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The mahogany doors of the Fairmont Royal York ballroom didn’t just open; they parted like a stage curtain for an execution. / Chapter 4 / 6

Chapter 4 - The Boardroom Guillotine

The next morning, the sun rose over Toronto, but for Hayes Dynamics, the lights were permanently dimming.

By 9:00 AM, the financial news was a bloodbath.

“HAYES DYNAMICS CEO TERMINATED AMID EMBEZZLEMENT SCANDAL AT CHARITY GALA.”

“WHITMORE TRUST PULLS $25M CREDIT LINE; HAYES DYNAMICS ON VERGE OF COLLAPSE.”

“SOCIETY SHOCKER: THE TOAST THAT DESTROYED AN EMPIRE.”

I sat at the head of the boardroom table on the 40th floor of the Hayes Dynamics tower. The seat had been Daniel's yesterday. Today, it belonged to me.

The board members sat in terrified silence. These were the same men who, twenty-four hours ago, had smiled at Daniel's jokes and ignored the rumors of his infidelity because the stock price was high. Now, they looked like passengers on a sinking ship looking for a lifeboat.

"The situation is critical, Victoria," one of the older board members, Arthur Pendelton, said, his voice trembling. "Without the Whitmore credit line, the Vancouver expansion is dead. The banks are already calling in our short-term loans. If we don't announce a restructuring plan by noon, the stock will open at fifty percent of its value."

"Then we announce a restructuring plan," I said, taking a sip of my tea.

"But we don't have the capital!" Arthur cried. "Daniel took everything that wasn't nailed down to fund his... his private affairs. We are hollowed out."

"Daniel didn't take it," I said, setting my cup down with a soft click. "He moved it. And I know exactly where it is."

I slid a stack of folders across the glass table.

"Over the last three years, Daniel routed approximately twelve million dollars through shell companies in Delaware, eventually purchasing real estate in Miami and the Bahamas under the name of 'Carter Holdings.' My forensic team secured those assets at midnight. I have already initiated the seizure process."

The board members scrambled for the folders, their eyes scanning the documents like starving men looking at a feast.

"But what about the CEO position?" another board member asked. "Who is going to run this company? The market won't trust a vacant seat."

The door to the boardroom opened, and my brother Julian walked in, followed by a woman in a sharp navy suit.

"Gentlemen," Julian said, "I believe you all know Clara Sterling."

A collective murmur of shock went through the room. Clara Sterling was the former Chief Operating Officer of our primary competitor, a woman known for her brutal efficiency and absolute intolerance for corporate waste. She had left her previous post six months ago under mysterious circumstances.

"Clara has agreed to take over as interim CEO," I said. "On one condition."

"Name it," Arthur Pendelton said, practically begging.

"The company will be rebranded," I said. "The name 'Hayes Dynamics' is dead. From today, we are Whitmore Technologies. Daniel’s shares will be liquidated at current market value to pay off his twenty-five-million-dollar debt to my family’s trust. He will walk away with nothing. And if any of you have a problem with that..."

I looked around the room, meeting every eye.

"...you are welcome to join him in the unemployment line."

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The notification light on my phone blinked a furious, rhythmic amber. Twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six missed calls. Ryan’s texts were no longer polite; they were mutating into panicked, all-caps demands. “Mom is crying hysterically. The bank is threatening default. What kind of monster cuts off a widow? PICK UP THE PHONE.”

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No one spoke. No one objected.

"Excellent," I said, standing up. "Clara, the office is yours. Julian, let's go. We have a divorce to finalize."

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