Chapter 6 - The Emergency Board Meeting
The emergency board meeting of Vance Supply Co. was set for Thursday afternoon at two o'clock in the main conference room.
Beverly arrived first, flanked by Paige and a family lawyer named Harold, whom she had hired using personal funds. Brandon walked in twenty minutes late, wearing an expensive designer suit, trying to look unbothered, though the dark circles under his eyes betrayed his panic.
"This entire meeting is a farce," Beverly announced loudly, glaring at me as I sat calmly at the head of the table with Arthur and Marcus Vance. "Natalie has no legal right to hold this company hostage over a personal vendetta!"
"Beverly, sit down," a quiet voice spoke from the doorway.
My father walked in. He wasn't wearing his usual casual retirement clothes. He was wearing his old tailor-made dark blue business suit—the one he always wore when making big corporate deals. His expression was stony and stern.
Brandon stood up, forcing a nervous smile. "Dad! Great, you're here. Tell Natalie to drop this ridiculous stunt so we can get back to work."
My father did not smile back. He walked to the head of the table, pulled out the high-backed chair, and sat down.
"Harold," my father said, looking at Beverly’s lawyer. "You are dismissed. This is an internal shareholder matter. Leave the room."
Harold glanced at Beverly, who looked startled, before gathering his briefcase and exiting without a word.
"Now," my father said, opening the binder in front of him. "Brandon. I have spent the last three days reviewing the full forensic audit of Vance Supply Co. for the past two years."
Paige stepped forward defensively. "Uncle Robert, Brandon was only doing what was necessary to maintain corporate image—"
"Quiet, Paige!" my father snapped with a command authority I hadn't heard in years. Paige blinked in absolute shock and stepped back.
My father turned his gaze onto Brandon. "You stole from me. You stole from this company. You took over one hundred and ten thousand dollars of company money to fund your luxury lifestyle while claiming you were 'expanding operations'."
"Dad, I can explain!" Brandon stammered, his bravado instantly collapsing. "It was... it was market research! It was networking!"
"You charged a ninety-five-dollar steak to this company on the very night you allowed your mother to refuse food to my granddaughters," my father said, his voice dropping to a icy whisper that chilled the room. "You sat there and let your sister pay for water while you stole my money to feed yourself."
Beverly jumped up. "Robert! He is your son! He is the future of this family! You cannot do this to him over some silly meal!"
"He is no longer the Managing Director of Vance Supply Co.," my father declared firmly.
He picked up a legal document and signed his name in dark black ink.
"As majority shareholder, I am officially removing Brandon Vance from all executive positions, revoking all corporate accounts, and terminating his employment effective immediately."
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Brandon stared at him, mouth agape. "You... you're firing me? For her?" He pointed a trembling, angry finger at me.
"No," my father said softly, looking at his son with a mixture of profound sorrow and absolute resolve. "I am firing you for yourself. Because I raised an entitled, selfish man, and it stops today."
