Chapter 3 - The Executioners
Brad froze. The alcohol in his system seemed to suddenly war with a very primal, very sudden rush of adrenaline.
"Who the hell is that?" Brad demanded, looking toward the bedroom door.
"That would be the consequences of your actions," I said softly.
The master bedroom door opened wider. Standing in the doorway were three men. Two of them were towering figures in dark tactical suits—private security contractors I had retained months ago for exactly this scenario.
The third man was Marcus.
Marcus was my lead attorney. He was fifty years old, wore a three-piece suit even at 3:30 in the morning, and possessed the emotional warmth of a guillotine. He stepped into the bedroom, carrying a thick leather briefcase.
"Good morning, Elena," Marcus said smoothly, ignoring Brad and Barbara entirely. He looked at the drop of blood on the rug, and then at my chin. His eyes narrowed imperceptibly. "Has an assault occurred?"
"Yes," I said. "He struck me."
The two security contractors immediately stepped into the room, placing themselves between me and Brad.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Barbara shrieked, clutching her silk robe tightly against her chest. "Bradley, who are these men? Call the police immediately!"
"I wouldn't advise that, Barbara," Marcus said, setting his briefcase down on the edge of the California king bed. He snapped the golden latches open. "Unless you would like your son arrested for domestic battery. We have audio recordings from the security system in the hallway, as well as photographic evidence of the assault."
Brad was hyperventilating now, the reality of the situation rapidly crashing through his drunken haze. "Marcus? What the hell are you doing here? You're the company lawyer! You work for me!"
Marcus pulled a thick stack of legal documents from the briefcase. He adjusted his glasses.
"I have never worked for you, Brad," Marcus said, his tone conversational and utterly devastating. "I am the managing partner retained by Apex Capital. You were the CEO of a subsidiary branch. Past tense."
"Past tense?" Brad choked out.
"Effective at 3:10 AM, Elena exercised her absolute voting majority to immediately terminate your employment contract," Marcus stated, handing a document to one of the security guards, who thrust it into Brad's chest. "You are hereby removed from the board. Your access to all corporate funds, credit lines, and banking institutions has been frozen. The company car has been disabled via remote satellite. Your health insurance will expire at the end of the month."
May you like
Brad stared at the paper in his hands as if it were written in a foreign language. "She... she doesn't have a voting majority. The company is mine!"
"The brand is yours," I corrected him gently. "The money is mine. You were the mascot, Brad. And the mascot just bit the owner."
