Chapter 4 - The Shattered Empire
The boardroom door clicked open again, and Genevieve strode in holding a cup of espresso, wearing a sharp cream blazer.
"Dominic, why is the SEC portal rejecting our pre-market filings—"
She stopped dead when she saw me sitting at the head of the table.
"What is she doing here?" Genevieve demanded, pointing an angry finger. "Security! Remove this woman from our floor!"
"Sit down, Ms. Laurent," Fiona commanded, placing a certified court injunction onto the table. "You no longer have administrative authority in this company. As of eighty minutes ago, the board of directors was reconstituted by majority shareholder proxy. Your executive privileges have been temporarily suspended pending a comprehensive forensic audit."
Genevieve’s coffee cup trembled in her hand. "You can't do this! I am the CEO! I hold twelve percent equity!"
"Twelve percent non-voting preferred equity," I corrected smoothly, tapping a silver pen against the mahogany folder. "Which gives you the right to observe, not govern. And under Section 9 of your executive employment contract, any undisclosed conflict of interest involving corporate assets or fraudulent representations of marital dissolution triggers an immediate termination for cause."
Dominic lunged forward, slamming his hands onto the marble table. "Beatrice! We built this company together! You stayed home! I ran the meetings, I secured the government subsidies, I gave you a luxury life!"
"You gave me a life of lies, Dominic," I said softly, standing up. "You used my father's proprietary solar patents without paying the trust royalties. You funneled three million dollars from the research fund into offshore accounts to buy that five-carat diamond ring. And you told your board I was an unstable ex-wife so you could merge your shares with Genevieve's family firm."
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Genevieve turned on Dominic, her eyes blazing with panic. "You told me the patents were owned by your private holding company! You swore the clean-energy intellectual property was unencumbered!"
Dominic’s face turned gray. He looked between Genevieve and the stack of forensic evidence, realizing that the house of cards he had built over six years had collapsed in less than twelve hours.
