EXIT

Gerald looked at Mr. Jones with shock and disbelief. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. He couldn't believe that he was being asked to choose between Hazel and the company.

He looked at the other board members, hoping to see some support or sympathy. But he saw none. They all looked at him with the same expression as Mr. Jones: seriousness and concern, firmness and expectation, finality and challenge.

They all wanted him to choose. They all wanted him to choose the company.

He felt angry and hurt by their ultimatum. He felt confused and abandoned by them.

He thought about the company, and everything that it meant to him. He thought about his career, and everything that he had achieved. He thought about his legacy, and everything that he had built. He loved the company, and he was proud of it. This was something his father left for him, he couldn't just let go of it like that.

But he also thought about Hazel, and everything that she meant to him. He