Chapter 22
The message reached Arianne in the middle of her break.
It wasn’t marked urgent. There was no subject line beyond a simple request in the body: “The Chairman would like to see you when you are available p>
She read it once, then set the tablet aside without responding.
Only after she finished reviewing the remaining documents did she stand and signal to Gio that she would be stepping out.
Gio was about to rise from his seat to accompany her, but Arianne gestured for him to stay.
She needed to face this alone.
Vincent Rochefort’s office occupied the quietest part of the building.
It had always been that way, removed from the noise of daily operations, untouched by haste. So different from Alex’s office, where there was always movement.
Vincent was already inside when his assistant let her in.
He sat behind the desk, hands folded neatly. His posture was straight but relaxed. He didn’t rise at once. Instead, he lifted his gaze, taking her appearance for a moment.
It hadn’t been the first time she had a private conversation with Alex’s father, but this would be their first meeting that involved the Rochefort Group.
“Arianne,” Vincent said. “Thank you for coming p>
She inclined her head in a greeting. “Chairman p>
Chairman, not Uncle Vincent, that she used to call him.
He gestured to the chair opposite him. Only then did he stand, moving with unhurried precision of someone who had long ago learned the value of patience.
“Please,” he said.
Arianne took her seat without a word.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Vincent didn’t speak. He allowed the silence to settle between them.
“I’ve been observing the last few weeks, Arianne,” he finally said. “The company is steady, but such calmness can be deceptive, don’t you think p>
Arianne listened. She didn’t need to interrupt.
“Approvals were slow,” he continued. “Questions surface where there were none before. People begin to wait for signals they aren’t receiving p>
Vincent looked at her directly now.
“Stability isn’t the same as silence, Arianne p>
She met his gaze without flinching or a hint of nervousness.
“No,” Arianne agreed. “It isn’t p>
“I don’t believe you intended to create uncertainty during your stay here,” Vincent continued. “Intent, however, has little bearing on outcome p>
“That has always been true,” Arianne replied.
There was no point in pretending before him.
A faint nod acknowledged the point.
“Alex believed in clarity,” Vincent said. The words were spoken without emphasis. “He was not always right, but he understood the cost of hesitation p>
Arianne hummed. Alex had always been like that.
Vincent didn’t elaborate. He didn’t have to.
He folded his hands again, resting them on the desk between them.
“You have been effective in your current capacity, Arianne. I do not think anyone would question that p>
“Effectiveness without definition is temporary,” Arianne said. “It might bring problems in the near future p>
A hint of approval flickered in Vincent’s eyes.
“Yes,” he agreed. “That’s precisely why I asked to see you today p>
Arianne remained silent.
“I will ask you one question. I do not require an answer today, but I hope you’ll give me a satisfying answer p>
Arianne didn’t respond immediately.
“If you stay,” Vincent said, “what are you prepared to be responsible for p>
The question was within Arianne’s expectations.
Responsibility was not unfamiliar to her. She had carried it early, often alone. She understood its cost and the way it tended to grow once accepted.
“I won’t pretend this stability can be maintained indefinitely,” she said at last.
Vincent smiled. “I would be disappointed if you did p>
“The company needs structure, not another symbol,” she continued.
“Yes,” Vincent agreed. “And structure requires ownership p>
Arianne understood him clearly now.
This wasn’t about titles. Not even about loyalty.
It was about burden. A burden that is too heavy for Franz to bear.
“There are limits to what I will take on,” Arianne admitted.
“As there should be,” he nodded.
He rose then, signalling the end of the conversation.
“I will not press you,” he said. “But I will not pretend time is infinite p>
Arianne stood as well.
“I wouldn’t expect you to,” she said.
Vincent studied her for a moment, then nodded once.
“You may go p>
She left the office without turning back.
If you stay, what are you prepared to be responsible for?
The question followed her down the corridor.
Responsibility was never a single thing. It multiplied.
If she accepted it, she would not only inherit the expectations of the board but also the unspoken reliance of those who had already begun to defer to her judgment. Franz’s restraint. The legal team’s caution. The approvals were on hold, waiting for a signal she had not given.
And beyond the walls of the company, there were other considerations she had deliberately set aside.
The twins.
They had not asked her for authority. They had asked her to stay.
The marriage proposal had been their way of asking her to stay.
Arianne paused by the elevator. The doors slid open almost at once.
Inside, the mirrored surface reflected her composed expression. Nothing in her face betrayed the thoughts that ran through her mind.
Staying did not have to mean surrendering control.
But it would mean accepting visibility.
The elevator descended in silence.
By the time she stepped out onto the lobby floor, she had already shortlisted the possible answers to Vincent’s question.
Titles were too rigid. Advisory roles too vague. Temporary arrangements only delayed the inevitable.
Waiting, she realized, was no longer an option that belonged solely to her.
Outside, Gio was waiting by the car, straightening at the sight of her.
“Everything alright?” he asked.
“Yes,” Arianne replied, settling into the back seat. “Drive p>
As the car pulled away from the building, she looked back once at the façade of the Rochefort Group headquarters. From the outside, it appeared unchanged and imposing.
But she knew better.
Structures did not collapse all at once. It would weaken slowly when responsibility was unclear and decisions were deferred.
Vincent had not asked her to make a decision hurriedly. Instead, he had reminded her what choosing would cost.
Arianne closed her eyes.
Responsibility was a burden few could bear.
And soon, she would have to decide how much of herself she was willing to let it claim.