Chapter 6 - The Emergency Board Meeting

Monday morning at Vale Enterprises was a masterclass in corporate panic.

When Dominic strode through the glass double doors of the executive floor, his tie slightly crooked and his face pale from a sleepless night, he didn't expect to see me sitting at the head of the mahogany boardroom table.

The six members of the board of directors sat in stunned silence around the long table. Vanessa stood awkwardly near the door, having attempted to slip in behind Dominic before security intercepted her.

"Evelyn?" Dominic stopped dead in his tracks, his briefcase slipping from his grip and hitting the carpet with a dull thud. "What the hell are you doing in my chair?"

I didn't blink. I slowly swiveled the leather executive chair around, resting my hands neatly folded over the polished wood.

"It's not your chair anymore, Dominic," I said, my voice carrying clearly across the silent room. "In fact, if you look at Section 4, Paragraph B of the corporate charter—the one you had your lawyers draft back when you were trying to impress your venture capital buddies—you'll find that in the event of a marital separation involving corporate malfeasance, voting rights automatically revert to the primary silent stakeholder."

Dominic rushed forward, slamming his hands onto the table. "You're lying! There's no such clause! Show me the document!"

Arthur Pendelton, the senior legal counsel for the board and a man who had watched Dominic bully his way through corporate meetings for a decade, slowly slid a document across the table.

"She's right, Dominic," Arthur said quietly, adjusting his spectacles. "Your signature is right here on page twelve. You signed it eight years ago, right before our initial public offering. Evelyn holds fifty-one percent of the voting shares through a private holding trust."

The color drained entirely from Dominic's face. He staggered backward, gripping the back of an empty chair for support. "A trust? What trust? You never told me about a trust!"

"You were too busy counting your projected profits to read the fine print, Dominic," I replied smoothly. "Just like you were too busy entertaining Vanessa to notice that every major investor in this room answered to me, not you."

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One by one, the directors stood up, gathering their briefcases. Arthur Pendelton gave me a respectful nod before walking toward the door. As he passed Dominic, he patted him on the shoulder.

"Good luck with your morning, Vale. You're going to need it."