CHAPTER 4: The Boardroom Execution
At 9:00 AM the following morning, the glass skyscraper of Vale Enterprises was surrounded by media vans and federal agents.
Inside the executive boardroom, Adrian sat at the head of the conference table, pale and disheveled. Vanessa sat behind him, looking terrified as senior board members yelled across the room.
“The stock has dropped forty percent in two hours!” one director screamed. “Our credit lines are completely severed! What did you do, Adrian?”
“It’s a technical glitch,” Adrian lied, his voice cracking. “We are in negotiations with—”
The double doors of the boardroom swung open.
I walked in. I was no longer wearing the simple dresses of Adrian’s quiet wife. I wore a tailored midnight-blue suit, my hair pulled back, carrying a sleek leather briefcase. Behind me walked four senior partners from the city’s top corporate law firm.
The room fell completely silent.
“Evelyn?” Adrian stammered, standing up. “What are you doing here? This is a private board meeting.”
I took my seat at the opposite end of the table. My lead attorney placed a stack of documents in front of every board member.
“My name is Evelyn Laurent,” I announced, my voice echoing clearly across the room. “As of 8:00 AM this morning, Laurent Holdings has acquired sixty-two percent of Vale Enterprises’ distressed debt. By converting that debt into equity, I am now the majority shareholder of this corporation.”
The board members gasped, frantically reading the documents.
“You’re lying!” Vanessa shouted, standing up. “You don’t have that kind of money!”
“Her family is the money, you fool,” one elderly board member snapped at Vanessa before turning to me with a respectful nod.
I looked at Adrian. “Resolution one: Adrian Vale is hereby terminated as Chief Executive Officer with immediate effect. Resolution two: We are filing criminal charges for embezzlement, asset stripping, and corporate fraud based on evidence of illegal transfers to Vanessa Reed’s private accounts.”
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Adrian slumped into his chair, his face entirely drained of color. “Evelyn... please.”
“Security,” I said calmly. “Escort former CEO Vale and Miss Reed off the premises.”
