Chapter 4 - The Boardroom Siege
By Monday morning, the news of the Vane family scandal had shattered the financial pages across the state.
At 9:00 AM, the glass-and-steel boardroom on the 40th floor of Vane Tower in downtown Columbus was packed with nervous board members, senior legal counsel, and major shareholders.
Robert sat at the head of the conference table, wearing a brand-new suit, his face pale and sunken. He had spent the weekend trying to rally his old political connections, but every door had been slammed in his face. The moment the name Apex Global was mentioned, senators, judges, and bank presidents vanished into thin air.
"This board will not be intimidated!" Robert slammed his fist on the table, trying to project strength he no longer possessed. "Thomas may have acquired our mortgage debts, but he does not hold voting control over the executive board! As long as I am Chairman, no restructuring will take place!"
The heavy oak doors of the boardroom swung open.
Thomas stepped into the room. He was no longer wearing the faded canvas jacket from the garden. He wore a flawless, bespoke charcoal suit, a dark silk tie, and an posture of undisputed authority. Behind him walked a team of six corporate attorneys carrying leather briefcases, flanked by Marcus Vance.
"Good morning, gentlemen," Thomas announced, his voice reverberating through the acoustic walls.
"You have no seat at this table, Thomas!" Robert shouted, standing up. "Security, remove him!"
None of the guards moved.
"Sit down, Robert," said Arthur Pendelton, the board's oldest member and holder of fifteen percent of the voting stock. Arthur looked up from his iPad, his face grim. "He doesn't need a seat. He owns the building."
Thomas walked slowly down the length of the table, his footsteps heavy and measured. His lead attorney set a thick document in front of every board member.
"Ten minutes ago," Thomas explained, resting his hands on the back of a empty leather chair, "Apex Global finalized the acquisition of eighty-two percent of Vane Enterprises' outstanding public shares. We bought the debt, converted the bonds, and executed a forced equity swap."
He looked around the table at the terrified executives.
"As of 9:01 AM, the board of directors of Vane Enterprises is officially dissolved."
Robert slumped back into his chair as if he had been struck with an iron pipe. "Dissolved...? You can't dissolve a sixty-year-old company!"
"I am not dissolving the company, Robert," Thomas replied smoothly. "I am purging it. Every manager who turned a blind eye to Julian's embezzlement is fired. Every legal counsel who helped draft the illegal custody suits against my children is disbarred and sued. And you..."
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Thomas pulled a single page from his inner pocket and slid it across the glass table until it stopped in front of Robert.
"You are officially terminated as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. You have twenty minutes to pack your personal belongings from the corner office."
