Chapter 7 - The Corporate Purge
By Thursday, Hayes Logistics was placed under federal receivership. The board of directors, terrified of being dragged down by my father's criminal indictments, voted unanimously to strip Richard and Thomas of all executive titles and voting shares.
Arthur and I sat in the grand boardroom on the top floor of the corporate tower, looking out over the grey Boston harbor. At the end of the table sat Thomas, his expensive suit looking rumpled, his head buried in his hands.
"The forensic team has finished the review, Thomas," Arthur stated, sliding a corporate termination agreement across the table. "You signed off on three of the fraudulent shipping manifests that allowed your father to skim money from the pension fund. We can include your name in the federal indictment, or you can sign this non-compete waiver and forfeit your remaining equity back to the primary trust."
Thomas looked up at me, his eyes red. "I worked my whole life for this company, Megan. You're taking everything."
"You didn't work for it, Thomas," I said, leaning back in the leather chair. "You inherited a system built on our grandfather's sweat, and then you helped your father rob the woman who gave you life. You have five minutes to sign the paper before the DA files the secondary warrants."
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With a trembling hand, Thomas took the pen and signed his name, effectively removing the last piece of the rotten branch from the Hayes family legacy.
"Marcus," I said, looking toward the door. "Please escort the former Vice President to the lobby. And tell the transition team to schedule an all-hands meeting for nine o'clock tomorrow morning. We have a company to rebuild."
