Chapter 6 - The Morning After the Fall
The morning sun cast long, golden shadows across the manicured lawns of the Bellamy estate, but inside the master dining room, the atmosphere was as cold as winter ice.
I sat at the head of the long mahogany table—the very seat my father had occupied for three decades.
Before me lay a steaming cup of black coffee and a fresh tablet displaying the live stock ticker of Bellamy Holdings.
The market had opened twenty minutes ago, and the stock was already plummeting.
Wall Street analysts were in a complete frenzy, scrambling to understand how Apex Capital had managed to execute a hostile takeover overnight without a single warning signal from the board.
My father and mother sat near the far end of the table, looking pale and ghost-like in their designer pajamas and robes.
Marcus was nowhere to be seen, likely locked in his bedroom frantically calling every disgraced corporate lawyer and shady associate he had ever bribed over the years.
"You're destroying sixty years of family legacy in real-time," Richard Bellamy said quietly, his voice raspy as he stared down into his empty teacup.
"I'm not destroying it, Dad," I replied without looking up from my tablet.
"I'm sterilizing it. You built this company on backroom deals, falsified ledgers, and crushed lives. All I did was apply transparency, and the whole rotten structure collapsed under its own weight."
My mother looked across the table, her eyes red-rimmed from crying all night.
"Ethan... please. We raised you. Can't we settle this like a family? Give Marcus another chance. He's your brother."
I slowly set my coffee cup down, the sharp clink against the saucer echoing loudly in the silent room.
"Mom, when Marcus framed me for that data leak seven years ago, do you remember what he told the board?"
She hesitated, looking down at her lap.
"He told them I was unstable. He told them I stole client lists to sell to competitors. And you sat right there in that chair and nodded, letting them throw me out into the street with two hundred dollars."
I leaned forward, locking my gaze onto hers.
"That wasn't brotherly love. That was a calculated execution to secure his inheritance. So don't talk to me about family values now that the tables have turned."
Just then, the heavy dining room doors swung open, and Victor Vance stepped inside, holding a sleek leather briefcase and a secure satellite phone.
"Good morning, Mr. Bellamy," Victor said, offering a crisp nod.
"The emergency board of directors meeting is set for nine o'clock. Every single member has confirmed attendance, including your father's oldest allies."
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"Good," I stood up, smoothing down the front of my tailored charcoal suit.
"Let's go show them who really owns the future."
