Chapter 3: The Boardroom Coup
The aftermath wasn't confined to the manor. By the next morning, the corporate world was in chaos. Eleanor Hawthorne, a woman who had run the board of directors with an iron fist for fifteen years, found her access keys deactivated before she even reached the lobby of the headquarters.
As she stepped out of her car, she was met not by her assistant, but by a frantic board member.
"Eleanor! Thank god you're here. We’ve received a notice of a shareholder vote. A 'No Confidence' motion. They’re saying you’ve been liquidating company assets to cover your personal debts."
Eleanor stared at the board member, her mind reeling. "I haven't—"
"The records are all here, Eleanor," the board member said, handing her a tablet. It was the same data Sarah had helped Julian compile over the last year—every illicit transfer, every tax evasion scheme Eleanor had employed to maintain her lavish lifestyle.
It wasn't just that Sarah was the majority shareholder; it was that Sarah had exposed the rot.
Inside the boardroom, the atmosphere was funereal. Julian sat at the head of the table. Sarah sat to his right, looking composed and regal in a suit that commanded respect. When Eleanor entered, the room didn't stand up. The reverence she had commanded for decades had evaporated overnight.
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"The vote," Julian said, not looking up from his files. "Is unanimous. You are removed from the board, effective immediately. And the legal team is preparing the criminal filings for the embezzlement charges."
Eleanor looked around the room, searching for an ally, a friend, anyone. But she saw only backs turned and eyes averted. She had built a kingdom on fear, and now, the subjects were ready to revolt.
