Chapter 21: The CEO Word count: 1,715Day 197 started at 7:58 AM with a tie that didn't want to be tied.Non-creative tie, navy, small dots, Damien's old one. Sophia gave it to him that morning with a note: For your first day as you, not as him. – MomNathan stood in his bathroom, henley gone, suit on, tie fighting him. Jonah was FaceTiming from his law school library, whispering."YouTube it," Jonah whispered. "Windsor knot. No, half-Windsor. You don't need full Windsor, you're not the President.""I am CEO," Nathan said, struggling. "That's almost President.""You're CEO of a mid-size investment firm that your dad built and you almost lost twice. You're President of anxiety.""Thanks. Helpful."Jonah laughed, then softened. "You got this. Seriously. You fired Derek. You faced Adonis in his garage. You can tie a tie."Nathan got it. Crooked, but tied.8 AM. Boardroom, Reed Capital. Same table where he fired Derek, where he negotiated Douglas's debt, where Margaret told him about Se

Epilogue: Day 400 Day 400 started at 10 AM, not midnight, not gala, not courtroom, not garage.Founding Farmers. Same table. The one by window that wobbled last year and still wobbles but now staff puts folded napkin under it when they see Nathan and Amber coming, because they come every Tuesday and Thursday, sometimes Wednesday if shift allows, and they always sit same table.Two black coffees. No sugar. One wrinkled henley, because Jonah said wrinkled is honest. One blue shirt, not dress, shirt, because Amber was off today, no scrubs, no white coat, just Research Chair who still does ER shifts because she says research without patients is just expensive typing.Nathan was CEO now, 34 days in. Tie in pocket, not on. Non-creative tie, for board meetings, but not for coffee. Coffee was non-CEO.Amber was Research Chair, grant funded, paper published, Marcus Evans cited as "inspiration" in acknowledgments which made Marcus cry in Georgetown library and text Nathan "DID YOU SEE SHE PUT

Chapter 24: Same Table, New TitleWord count: 1,651Day 501 started with an email that had the subject line "CEO needs to learn how to be boss without being asshole – mandatory training"From: Priya Sharma, CFO, Reed CapitalTo: Nathan Reed, CEOCC: Margaret Sloane, General Counsel; Damien Reed, Retired CEO (BCC, because he will reply-all if you CC him)Nathan,You are doing good job. Numbers up 34%. Rivers Holdings employee buyout worked. Board likes you. But you still apologize when you fire people who steal. Stop. Also you wear henley to board meeting. Stop. We have training today. 9 AM. Conference room. You will be there. Tie required. Non-creative. I bought you one. It's on your desk. – PriyaNathan stared at tie on desk. Navy, dots, even more non-creative than last non-creative tie. Priya's version of affection.He put it on. Went to conference room.Priya, Margaret, Elena (Zoom, because Nasdaq bell yesterday but still working), and... Dr. Cho."Dr. Cho?" Nathan said. "You are h

Chapter 26: The Answer Day 524 started at 8 AM with no coffee. Because Nathan skipped same table to go to boardroom. First time in 524 days he skipped same table, and Amber texted you better have good reason for skipping same table, CEO. He did. Reason: $400M. Boardroom, Reed Capital. Priya, Margaret, Damien (invited, because even though he gave key back, he still has opinion and he will give it whether you invite or not), Eleanor on Zoom from sunroom, pearls already on at 8 AM. Nathan stood, no tie today, henley, wrinkled, honest, because Priya said "if you are going to say no to $400M, you better be honest." "I have answer," Nathan said. Board waited. "I say no," he said. Silence. Then Eleanor, on Zoom, laughed. Short, real. "I knew you would," she said. "I told my board you would say no. They said $400M, anyone says yes. I said not him. He just became CEO 24 days ago, he fired two people without apology, he turned Rivers into employee-owned, he has same table

Chapter 28: The Tree Day 546 started at 7 AM with shovel.Not CEO shovel, real shovel, from Home Depot, $25, because Priya said "you cannot expense shovel as CEO, you have $1B AUM, buy your own shovel."Nathan in Reed backyard, suit pants but henley, wrinkled, because planting tree in suit is CEO who doesn't know how to plant tree, which is accurate.Damien in chair, oxygen off, but blanket, Sophia next to him, Hope in lap, 84 days old now, wearing hat that says "Nana's Girl" because Sophia bought it.Amber, off today, not in Chicago yet, Chicago tomorrow, but today here, holding instructions for tree, because Amber reads instructions, Nathan doesn't.Tree: oak, small, 3 feet, for Hope, so when Hope is 20, tree big, like Damien said."Okay, you dig hole," Amber said, reading. "Hole should be twice as wide as root ball, same depth."Nathan dug. Hole too narrow, too deep, like his first tie knot."Professional hole?" Damien called from chair. "That hole looks like you are burying... bu