Chapter 4 - The Boardroom Battle
At 2:00 PM, Grandpa and I walked into the headquarters of Vance Construction. The secretaries gasped as Grandpa strode past them without knocking, heading straight for the main boardroom. I followed closely behind, dressed in a sharp suit Grandma had bought me that morning.
Inside, my father was sitting at the head of the table, going over budget spreadsheets with the company accountant. Claire was there too, sitting in a corner chair, scrolling through her phone, acting as a "social media consultant"—a title Dad had created just to put her on the payroll.
Dad looked up, his face turning pale as he saw Grandpa, then hardening as his eyes landed on me. "Arthur? What are you doing here? We’re in the middle of a quarterly review."
"Good. Then my timing is perfect," Grandpa said, walking to the opposite head of the table and pulling out a chair. He motioned for me to sit beside him. "Richard, call an emergency meeting of the board. Now."
"Arthur, this is ridiculous—"
"Now, Richard. Or I will dissolve the board by executive decree before the market closes," Grandpa commanded.
Ten minutes later, the five primary board members were seated, looking confused. Dad sat at the edge of his seat, sweating through his collar.
Grandpa tapped the stack of documents he had brought. "As the majority shareholder of Vance Construction, I am calling a vote of no confidence against the current Managing Director, Richard Vance, on the grounds of financial mismanagement and the unauthorized diversion of corporate trust funds for personal use."
The room erupted into murmurs. Dad stood up, pointing a trembling finger at Grandpa. "You can't do this! I’ve run this company for four years!"
"And in those four years, profits are down thirty percent because you’ve been funneling company cash into personal accounts to pay off your daughter’s ex-husband's debts!" Grandpa roared, slamming his hand down. He tossed a folder of wire transfers onto the center of the table. "You thought I wouldn't check the ledger, Richard? You took money meant for equipment upgrades and handed it to Marcus Miller!"
Claire jumped up. "Dad did that to save my family! Marcus was going to take the kids away!"
"Marcus is a criminal, Claire!" I shouted, unable to hold back. "And Dad used my trust fund interest to pay him off! You both stole from me. You stole from the company."
The board members looked at the evidence, their expressions turning to disgust. Within twenty minutes, the vote was cast. Dad was officially stripped of his managerial power, demoted to a minor consulting role with no access to company finances.
May you like
Grandpa looked around the table. "Furthermore, I am appointing Ethan Vance as the new Director of Logistics and Financial Oversight. He has the degree, he has the work ethic, and unlike his father, he knows the value of an honest dollar."
Dad sank into his chair, utterly defeated, while Claire stared at me with pure, unadulterated hatred. The dynamic had shifted forever.
