Chapter 2: The Document That Changed History
The silence that followed Julian’s declaration was deafening. Even the grandfather clock in the corner seemed to stop ticking. Eleanor blinked, her face contorting into a mask of pure confusion.
"What... what are you talking about?" she stammered. "Main shareholder? You hold the voting rights. You are the CEO."
Julian pulled a thick, black leather folder from his briefcase—the same one he had brought to the office that morning. He didn't hand it to her; he slammed it onto the table, shattering a porcelain teacup.
"The shares weren't mine to keep," Julian said, his voice gaining that lethal authority that had built his billion-dollar empire. "When my father passed, he left a contingency trust. A clause that only activated if the CEO married someone of his own choosing—or, in this case, someone he vetted years ago."
Sarah took a step forward, her trembling gone. She opened the folder. It wasn't just a marriage certificate. It was an SEC filing, notarized and stamped, detailing the transfer of voting blocks.
"My father met Sarah's family when she was a child," Julian explained, looking at his mother with cold eyes. "He knew what kind of person you were, Mother. He knew you would try to steer the company into the ground with your ego and your 'social status' obsession. He made her the primary beneficiary of his private trust. And since we are legally married, she now controls the majority vote."
Eleanor snatched the paper from the table, her eyes scanning the legal jargon. As she read, her face drained of color. She looked for a loophole, a mistake, anything—but the signature at the bottom was her late husband's, dating back over a decade.
May you like
"This is a forgery," she hissed, though her hands shook violently.
"It’s a life sentence," Julian corrected. "For your career."
