Chapter 3 - The Boardroom Coup
Within forty-eight hours, Dominic’s comfortable, arrogant world began to split at the seams.
He sat in the executive boardroom of Miller Medical Supplies, his tie undone, his desk covered in empty coffee cups and frantic sticky notes. Across from him sat his vice president of sales, a nervous young man named Greg, who was sweating through his cheap polyester suit.
"What do you mean the Saint Aurelia order was canceled?" Dominic yelled, slamming his hand onto the glass table. "That order represents forty percent of our projected revenue for this quarter! We’ve already manufactured the units!"
"They... they cited a quality control violation, Dominic," Greg stammered, holding up a printout of an email. "They said our sterilization units failed to meet the new federal standards. But... those standards don't even go into effect until next year!"
"It’s her," Dominic hissed, his knuckles turning white. "It’s Audrey and her goddamn grandfather. They’re trying to squeeze me."
"There’s more, sir," Greg said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "State Alliance Bank called. They’ve frozen our corporate line of credit. They said there’s an ongoing investigation into potential security fraud and unauthorized signature transfers."
"What?" Dominic jumped to his feet, his heart pounding. "They can't do that! My brother-in-law, Robert, handles that account!"
"Robert was escorted out of the building by federal investigators two hours ago, Dominic," a cold, calm voice said from the doorway.
Dominic spun around.
Standing in the doorway was Marcus Crane, flanked by two representatives from the Securities and Exchange Commission and Alistair, my grandfather's attorney.
"Who the hell let you in here?" Dominic snarled, trying to stand tall. "This is a private corporate office! Get the hell out before I call security!"
"Your security has already been replaced by a private firm contracted by the majority shareholder of this building," Alistair said, stepping into the room and tossing a thick folder onto the table. "And as of nine o'clock this morning, Mr. Miller, you are no longer the majority owner of Miller Medical Supplies."
Dominic laughed, though it sounded incredibly thin. "You're crazy. I own sixty percent of this company. My name is on the door!"
"You owned sixty percent," Marcus corrected him, opening his laptop. "But to fund your expansion last year, you took out a high-interest business loan from a private investment firm called Crestview Holdings. Do you remember that loan, Dominic?"
Dominic’s face drained of color. "That... that was a standard corporate line of credit."
"No, it wasn't," Marcus said. "The fine print of that agreement stated that if your company’s credit rating dropped below a B-minus, or if your corporate accounts were frozen under suspicion of financial impropriety, the debt would immediately convert into voting shares. Crestview Holdings is a subsidiary of Pendelton Enterprises. We bought your debt three months ago, Dominic. And today, we’ve exercised our right to convert that debt into fifty-one percent of your company's equity."
Dominic collapsed back into his leather chair, his jaw hanging open. "No... no, this is illegal. This is a hostile takeover."
"This is business, Mr. Miller," Alistair said, sliding a termination agreement across the table. "The board of directors—which is now controlled by us—has voted to terminate your employment as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Your access to the corporate servers has been revoked, and your personal items must be cleared from your office by noon today."
"You can't do this to me!" Dominic screamed, standing up and grabbing Alistair by the collar of his expensive suit. "I built this! I worked eighty hours a week while Audrey sat at home doing nothing!"
The door to the boardroom opened, and two uniformed police officers stepped in, followed by my grandfather’s private security.
"Mr. Miller," the lead officer said, pulling Dominic away from Alistair. "Step away from the attorney. You are under arrest for corporate embezzlement, signature forgery, and financial fraud."
Dominic stared at the handcuffs in disbelief. "No... wait! Natalie! Natalie has the money! She has the Panama account!"
"Natalie's account was frozen four hours ago, Mr. Miller," Marcus said, closing his laptop with a quiet, decisive snap. "She’s currently at the precinct being questioned as an accessory to bank fraud."
As the officers forced Dominic’s arms behind his back, clicking the cold steel around his wrists, he looked at Alistair, his eyes filled with a desperate, wild panic.
May you like
"Tell Audrey I’m sorry!" he pleaded, his voice cracking as they dragged him toward the elevator. "Tell her we can work this out! We have babies! We’re a family!"
Alistair didn't answer. He simply watched the elevator doors close, shielding the room from the sight of my husband's complete and utter ruin.
