Chapter 5 - The Power Shift
By Monday morning, the news of Eleanor Vance’s will and Ethan’s immediate termination sent shockwaves through the financial world.
Vance Global stock plummeted twelve percent in pre-market trading as rumors of a massive internal coup swept through Wall Street. Cameras and reporters swarmed the base of Vance Tower in Manhattan, waiting to see who would walk through the glass doors.
At 8:30 AM, a black Maybach pulled up to the curb.
I stepped out onto the sidewalk, wearing a tailored charcoal-gray suit, my hair pulled back into a sleek, professional bun. Beside me walked Harrison and Arthur, followed by a team of three top-tier corporate litigation attorneys.
As I entered the grand marble lobby, the security guards stood at attention, bowing their heads respectfully. The elevators took us directly to the 50th-floor boardroom.
When the glass doors opened, the entire board of directors was already seated around the massive oval table. They looked terrified, anxious, and deeply divided.
Sitting in the chair reserved for the CEO was Ethan.
He looked unhinged. His suit was wrinkled, his tie loosened, and dark circles bruised the skin beneath his eyes. Beside him stood his corporate lawyer, a aggressive man named Vance Miller, holding a stack of emergency injunction filings.
“Get out of my seat, Ethan,” I said quietly, taking my place at the head of the table opposite him.
“This boardroom doesn't recognize your fraudulent authority, Maya,” Ethan spat, slamming his hand onto the mahogany table. “My legal team has already filed a temporary restraining order in state court challenging the validity of my mother’s final will on the grounds of undue influence!”
Ethan’s lawyer stepped forward. “Mrs. Vance, until a judge reviews the mental state of Eleanor Vance at the time of signing, my client remains the acting CEO under corporate emergency bylaws.”
I didn't answer. I looked over at Harrison.
Harrison stepped forward, opening a thick leather binder. “Board members, under Section 12 of the Vance Global Corporate Charter, a majority shareholder holding fifty-one percent of voting stock possesses the absolute right to replace executive leadership without court intervention, provided a formal audit of corporate misconduct is presented.”
Harrison tapped a button on his tablet.
The large screen behind Ethan illuminated with hundreds of financial ledgers, wire transfers, and internal communications.
“Over the last eighteen months,” Harrison announced to the stunned board members, “Ethan Vance illegally funneled $32 million out of the company’s R&D division into a shell entity registered in the Caymans under the name Apex Innovations—a private company registered solely to Chloe Bennett.”
The board members gasped. Several elderly directors sat up, glaring at Ethan in utter shock.
“He compromised our primary drone patents,” Harrison continued, “and was preparing to sell company IP to an overseas competitor to fund his departure.”
“That’s a lie!” Ethan screamed, standing up. “It was a subsidiary investment!”
“It was grand larceny, Ethan,” I said, looking him dead in the eye. “And as the majority shareholder, I am exercising my right to terminate your employment for cause, freeze your corporate credit cards, and hand these financial ledgers over to the Securities and Exchange Commission.”
Two federal agents from the SEC stepped into the boardroom from the side entrance.
Ethan’s lawyer took one look at the agents, slowly packed his briefcase, and stepped away from Ethan. “I am withdrawing as counsel, Ethan. Good luck.”
Ethan looked around the room. The board members who had clapped for him last week turned their heads away, refusing to make eye contact.
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“Maya... please,” Ethan stammered, his voice suddenly dropping into a pathetic, desperate tone as the federal agents walked toward him. “We were married for ten years. You loved me. We can work this out in private!”
“You pushed a divorce agreement across my coffee table four days ago, Ethan,” I said coldly. “You told me to take scraps and walk away. Now, I am asking you to leave my building.”
