority,” I continue. “If my health temporarily limits my schedule, day-to-day decisions remain with him instead of reverting to an Alpha trustee.”
Maceo scans the last page. “The contingency closes the loophole Victor used. The board can’t redirect operational authority through designation alone.”
I turn to the trust amendment.
“The existing corporate documents still contain designation-based language that Victor used to imply my leadership depended on an Alpha’s approval. Your signature is required to remove that language.”
Luther reads the first page without speaking.
“You aren’t granting me authority,” I tell him. “You’re formally helping remove the structure that let Victor misrepresent where my authority came from.”
Luther turns the page, reads the remaining language, and signs beneath the trust-consent provision.
“It should have been removed years ago.”
