Chapter 4 - The Checkmate
"You can't do that," Richard whispered, the edges of his vision going dark. "That requires a board majority vote—"
"I have the board majority," Catherine said.
Richard stared at her, uncomprehending.
"My family's trust, Richard. The one you thought was just a 'cute little safety net' of old money," Catherine said, her eyes flashing with a predatory brilliance. "I leveraged it. I bought out your three largest silent partners yesterday afternoon. They were more than happy to sell when I showed them the embezzlement documents."
She rested her hand on her pregnant belly again, a gesture not of vulnerability, but of absolute, maternal protection.
"You thought you built a cage around me, Richard," she said softly. "But you just handed me the keys to your entire life."
Dominic tapped the folded document on the table. "That is a notice of immediate default and termination. You are being removed as CEO of Sterling Properties for cause, effective immediately. Your equity is being seized to cover the embezzled funds. You are, for all intents and purposes, bankrupt."
Richard stepped back from the table as if he had been physically struck. He looked around the hushed restaurant. The senator, the producer, the titans of industry—they were all watching. They were witnessing his execution.
He turned toward his own table, desperate for an ally, for an anchor.
May you like
Tiffany was gone.
Seeing the confrontation and sensing the sudden shift in power, the young mistress had quietly gathered her coat and slipped out the back door, abandoning the sinking ship without a second thought.
