Chapter 5 - THE BOARDROOM PURGEAt 9:00 AM on Monday morning, the glass double doors of the Vale Industrial executive boardroom slid open.
When I walked in on my crutches, wearing a sharply tailored charcoal suit custom-altered to fit my new mobility needs, the twelve senior vice presidents and board members—all hand-picked sycophants of Richard—sat in dead silence.
They looked at me as if I were a ghost returning from the underworld.
I made my way steadily to the head of the polished mahogany table—the massive chair my father had occupied for forty years—and lowered myself into it.
"Good morning, gentlemen," I said.
Chief Operating Officer Arthur Vance, a man who had accepted massive kickbacks from Richard’s shell companies, cleared his throat nervously. "Ethan... this is highly irregular. Where is Richard? The board hasn't voted on any leadership transition—"
"Richard is currently residing at the Manhattan Detention Complex awaiting federal indictment," I interrupted, tossing a thick audit ledger onto the table in front of him.
Arthur’s eyes widened as he glanced at the document.
"Every bribe you accepted, every falsified safety report you signed off on to cut manufacturing costs, and every offshore wire transfer to your accounts in Zurich is documented right here," I stated evenly, leaning forward, resting my hands on the table. "You have two choices, Arthur. You can sign your immediate resignation letter and forfeit all stock options... or you can join my uncle in maximum security before lunch."
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Arthur stared at the ledger, his hands shaking violently. Without uttering another word, he grabbed a gold fountain pen, signed his resignation, and practically ran out of the boardroom.
The remaining eleven board members scrambled to sign their own resignations within sixty seconds.
