Chapter 3 - The Board's Ultimatum
By eight o'clock the following morning, the news of the scandal had shattered the peace of the financial district.
VANESSA VANCE CATCH ON CAMERA FRAMING STERLING HOUSEKEEPER. BILLIONAIRE DANIEL STERLING BREAKS ENGAGEMENT AMID STOLEN NECKLACE DRAMA.
The headlines were plastered across every major paper in the city. But inside the penthouse boardrooms of Vance & Sterling Financial, the atmosphere was far more dangerous than tabloid gossip.
Daniel stood at the head of the polished teak conference table on the top floor of the Sterling Tower. Sitting around him were twelve board members, all elderly men in bespoke three-piece suits. At the far end sat Richard Vance—Vanessa’s father—his face pale, his knuckles white as he gripped his pen.
"This is an outrage, Daniel!" Richard slammed his fist onto the table. "You canceled the merger over a petty domestic dispute! Vanessa made a mistake—a foolish, jealous mistake driven by her love for you! To throw away a three-billion-dollar logistics integration over a maid is corporate madness!"
"She committed a felony in my home, Richard," Daniel said smoothly, leaning his hands on the table. "She struck an innocent woman, attempted to send her to prison for twenty years, and dragged the Sterling name through the gutter. That isn't a mistake. That is criminal behavior."
"She is a nobody!" Richard roared. "A orphaned orphan girl you hired from an agency six months ago!"
"She is Arthur Sterling's biological niece," Daniel countered, his voice cutting through the room like a steel cable.
The entire boardroom went dead silent.
Daniel gestured to his attorney, who distributed thick white bound documents to every board member.
"DNA results came in at 4:00 AM from the lab in Chicago," Daniel announced. "Emily Dawson is the daughter of Clara Sterling. Under the 1991 Sterling Family Covenant, Emily holds forty percent of the voting shares in this company. Which means, effective immediately, Richard Vance no longer holds the tie-breaking proxy."
Richard’s face turned from pale to an alarming shade of purple. "This... this is a forgery! A scam cooked up by you to push me out!"
"The court-appointed probate trustee verified the documents two hours ago, Richard," Daniel said, stepping closer to him. "And as her legal proxy until she formally assumes her seat on Monday, my first official act is to call a vote for your immediate removal as Chief Financial Officer."
"Seconded," called out Lord Harrington, the oldest director on the board.
"All those in favor?" Daniel asked, raising his hand.
Nine hands went up around the table.
Richard Vance stood up slowly, his eyes wild with a mixture of ruined pride and pure hatred. He smoothed his suit jacket, glaring at Daniel with lethal intent.
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"You think you've won, Daniel?" Richard sneered, leaning in close. "You brought an uneducated gutter girl into a shark tank. My daughter may have failed with that necklace, but you have no idea what my family is willing to do to keep what belongs to us. Enjoy your maid while she lasts."
Richard turned on his heel and stormed out of the boardroom, slamming the double glass doors so hard they vibrated in their frames.
