Chapter 3 - The Board's Verdict
Madison fumbled with the clasp of the diamond bracelet, her glossy red nails slipping against the white gold. Tears of genuine humiliation spilled over her mascara, ruining the flawless makeup she had spent three hours perfecting. When the heavy diamonds finally dropped into Grace’s hand, Madison looked like a child stripped of her favorite toy.
“Escort Miss Cole to the lobby,” Vivien commanded calmly. “She has five minutes to leave the premises before I press trespassing charges.”
“Alexander!” Madison shrieked as two security officers gently but firmly gripped her elbows. She dug her silver heels into the plush carpet, but they moved her seamlessly toward the exit. “Do something!”
Alexander stood paralyzed. His eyes darted to the front row, where the five senior members of the Ashford Board of Directors were seated. They were older men and women, loyalists to Vivien’s late mother, who had merely tolerated Alexander because Vivien had asked them to. Now, they looked at him with the cold, calculating detachment of butchers eyeing a sick calf.
“Vivien, this is corporate suicide,” Alexander hissed, stalking toward the stage. “You can’t freeze my accounts. I’m the face of this company. The upcoming merger with the Vanguard Group depends entirely on my relationships!”
“The Vanguard Group canceled their merger thirty minutes ago,” a deep, resonant voice called out from the back of the room.
The crowd parted as Julian Hayes, the ruthless and notoriously brilliant managing partner of the city’s top crisis management law firm, stepped forward. He adjusted his impeccably tailored navy suit, holding a leather folder. Julian had been Vivien’s best kept secret for the last six months—the man she hired the day she found the first charge for Madison’s penthouse on the company ledgers.
Julian walked directly to Vivien, offering her a respectful, almost reverent nod before turning to Alexander. “Mr. Ashford. I am Mrs. Ashford’s legal counsel. The Vanguard Group was made aware of the impending SEC investigation into your embezzlement of charity funds to finance Miss Cole’s lifestyle. They pulled out at six p.m.”
May you like
Alexander’s jaw dropped. “Embezzlement? That’s a lie!”
“We have receipts for the yacht in Monaco, the loft in Tribeca, and the quarter-million-dollar 'consulting' fees paid to Madison Cole’s shell company,” Julian stated, loud enough for the board members to hear. “The board convened an emergency digital vote an hour ago, Alexander. You’re not the CEO anymore. You’re terminated.”
