Chapter 13 - The Boardroom CoupThree weeks later.
The executive boardroom on the fiftieth floor of Carter Global was packed to capacity. Sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, illuminating the polished mahogany table where the elite members of the board of directors sat in rigid, watchful silence.
Ethan walked into the room wearing a sharp charcoal suit, his expression a mask of absolute calm. Behind him walked Maria, holding Sophie’s and Lily’s hands as they stepped proudly beside him, dressed in matching cream-colored dresses.
"Ethan," spoke Mr. Henderson, the senior managing director who had served under Margaret for forty years. "Bringing children into a corporate shareholder assembly is a gross violation of protocol."
"These children aren't just guests, Henderson," Ethan said, his voice cutting cleanly through the room as he sat at the head of the table. "They are fifty-percent equity holders under the original 1940 charter, validated by federal court order last week."
A murmur rippled through the board members. Henderson’s face hardened into a mask of corporate disdain.
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"The court order recognized bloodline, Ethan, but it didn't grant voting rights," Henderson replied coldly, sliding a legal document across the table. "According to Section 9 of the corporate bylaws, minor heirs cannot exercise voting power without a designated board-approved trustee. And since Margaret is incarcerated, the board has unanimously appointed me as the primary voting proxy."
Ethan stared at the document, realizing the trap they had sprung. Henderson had quietly consolidated enough proxy votes among the remaining old-guard directors to legally override every decision Ethan made regarding the girls' safety and estate management.
