Chapter 4 - The Emergency Board Meeting
By 9:30 a.m., the executive boardroom on the top floor of Vance Global Tower was filled with tension. The room was a masterpiece of modern architecture—floor-to-ceiling glass walls overlooking the glittering skyline, a massive slate conference table, and a digital display currently flashing red analytics regarding the Nova Group collapse.
I sat at the head of the table, wearing a tailored charcoal suit that commanded absolute authority. Lily was safely tucked away in the executive lounge downstairs, happily drawing pictures on my digital tablet while guarded by my head of security.
The heavy glass doors swung open, and David Roberts stumbled into the room, flanked by two security guards who had intercepted him in the lobby. David looked like a man who had aged ten years overnight. His hair was disheveled, his expensive tie was crooked, and his eyes were bloodshot and panicked.
"Elena! You insane—!" David started shouting, lunging forward before the guards grabbed his shoulders and forced him down into a chair opposite me.
"Mr. Roberts," Secretary Kim said coldly, stepping forward with a leather-bound folder. "You are currently trespassing in a restricted corporate facility. You have exactly two minutes to speak before security escorts you out."
David ignored Secretary Kim, staring directly at me with a mixture of rage and sheer desperation. "Elena, please! You have to call them off! The board at Nova Group just suspended me! They’re auditing my entire department! They’re threatening criminal charges for the discrepancies in the Q3 revenue reports!"
I didn't blink. I picked up a silver pen, turning it slowly between my fingers. "The discrepancies you manufactured to secure your promotion over your peers. Don't act surprised, David. My forensic accountants flagged those numbers three weeks ago. I simply chose today to cash the receipt."
"You... you planned this?" David gasped, his voice trembling. "You knew about the audit weeks ago?"
"I know everything that happens in the sectors we finance," I replied calmly. "You thought you were a brilliant corporate shark, David. In reality, you were swimming in a tank I built, using capital I provided, while mocking the hand that fed you."
The boardroom doors opened again, and this time Arthur and Clara rushed in. Clara looked terrified, her expensive makeup streaked with tears, while Arthur leaned heavily on a walking stick, his face pale and sickly.
"Elena!" Clara shrieked, rushing toward the table. "What have you done?! Our accounts are frozen! The bank just rejected my mortgage payment for my penthouse! They’re repossessing David’s car! Have you completely lost your mind over a stupid dress?!"
Arthur slammed his walking stick onto the slate floor. "Elena, enough of this childish game! We are family! You cannot do this to us! I demand you restore our assets immediately, or I will disown Mark this very second!"
I let out a quiet, cold laugh that made all three of them flinch.
"Family?" I asked, looking up from my pen. "Where was your concept of family when Brenda threw an eight-year-old child's handmade dress into a trash compactor? Where was your family loyalty when you laughed while she cried? You spent years treating us like dirt because you measured human worth by price tags and brand names."
I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the table.
"You wanted to play in the big leagues, David? Congratulations. You're bankrupt, disgraced, and unemployable. And Arthur? As of ten minutes ago, the eviction notice for your estate has been officially filed. By New Year's Day, you will be packing your things."
Clara burst into loud, hysterical tears, collapsing into a chair. Arthur grabbed his chest, gasping for air as Brenda—who had just hurried into the room behind them—rushed to his side, screaming for an ambulance.
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I didn't flinch. I didn't offer help. I simply signaled Secretary Kim.
"Have security escort them out," I said quietly. "And make sure the press receives the complete dossier on Nova Group's internal fraud by noon. Let the market see what kind of men the Roberts family really are."
