Chapter 368: A Very Professional Middle Finger To William

Damien’s expression almost imperceptibly changed, but the warmth he’d held in his eyes throughout the meeting vanished.

Once again, William exhibited the same disdain he had towards Oliver since the day he’d first heard his name, convinced that love was a weakness, and that a person without wealth or influence wasn’t worthy of someone with both.

Not mention, that person was a man on top of it.

In that brief moment, Damien recalled the day he had left Oliver four years earlier, standing in a room where every choice was framed as a different way to hurt the people he cared for.

He remembered thinking that ending his relationship was the only way to ensure Oliver’s future and Frank’s medical treatment, and the unbearable silence that followed when he told himself that leaving was a sacrifice rather than a choice driven by fear.

He had spent years paying for that decision.

He wouldn’t do it again.

"You still don’t get it, do you?" Damien asked.

William’s jaw clenched. "Understand what?"

"You came here thinking that if you threatened my position, I’d give up Oliver to keep it. For so long, you’ve made me feel like I had to choose between the people I cared about and the life I’ve built."

Damien shut the folder in front of him, the quiet sound drawing the attention of everyone around the table.

"I am not making that choice again, this is my life."

William opened his mouth, but Damien continued, his voice steady enough that nobody needed to raise theirs to hear him.

"Oliver was never the weakness you thought he was. Your belief that you could control me indefinitely was."

Those words hung in the air, and for once, William seemed at a loss for words.

He had built his strategy on the idea that Damien’s love made him vulnerable, that the threat of losing Oliver would always be enough to bring Damien back under control.

But Damien had spent the past month shoring up the company, confirming his authority, and making sure that the people he cared about could no longer be used as leverage against him.

He wasn’t choosing Oliver over the company nor sacrificing his responsibilities for a private relationship.

He had finally carved out a life where he could lead the business on his own terms and love Oliver without needing his father’s permission.

"You’re making a mistake," William finally said, though his tone betrayed a hint of uncertainty. "The family won’t tolerate this humiliation, and you’ll regret turning against those who provided you with everything!"

Damien stayed where he was.

"If you have genuine concerns about my leadership, you can present your evidence through the proper channels. I will cooperate with any authorized review, as I expect anyone in my position to do. But you won’t use this company to dictate my personal life, and you won’t mistake your disappointment for a business crisis."

He turned to the meeting chair. "Unless there are further procedural matters regarding the proposed resolution, I suggest we carry on with the scheduled agenda."

The chair nodded and moved on to the next item.

For a moment, William remained standing by his chair, seemingly waiting for someone to object, demand that Damien show him respect, or remind everyone that the man being dismissed was his father.

Nobody did.

"Damien," William said, a sharp edge in his voice, "I am not finished speaking! How dare you disrespect your own father like this?! After all your mother and I have sacrificed to give you and your sister a good life! A good future! You’ve embarrassed me!"

Damien glanced at him. "The meeting has moved on, Father."

"Don’t dismiss me, you ungrateful--!

"I’m not dismissing you. I’m asking you to respect the proceedings of this meeting."

When William kept arguing, the chair finally stepped in, warning him that any further disruption would result in the meeting being suspended.

Damien offered his father one last chance to take his seat, but William refused, seemingly letting his anger take precedence over any chance to salvage his dignity.

Damien turned to the security officer stationed outside the boardroom. "Please escort Mr. Lockwood out if he’s unwilling to let the meeting proceed."

Damien’s request was made without malice or satisfaction, and that, more than anything, seemed to infuriate William.

"You would have security remove your own father?!"

"I would have security enforce the rules of this building," Damien shot back. "Your relationship to me doesn’t exempt you from them."

The officer approached professionally, leaving William with little choice but to gather his folder and exit under circumstances he never imagined he would find himself in.

As he reached the door, he glanced back at Damien, his fury unmistakable, promising that this wasn’t over.

Damien returned the gaze, unwavering.

With the door shutting behind William, the meeting chair resumed the agenda.

By the time Damien got back to his office, the tension that had kept his shoulders stiff through the confrontation was starting to ease into a calmer state.

Naomi was waiting by his desk, tablet in hand, prepared to record the events that transpired during the attempted removal.

"Would you like us to set up any additional measures in anticipation of further action from your parents?" she asked.

"Document everything that occurred today, review any remaining governance vulnerabilities, and ensure that the appropriate teams are ready should they try again. I want the company to operate as usual, and I don’t want anyone using this situation to target employees who did nothing wrong."

"Got it."

"And make sure the legal team has everything they need if my father decides to challenge the existing arrangements. We’ll respond through the proper channels, and there will be no retaliation against people simply because they disagree with me."

Naomi jotted it down and then looked up. "You handled that well, sir."

Damien studied her. "Did I?"

"You stayed remarkably composed while Mr. Lockwood tried to remove you from your position."

"Years of practice," he replied dryly. "I guess being raised by my father finally provided a professional benefit, using his own tricks against him."

Naomi’s expression remained serious, but he caught a hint of amusement in her eyes.

"I’ll ensure the records are ready."

When she left, Damien stood by the window for a moment, gazing down at the city below. For years, he had braced himself for the next demand, the next threat, and the next attempt to take something significant from him.

Even after gaining control of Lockwood Group, part of him remained on guard for his father’s next move.

Now, William had tried the same tactic again only to find it no longer worked.

That realization brought less satisfaction than he’d anticipated, perhaps because the victory couldn’t return the years he’d lost or undo the pain Oliver had gone through while Damien was absent.

Yet, there was immense relief in knowing that next time his father threatened his position, Damien wouldn’t have to wonder if protecting those he loved meant losing everything else.

He wanted to go home, find Oliver sprawled on the sofa watching a TV show he was pretending to care about, hear him complain about whatever annoyed him at that particular moment, and enjoy an evening filled with the ordinary peace they had fought so hard to regain.

After everything he had been through, Damien realized that happiness didn’t have to be a big declaration or a victory that needed cheers; sometimes it was just the comfort of knowing that the person he loved was waiting for him at home, ready to gripe about his coffee and distract him from whatever serious issue was on his mind.

He checked his phone again, a smile still on his face as he typed.

Damien: I’ll be home soon, Sunshine. Want me to get you anything on the way?

Oliver??????: Just get your ass over here and cuddle me already, asshole.

Damien chuckled, putting his phone away as he gathered the papers he needed for the day.

His father had come by that morning thinking he could just take Damien’s future apart with a folder and a few demands, but instead, he found out that the son he’d tried to control for years had finally created a life that was all his own.

And this time, nobody was going to take it from him.