CHAPTER 2 ā "The Envelope Wasn't Evidenceā¦ It Was a Death Sentence for the CEO."
Richard laughed when he noticed Emily staring at the envelope.
"What now? More excuses?"
Without answering, Emily picked it up.
Her hands shook.
The entire board watched in silence as she broke the seal.
Insideā¦
There wasn't a resignation letter.
There wasn't evidence clearing her name.
There was only one folded documentā¦
ā¦and a black metal key.
Confused, Emily unfolded the paper.
The color instantly disappeared from her face.
Richard noticed.
"What is it?"
She didn't answer.
Insteadā¦
She slowly turned the document around so everyone in the boardroom could see it.
At the very top was the company's official corporate seal.
Beneath it were signatures from the founding shareholders dated nearly twenty-five years earlier.
The final paragraph made every executive stop breathing.
"In the event of my death, all controlling ownership of Holloway Global Holdings shall immediately transfer to my granddaughter, Emily Carter, upon her twenty-sixth birthday."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Richard snatched the document.
His confident smile vanished.
His hands began to tremble.
"No..."
He turned to the last page.
The signatures.
The legal certifications.
The registration numbers.
Everything was authentic.
Emily wasn't just another employee.
She wasn't an analyst.
She wasn't even Richard's subordinate.
She legally owned the company.
Then Emily quietly lifted the small black key from the envelope.
"What does the key open?" one board member whispered.
Emily looked directly into Richard's terrified eyes.
"I don't know..."
She paused.
"...but judging by your face..."
"...whatever is locked behind it is exactly what you've spent twenty-five years trying to hide."
The conference room doors suddenly opened.
Three government investigators walked inside.
One of them spoke only seven words.
May you like
"Ms. Carter... we've been waiting for you."
To be continuedā¦
Related Stories
