Chapter 2 - The Dominoes Begin to Fall
Everett’s fingers stumbled as he punched his passcode into his phone, his initial smirk faltering into a confused frown. He opened the corporate governance app, expecting to see his dashboard glowing with approval metrics and quarterly growth projections.
Instead, the screen was locked behind a stark, unyielding black-and-gold interface.
Authorization Revoked. Entity: Everett Vance. Status: Terminated for Cause under Clause 9.4 of the Founder’s Absolute Mandate.
"This... this is a bug," Everett stampered, his face instantly draining of color as the ambient noise of the party began to fade. The socialites who had been laughing a moment ago noticed the sudden shift in the atmosphere and stepped back, sensing an impending catastrophe. "Grant! Grant is the head of IT. Someone must have hacked the mainframe. This is a cyberattack!"
"It’s not a hack, Mr. Vance," a cold, clipped voice rang out from near the grand double doors of the ballroom.
All heads snapped toward the entrance. Walking into the gala wasn't a party guest, but Arthur Pendelton—the stern, silver-haired managing partner of Pendelton & Ross, Blackstone Crest’s legal counsel, flanked by two towering men in midnight-black tactical suits bearing the insignia of Apex Private Security.
Arthur didn't look at Everett. He walked straight past the horrified socialites, his leather-soled shoes clicking sharply against the floor, until he came to a complete halt directly in front of Evelyn Hart.
To the absolute shock of everyone in the room, the most feared corporate lawyer in New York City—a man who refused meetings with sitting senators—pulled a white silk handkerchief from his breast pocket, bowed deeply from the waist, and extended his hand toward Evelyn.
"Good evening, Madam Chairman," Arthur said, his voice echoing clearly across the silent hall. "The emergency board resolution has been ratified unanimously. Your directives have been executed to the letter."
Patricia stopped laughing. Her jaw dropped so low it looked as though it might unhinge. "Chairman...? What is he talking about? Everett is the Chairman! Everett founded this company!"
"Did he?" Evelyn tilted her head, a chilling smile playing on her lips. "Ask him who owned the seed capital ten years ago when Blackstone Crest was a starving startup in a basement office. Ask him whose family trust quietly bought out the founding shares during the 2018 liquidity crisis."
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Everett staggered backward, colliding heavily against a pillar. His eyes darted from Arthur to Evelyn, panic clawing at his throat. "You... you were just a silent partner on paper! My father left me the voting rights—!"
"Your father left the voting rights to the lineage, Everett," Arthur corrected smoothly, snapping his fingers. "And as of tonight, by executive decree of the majority shareholder holding ninety-one point four percent equity, you have been stripped of every title, every asset, and every privilege associated with Blackstone Crest Holdings."
