Chapter 4 - The Boardroom Gambit
Two weeks later, the war escalated from letters on parchment to polished marble conference rooms on the forty-second floor of the city's financial district.
Ria had not taken Evelyn’s legal filings lying down. Instead of retreating, she had hired Vance & Sterling, one of the most expensive defense firms in the state. Her primary attorney was a man named Richard Thorne—a predator in a three-piece charcoal suit who made his living steamrolling small business owners until they settled for pennies.
We were gathered around an oval mahogany table that reflected the grey sky outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Ria sat across from me. She was wearing an cream-colored power suit, her hair pulled back into a tight, pristine bun. She looked immaculate, save for the faint dark circles under her eyes that no amount of expensive concealer could quite hide. Beside her sat Thorne, flanked by two junior associates tapping away on laptops.
On our side sat Evelyn, calm and unbothered, sipping green tea from a porcelain cup. I sat beside her, wearing my best dark navy blazer, my grandmother’s silver locket tucked beneath my collar. Wade sat next to me, his broad shoulders making the expensive office chair look small.
"Let's dispense with the pleasantries, Ms. Cross," Thorne began, leaning forward and resting his large, manicured hands on the table. "My client is prepared to offer your client a generous settlement to bring an end to this unseemly family squabble."
"I’m all ears, Mr. Thorne," Evelyn said mildly, setting her tea cup down without making a sound.
Thorne pulled a gold fountain pen from his pocket and tapped it against a thick contract. "Vance Global Ventures will agree to grant Mère Marie’s Bakery a perpetual, royalty-free license to utilize the disputed recipes for a single retail location on Maple Street. In exchange, June Vance will drop all civil claims, transfer all original historical manuscripts and notebooks to Vance Global Ventures, and execute a strict non-disclosure agreement regarding the events of the past month."
I stared at him in disbelief. "You want me to hand over my grandmother's original books? The ones she wrote by hand?"
"They are historical documentation supporting the commercial trademark, Ms. Vance," Thorne said smoothly, not even looking at me, addressing Evelyn instead. "Furthermore, my client will pay Ms. Vance fifty thousand dollars as a gesture of familial goodwill."
"Fifty thousand dollars," Evelyn repeated, her voice dripping with artificial wonder. "How extraordinarily breathtaking."
She turned her sharp gaze to Ria.
"Tell me, Ms. Vance... does this 'generous settlement' account for the fact that three days ago, you presented those exact same recipes to the venture capital group Apex Food & Beverage Holdings under the claim that you possessed exclusive, unencumbered intellectual property rights?"
Ria’s posture stiffened. Her eyes shot to Thorne.
Thorne didn't flinch, but his eyes narrowed. "Preliminary licensing discussions are standard corporate procedure—"
"Preliminary discussions?" Evelyn interrupted, pulling a stapled document from her leather portfolio and sliding it across the polished table. "This is a signed Term Sheet between Vance Global Ventures and Apex Holdings. Your client agreed to sell a 40% equity stake in 'Mère Marie’s Heritage Sweets' for three point five million dollars."
The air in the room instantly pressure-cooked.
Wade leaned back, letting out a low, appreciative whistle. "Three point five million. No wonder you broke into our office, Ria. You were desperate."
"Shut up, Wade," Ria hissed, her composure finally fracturing. "You don't understand how high-level business works! You fix tractors and June bakes cookies! You have no idea what it takes to build something of real value!"
"Real value?" I said, standing up and pressing my palms flat against the mahogany table. "You stole my life's work! You snuck into my house like a thief in the night, photographed private journals, and tried to sell them to a corporate conglomerate before I even found out!"
"They were going to waste!" Ria shouted, standing up to match me, her face flushing red beneath her foundation. "You were going to let those recipes die in a forgotten bakery in a tiny neighborhood! I gave them value! I created a brand! I made them worth millions!"
"You didn't create anything!" I shouted back, my voice filling the massive boardroom, reverberating off the glass windows. "Grandma created them! She slaved over hot ovens in France! She brought them across the ocean! I spent fifteen years perfecting them, learning the temperature of the butter, the exact humidity needed for the pastry dough! You can't even bake an egg, Ria! You are a fraud!"
"Ms. Vance, control your client," Thorne warned, pointing a sharp finger at Evelyn.
"My client is speaking the absolute truth, Mr. Thorne," Evelyn replied coldly, leaning back in her chair. "And here is the rest of the truth: Your client lied to Apex Holdings. She represented herself as the sole creator and owner of those recipes. She swore under penalty of fraud that there was no pending litigation or competing ownership claims."
Evelyn reached into her portfolio and pulled out another sheet of paper.
"This morning at 8:00 AM," Evelyn continued, her voice dropping into a tone of quiet destruction, "I served Apex Holdings' chief legal officer with a copy of our federal lawsuit, along with the video file recorded by my client's daughter. Do you know what Apex Holdings did, Mr. Thorne?"
Ria went deathly pale. She slowly sank back into her leather chair, her fingers clutching the edge of the desk.
"They cancelled the deal," Evelyn said softly. "They terminated the Term Sheet. And they informed us that they are initiating their own legal inquiry into your client for fraudulent misrepresentation."
"You ruined it..." Ria whispered, her voice trembling with a mixture of terror and rage. "You ruined everything... that was my deal... that was my way out..."
"Your way out of what, Ria?" Wade asked quietly, his tone changing from anger to genuine curiosity. "What did you get yourself into?"
Ria covered her face with her manicured hands.
Thorne closed his leather binder with a sharp snap. The arrogant defense attorney looked like a man who had suddenly realized he was standing on a sinking ship.
"This deposition is adjourned," Thorne said quietly, standing up and adjusting his suit jacket. "We will respond to your filings in due course, Ms. Cross."
"Take your time, Richard," Evelyn said, gathering her papers with cool efficiency. "We have all the time in the world. But I suggest your client start looking into asset liquidations. Federal court costs are notoriously high."
As we walked out of the skyscraper into the crisp afternoon air, the sun finally broke through the clouds.
Wade put his arm around my shoulder, pulling me tight against his side. "You were incredible in there, Junie."
"I didn't feel incredible," I admitted, looking up at the towering glass buildings. "I felt sick. She’s my sister, Wade. How did she become like this?"
"She traded her heart for gold a long time ago," Wade said softly. "She just didn't realize until today that gold doesn't buy you back your soul."
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out. It was a text message from Ms. Gable, Penny’s teacher:
“Penny had a wonderful day today! She led the science group project and drew a beautiful picture of your bakery for art class. She’s so proud of you, June.”
May you like
I held the phone against my chest, feeling the warmth of the sun on my face. Ria had millions of dollars on paper and an army of lawyers, but as I walked down the street toward my truck, I realized something fundamental:
She had everything to lose. And I had everything worth saving.
