Chapter 4 - The Boardroom Execution
The headquarters of Vance Enterprise was in a state of absolute chaos when we arrived. Employees were whispering in the hallways, and the air was thick with the scent of impending doom.
When Blake and I walked through the double glass doors of the executive boardroom, the room went dead silent. My father was at the head of the table, looking ten years older than he had the previous night. His hair was disheveled, and his eyes were bloodshot. My mother and Penelope were sitting in the corner chairs, looking terrified.
"Clara!" my mother gasped, standing up instantly. "Thank God you're here. Please, tell your husband there’s been a terrible mistake! Your father didn't mean to—it was just a joke, a little family hazing—"
"A joke?" I interrupted, my voice cutting through her frantic apologies like a razor. I didn't sit in the guest chairs. I walked straight to the head of the table, right next to my father’s seat. Blake stood right behind me, an imposing shadow that deterred anyone from speaking out. "Shoving your daughter into a fountain and having security try to throw her out like garbage is a joke to you, Mother?"
"Clara, please," my father groaned, his voice cracked. "The banks... they're calling in all our loans. If we don't get an influx of capital by noon, the company assets will be frozen. We will lose everything. The house, the cars, the name..."
"You've already lost it," I said smoothly, pulling out the documents Blake had given me and sliding them across the table.
My father picked them up, his hands shaking so violently he almost tore the paper. As his eyes scanned the legal text, the last remaining bit of color drained from his face. "This... this can't be. You own forty-five percent? Since when?!"
"Since you decided that my dignity was worth less than a wedding spectacle," I replied coldly. "With Blake's remaining shares voted by proxy to me, I hold a fifty-five percent majority. Richard Vance, as of this moment, you are officially removed from your position as Chief Executive Officer of this company."
"You can't do this!" Penelope screamed, jumping out of her seat. Her wedding ring flashed in the fluorescent lights, but it looked cheap now. "Arthur's family is ruining him because of you! They're threatening to annul our marriage! You're destroying my life!"
I turned to look at my sister, the girl who had spent her entire life stealing my clothes, my boyfriends, and my father’s affection while ensuring I was treated like a servant.
"I'm not destroying your life, Penelope," I said, a calm, serene smile gracing my lips. "I'm just allowing you to experience the exact amount of mercy you've always shown me. Security!"
The boardroom doors opened, and two massive security guards—men hired by Blake’s firm—stepped in.
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"Please escort Mr. Vance, his wife, and his youngest daughter out of the building," I ordered. "They no longer have security clearance here."
The screams and curses of my family echoed down the hallway as they were dragged out, leaving the remaining board members staring at me in absolute terror. I sat down in the CEO’s chair, looking up at Blake. He offered me a rare, genuine smile, his eyes filled with something that looked suspiciously like pride.
