Chapter 4 - The Boardroom CoupThe morning sun rose over the glass-and-steel monolith of the Sterling Secure Systems headquarters.
Daniel stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling mirrors in the executive washroom, carefully adjusting his silk tie. He looked at his reflection, practicing his "devastated but brave" CEO face.
Vanessa walked in, wearing a sharp, tailored black dress. She slipped her arms around his waist from behind, resting her chin on his shoulder.
"The board is already in the conference room, darling," she purred. "With Claire’s 'unstable mental state' and the police report blaming her negligence for the children’s deaths, the vote to remove her as Chief Technology Officer will be a landslide."
"She’s done," Daniel sneered, turning around to kiss Vanessa’s forehead. "The lawyers have already prepared the proxy forms. By noon today, her voting shares will be temporarily suspended under the corporate incapacity clause. We will control eighty percent of the voting power."
Ten minutes later, Daniel walked into the grand boardroom. The twelve members of the board sat in tense silence, their faces grave.
"Thank you all for coming under such tragic circumstances," Daniel began, his voice cracking with artificial emotion. "As you know, my wife, Claire, is suffering from severe, psychotic grief. Her negligence cost us our beautiful twins, and now she is refusing to step down, putting our upcoming federal defense contract at risk."
He opened his presentation folder. "I am proposing an emergency vote to declare her mentally unfit and strip her of all operational and administrative access."
"You can vote on whatever you like, Daniel," a calm, clear voice echoed from the doorway.
The board members gasped.
May you like
Claire walked into the room. She was dressed in a pristine white pantsuit, her dark hair pulled back into a sleek, professional ponytail. The bruise on her cheek was visible, highlighted by the bright fluorescent lights, but her posture was that of a queen.
Beside her stood Miriam Cole, the legendary corporate defense attorney who had represented Claire’s father for three decades.
