Chapter 5 - The Snake's Corner
Maris Williams didn't look like a matriarch anymore; she looked like a cornered viper. As the board members looked up from the forensic reports, not a single one of them would meet her eye. Hector, the man who had championed her for ten years, slowly closed his blue folder and pushed it away from him as if it were radioactive.
"The vote," Victor said, his eyes fixed on his mother. "Hector, as the senior non-executive director, call the room."
Hector cleared his throat, his voice shaking slightly. "In light of the... the structural anomalies presented in the audit, the board cannot risk a federal investigation that names the corporation as a co-conspirator. All those in favor of the immediate removal of Maris Williams from the board of directors?"
One by one, every hand around the long glass table rose into the air. Julian, who had entered the room quietly during the presentation, raised his hand last, his eyes locked onto his lap, refusing to look at his mother’s furious glare.
"The motion carries unanimously," Hector whispered.
Maris clutched her designer handbag against her chest like a shield. "You think you’ve won, Victor? You think you can just throw me out of the company your father built? I still hold twenty percent of the voting shares under the original marriage dowry. You cannot touch my personal estate."
"I don't need to touch your estate, Maris," Victor said, stepping back from the table and gesturing to his lead litigation attorney. "The state attorney’s office has already been notified of the fiduciary fraud and the forgery of the family law documents. A freeze order on your personal bank accounts was signed by a federal judge forty minutes ago."
Maris froze, her breath catching in her throat. "What?"
"You have twenty-four hours to vacate the penthouse in the Reforma district," Victor continued, his voice devoid of any warmth. "The property is owned by the corporate holding division, and as of today, the lease has been terminated for breach of corporate conduct. Brian is waiting downstairs with a rental van. He will help you pack your clothes. But the jewelry, the art, and the vehicles purchased with company funds stay in the building."
Maris looked at Julian, her face contorted with desperation. "Julian! Say something! I am your mother! I raised you!"
Julian finally raised his head, his face pale but composed. "You didn't raise us, Mom. You managed us like assets. And when Catherine and Annie didn't show a high enough return on investment for your social circle, you liquidated them. Victor is right. It’s time for the ledger to be balanced."
Maris didn't scream. She didn't throw a tantrum. She realized, with the cold clarity of a seasoned corporate player, that she had completely lost the board, her fortune, and her sons. She turned on her heel and walked out of the boardroom, her heels clicking sharply against the marble floor—a lonely, bitter sound that marked the end of her reign over the city’s high society.
Victor watched the door close behind her, the heavy weight in his chest finally beginning to lift. He turned to his brother.
"Thank you, Julian," Victor said quietly.
May you like
"Don't thank me yet," Julian replied, walking over and placing a hand on Victor’s shoulder. "The hard part isn't getting rid of her. The hard part is building back what she broke. How is Catherine?"
"She’s safe," Victor said, a soft, genuine smile finally breaking through his hard exterior. "She’s at the private clinic in Lomas. The doctors are evaluating her for the malnutrition she suffered, but she’s strong, Julian. She survived three years of her world being gray. Now, I’m going to make sure she sees the colors again."
