11!You're the risk!

Sylvia 

As I stepped into the hospital, I could feel it, like walking into a storm that had been waiting for me. Eyes followed me from behind desks and around corners. The whispers were quiet, but I knew they were about me. My name. My father's name. And the war that had begun.

My heels clicked on the shiny tile floor, the sound echoing down the hallway like a countdown. I walked straight to the conference room, where the hospital’s board of directors was already waiting.

I opened the door.

Conversations died the second I stepped in. Everyone stared at me to the extent I became very aware and conscious of myself, but I won't let that affect me, not in front of Maryanne and Emily.

Maryann and Emily were seated at the far end of the table, dressed to perfection in black like mourning queens. But their eyes said everything, they weren’t here to grieve. They were here to win. I can't help but wonder what they have planned for me.

“Good morning,” I said evenly, taking the empty seat near the head of the table. “Thank you all for being here,” I said with a smile.

The chairperson nodded. “Let’s begin. First, a moment of silence for our founder, Dr. Gideon Rhodes.”

We bowed our heads. I closed my eyes, trying to block out the cold air in the room and remember my father’s warm smile.

When the moment ended, the chairperson gestured to me. “Ms. Rhodes, would you like to say a few words before we continue?”

I stood. I looked round the room, when I confirmed all eyes were on me, I continued.

“My father built this hospital from nothing, with the help of my late mother, may her soul rest in peace. Although many may not know that, if you read the office manual you would see that.” I said. “ They built this hospital not for money. Not for power. But to help people. That was their legacy, this was my father’s legacy and it’s one I intend to protect.”

Maryann’s lips tightened. She stared deeply at me with her eyes which were bloodshot red.

“I know there’s been talk,” I continued. “Rumors. Assumptions. So let me make it clear, I will not be handing over my shares to anyone. I am remaining the primary shareholder of this hospital.”

Murmurs broke out. Some board members looked at each other. Others turned their eyes toward Maryann and Emily. Some looked relieved, while others looked troubled or angry.

“I believe in this hospital,” I said. “And I plan to make sure it continues to serve this community with the same care and dignity my father demanded.”

Emily laughed quietly under her breath.

Maryann didn’t. She leaned forward slightly. “With all due respect, Sylvie,” she said smoothly, “you don’t have experience running a hospital. The board deserves to know, how exactly do you plan to do this?”

“I strongly agree with Mrs. Maryanne,” a board member said. He was clearly on Maryanne and Emily's side.

I looked straight at Maryanne.

“With the right people around me,” I said. “With honesty. With integrity. Things you and Emily wouldn’t understand.”

The tension in the room thickened. A few people exchanged looks. One man near the end of the table gave a subtle nod.

“I hope you know honesty and integrity won't pay our staff wages,”he spoke up again laughing, and a few members joined him.

Emily leaned forward now, her voice sharp. “So what, you're just going to stumble around and learn as you go? You're risking everything our father built.”

I scoffed at hearing her say our father, it was a term she rarely use. I looked up to her and answered her question boldly. “No,” I said calmly. “You’re the risk. You’re the ones treating this hospital like a trophy.”

Maryann let out a cold chuckle. “This isn’t personal, sweetheart. It’s business. And frankly, you’re not qualified.”

“Then why are you both so desperate to get my shares?” I shot back. “If I’m so weak, why are you afraid of me having power?”

That shut them up.

The chairperson cleared his throat. “Let’s... move on,” he said awkwardly. “We’ll need a vote later on the next steps, but I think we’ve all heard Ms. Rhodes' position.”

“Chairperson, are there any credentials you would want to be brought along the next time I'm coming, so I can shut some people up and show them the reason my Dad decided to pass his shares to me is not only because he loves me but because he knows I'm the best fit and more capable.”

“Yes, there is, I will send them to you, please bring them along to the next meeting,” he told me, with a smile.

As the meeting ended and people began to gather their files, the tension didn’t leave the room, it followed me out the door.

And just outside the hospital, standing in the sun like shadows waiting to strike, were Maryann and Emily. They both look like they have been mourning for real this time. The reason for their poker face is no other than me not giving up my shares.

“Well, well,” Maryann said, arms crossed, voice thick with venom. “That was a brave little speech Sylvia dearly.”

“You really think you're going to get away with this?” Emily added, stepping forward. “You’re embarrassing yourself, Sylvie.”

I stopped, turned, and faced them both.

“I’m protecting my father’s work,” I said. “You can call it whatever you want.”

Maryann raised her eyebrows. “You think you’re strong enough to go up against us?” she said, while walking up to meet me. After a while she stood close to me, our nose bride almost touching, her eyes were like daggers. She only stepped back when she saw some colleagues passing.

“I know I am,” I continued.

Emily's voice rose. “You're making a mistake! You're all alone, Sylvie. No one’s going to stand with you.”

I took a slow step toward her.

“You’d be surprised who’s watching, You would think I'm all alone till you touch a hair from my body.” I said. “And you would see who’s tired of the games you play.”

Maryann’s smile dropped. “You’re going to regret this.”

“Maybe,” I said. “But not today, and definitely not tomorrow.”

“Make sure you move back in by tomorrow, we won't be around today.”

“I don't need you guys to be around before I move back into the house my father built.”

“Sylvia, move in tomorrow, I won't say this again.”

“Even if you say it a 100 times, I couldn't listen to you.”

I walked away, not looking back, even though I could feel their stares burning into me like fire. My heart was pounding. My hands were shaking. I didn't know where I got the courage to talk to Maryanne like that, I was terrified. I decided to walk faster before she changed her mind and launched at me.

They can't stop me now, and even if they did I wouldn't agree. Not after coming this far.

Because for the first time since my father died, I felt like I was finally standing in my own power.

And I wasn’t going anywhere. I would wait for them to attack, then prove them wrong. Showing them that all they did was to blow air to a flat but didn't kill it.