Chapter 4 - The Paper Fortress Crumbles
Gavin laughed, a nervous, barking sound. "That’s absurd! My name is on the door! I sign the paychecks! The corporate registration is under my name!"
"The corporate registration is under Rourke Logistics LLC," Arthur corrected smoothly, adjusting his spectacles. "Which is entirely owned by the Wexler-Raleigh Family Trust. A trust that was established by Malcolm Wexler, for which the sole trustee and beneficiary is Clara Wexler."
Brielle gasped, looking at Gavin. "Gavin, what is he talking about? You told me you owned the whole thing!"
"I do!" Gavin shouted, his face turning a dangerous shade of red. "Clara signed a post-nuptial agreement giving me full operational control and operational ownership rights upon reaching certain revenue milestones!"
"Ah, you mean the document prepared by your private attorney three years ago?" Arthur asked, pulling out a copy of that exact paper. "The one where you attempted to trick your wife into signing away her trust assets?"
"Yes! She signed it! It's legally binding!"
I stepped forward, looking at my husband’s desperate face. "Gavin, did you really think I was that stupid? I took that document straight to my father’s legal team before I ever put pen to paper. The document you have in your office is a counter-draft. It granted you operational control, yes, but it included a strict moral turpitude and asset-misuse clause."
Arthur picked up another document. "According to Section 4, Paragraph B of the actual signed agreement: Any redirection of corporate funds for non-business entities, any public scandal bringing disrepute to the Wexler name, or any act of domestic misconduct automatically revokes your position as CEO, terminates your employment, and forfeits any claim you have to corporate bonuses, stock options, or severed pay."
Gavin froze. His breath hitched. "No... no, that’s not what it says."
"We have spent the last forty-eight hours auditing your corporate accounts, Mr. Rourke," Arthur continued relentlessly. "We have records of a three-carat diamond necklace purchased on the company visa for Ms. Brielle Knox. We have records of a luxury penthouse apartment in downtown Charlotte rented under 'corporate lodging' but occupied exclusively by Ms. Knox. We have video evidence of your physical assault on Clara tonight, captured by the security system—which, by the way, belongs to the trust."
"You spied on me?!" Gavin screamed, taking a step toward Arthur.
Two of my father’s bodyguards instantly stepped into his path, their massive frames casting long shadows over him. Gavin stopped dead in his tracks, shaking.
"As of 8:00 PM tonight," my father said, his voice echoing in the high-ceilinged room, "you are terminated from Rourke Logistics. Your access to the company’s bank accounts has been frozen. Your corporate credit cards have been canceled. The Tesla, the Range Rover, and the Mercedes parked outside are registered to the trust; the repossession company is already towing them away as we speak."
Right on cue, the distant, mechanical sound of a flatbed tow truck winching a vehicle could be heard from the driveway.
Brielle panicked. "My clothes! My bags are in the Range Rover! Gavin, do something!"
May you like
Gavin ignored her. His eyes were wide, staring at my father in absolute terror. "You can't do this. The board of directors won't allow it. The investors—"
"The board of directors consists of me, Arthur, and Clara," my father interrupted coldly. "And as for the investors... Wexler Capital is the sole institutional investor. We own your debt, Gavin. And tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM, Wexler Capital is calling in the thirty-million-dollar line of credit we extended to Rourke Logistics."
