Chapter 8 - The Snake in the Boardroom
The revelation from Poppy changed everything.
It was no longer a corporate battle. It was a war for survival.
Everett spent the next hour rocking his daughter until she fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.
This time, her face was calm. The truth had set her free from the silence.
When he returned to the main room, his face was a mask of cold fury.
"We take them down tonight," Everett said to Marcus.
Marcus nodded, his eyes sharp. "Arthur is currently at the corporate headquarters."
"He called an emergency meeting of the board for 11:00 PM."
"He's going to use the media smear campaign to argue that you're unfit to lead."
"He's going to vote you out."
"Then let's not keep him waiting," Everett said.
At 10:45 PM, the glass tower of Vale Industries was quiet, save for the top floor.
The boardroom was lit with soft, ambient lighting.
Twelve members of the board sat around the massive mahogany table, their faces tense.
At the head of the table sat Arthur Pendleton.
He was a silver-haired man in his late fifties, looking distinguished and deeply concerned.
"Thank you all for coming," Arthur said, adjusting his glasses.
"As you've seen the news, Everett's behavior over the past twenty-four hours has been... erratic."
"The leaks regarding his private life are damaging the company's stock."
"We cannot allow the Apex merger to fall apart because of one man's mental breakdown."
The board members murmured in agreement. They cared about profit, not loyalty.
"Therefore," Arthur continued, raising a document. "I am proposing a vote of no confidence."
"We will remove Everett Vale as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately."
"I don't think that vote will be necessary, Arthur."
The heavy double doors of the boardroom swung open.
Everett walked in, followed closely by Marcus.
Everett wore a dark suit, his posture straight, his eyes fixing directly onto Arthur.
The board members gasped, several of them sitting up straight.
Arthur's face paled for a fraction of a second, but he quickly recovered.
"Everett," Arthur said, forcing a sigh of relief. "Thank you for joining us."
"We were just discussing the situation. You look tired. Perhaps you should sit down."
"I'll stand," Everett said, walking to the opposite end of the table.
He placed his hands on the smooth wood, leaning forward.
"You're right about one thing, Arthur," Everett said, his voice echoing in the large room.
"There is a situation. But it's not the one you're selling."
Arthur frowned, looking around the table at the other members.
"Everett, please. We all know you're grieving. The stress of the merger—"
"The stress of the merger didn't make you open a Cayman Islands account, Arthur," Everett interrupted.
The room went dead silent.
Arthur's hands began to tremble slightly under the table.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Arthur said, his voice tightening.
Everett gestured to Marcus, who walked forward and placed a stack of papers in front of each board member.
"Those are the financial records for Apex Logistics," Everett explained.
"Or rather, the shell companies Arthur used to buy up Apex shares before we announced the merger."
"He was insider trading."
"And when I began to look too closely at the numbers..."
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"He brought in an old friend to distract me."
"A woman named Julianne Cross. Known to me as Maribelle."
