Chapter 5 - The Corporate Purge
Two weeks later, the board of directors called an emergency meeting. The corporate headquarters was a tense environment; the scandal had caused a minor dip in our stock price, and several older board members—longtime allies of my late father and mother—were demanding that I settle the matter privately to protect the brand.
I walked into the boardroom wearing a sharp black suit. I didn't sit down. I stood at the head of the table, looking at the wealthy men and women who thought they could dictate my family's morality.
"Julian," an older board member named Arthur said, clearing his throat. "This public circus is bad for business. Your mother is a founding member of this legacy. Surely we can arrange a plea deal, place her in a private estate under medical supervision, and tell the press it was a psychological misunderstanding. Your wife can be compensated generously."
"Compensated?" I asked, a dark, dangerous smile touching my lips. "My wife isn't an employee seeking a settlement, Arthur. She is my wife. And my son is the future of this company."
I tapped the remote on the conference table, and the massive projection screens lowered. Instead of financial charts, the security footage of Chloe striking Elena and my mother’s cold dismissal played for the entire room to see. Several board members gasped, looking away from the brutal reality.
"This is what you want me to cover up?" I asked, my voice echoing like thunder in the silent room. "Let me make this entirely clear to everyone sitting at this table. Anyone who defends Diane or Chloe Vance is an enemy of this company. Anyone who suggests we prioritize a stock price over the attempted murder of my child will have their shares forcibly bought out by my trust by the end of the day."
I threw a folder of financial audits onto the table. "Furthermore, our internal investigation has revealed that Arthur and two other board members have been helping my mother skim money from the corporate charity fund for the last four years. You have ten minutes to resign, or the police downstairs will add corporate embezzlement to their list of arrests today."
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Arthur’s face drained of color. He slowly stood up, trembling, signed his resignation papers, and walked out, followed by his co-conspirators.
The remaining board members looked at me with newfound fear and profound respect. The puppet executive they thought they could control was gone. The true king had awakened.
