Chapter 5 - THE BOARDROOM BATTLE
Monday morning arrived with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. The executive boardroom on the top floor of the Halston tower was suffocatingly tense. Charles, Vivienne, and Grant sat on one side of the expansive mahogany table, looking like they had aged a decade over the weekend. Their legal team hovered behind them, whispering frantically.
At exactly 9:00 AM, the double glass doors swung open.
Evelyn walked in. She was no longer the quiet bridesmaid in a stained dress. She wore a razor-sharp navy tailored suit, her hair pulled back into a severe, elegant twist. Beside her was Adrian Wolfe, exuding an aura of pure, predatory calm.
“Good morning,” Evelyn said, taking the seat at the head of the table. She opened a thick black dossier. Adrian took a seat to her right, leaning back and steepling his fingers, entirely content to let her lead.
“Ms. Hart,” Charles began, trying to muster his old authority. “We have reviewed the takeover terms. They are draconian. Stripping the board, liquidating the international assets, voiding the executive pension plans—it’s corporate murder!”
“It is corporate triage, Charles,” Evelyn corrected, sliding a document across the table. “You have mismanaged this company into the ground. Your debt-to-equity ratio is catastrophic. The only reason I haven’t pushed for immediate bankruptcy is because three thousand lower-level employees would lose their jobs, and unlike you, I care about the people who actually clean the rooms and serve the food.”
Vivienne slammed her hand on the table. “You are vindictive! You’re doing this because of a spilled glass of wine!”
Evelyn looked at her with chilling pity. “The wine was a symptom, Vivienne. Your arrogance blinded you to your own company’s rotting foundations. You fired your internal auditors when they warned you about Grant’s embezzlement. That is a federal crime.”
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Grant visibly shrank in his chair.
“Sign the surrender of your voting shares, Charles,” Adrian said softly, his voice cutting through the rising panic. “Or Ms. Hart sends the embezzlement files to the SEC. You have sixty seconds.”
