Sugar sugar baby

[41] Breaking point

The countdown to launch day was officially on. We were a week away from going live, and the pressure was mounting. Investors were hovering, excitement was building, and the team was working around the clock to make sure everything was perfect. From the outside, things seemed to be running smoothly—better than smoothly, really. The platform had been built, the marketing was in place, and the buzz was growing every day.

But inside, I was falling apart.

It wasn't that I didn't believe in the platform—I did. It was just that it no longer felt like mine. Every meeting, every decision, every step forward felt like I was being pushed further and further out of the circle. The elite team Vanessa had put together had taken the reins, and no matter how much they assured me that I was still in control, I knew the truth. I was a figurehead, a name on the project, nothing more.

And I couldn't take it anymore.

We were in the middle of yet another meeting in Vanessa's home office, the team gathered around the table, laptops open, whiteboards filled with diagrams and timelines. I sat at the head of the table, my hands clenched into fists under the table as I listened to Samantha go over the final details of the launch strategy. It was all so polished, so efficient—everything was falling into place exactly as they had planned.

But none of it felt like my plan. None of it felt like my company anymore.

"And that brings us to the final point," Samantha said, her voice smooth and professional as always. "We'll be rolling out the ad campaign three days before launch, to build hype. We've got influencers lined up, and the PR team is ready to handle any last-minute issues."

The team nodded in agreement, all smiles and satisfaction. I stared down at the table, the words buzzing in my ears but not really registering.

"Tristan," Samantha said, turning to me with that same polite smile, "everything's on track. Do you have anything you want to add?"

That was it. The tipping point. Something inside me snapped, and before I could stop myself, the words came pouring out.

"I can't fucking do this anymore."

The room went dead silent. Everyone turned to look at me, confusion and surprise written all over their faces. Samantha blinked, clearly caught off guard. "What do you mean?"

I stood up, my heart pounding, my hands shaking with frustration. "I mean, I can't fucking do this anymore. This... this isn't my company. This isn't what I signed up for."

Marco frowned, leaning forward slightly. "Tristan, what are you talking about? We're about to launch. Everything's going according to plan."

"Your plan," I shot back, my voice rising. "Not mine. None of this is mine anymore! You guys have taken over everything. Every idea I come up with gets shot down. Every decision gets made without me. I'm just sitting here, watching you all run the show, and I'm fucking done with it."

Rachel exchanged a nervous glance with Samantha before speaking up. "Tristan, we've been working as a team. We're all trying to make this the best it can be—"

"A team?" I interrupted, my voice bitter. "Really? Because it doesn't feel like a team to me. It feels like I'm the fucking figurehead, and you guys are the ones actually calling the shots."

Samantha held up her hands, trying to calm me down. "Tristan, no one's trying to push you out. We've been working together to make sure this company succeeds. You're still the founder—"

"Am I?" I snapped, pacing the room. "Because it sure as hell doesn't feel like it. I can't remember the last time one of my ideas actually made it through without getting 'adjusted' or 'refined.' Every time I try to take control, you guys just placate me and do whatever the fuck you want anyway."