Chapter 5 - The Boardroom Battle
The headquarters of Whitmore Global Logistics occupied the top three floors of a tower in Midtown.
When I stepped off the elevator,
the atmosphere was like a funeral home.
The receptionists wouldn't meet my eyes.
The junior analysts were whispering in the breakroom.
The air was thick with the scent of ozone and expensive cologne.
I walked toward the Boardroom,
my heels clicking against the marble floor with surgical precision.
Isabel was waiting for me at the door.
She looked sharp,
composed,
and ready for a fight.
"Ethan is inside,"
she whispered.
"He’s been trying to convince them that this is a private matter that you've blown out of proportion."
"The Chairman isn't buying it."
I nodded and pushed open the heavy oak doors.
The room was filled with the most powerful people in the industry.
They sat around a mahogany table that cost more than some people's homes.
Ethan was at the far end,
his face pale,
his tie slightly askew.
He looked like a man who had spent the night in a police station,
not a luxury hotel.
When he saw me,
his eyes filled with a mixture of relief and terror.
"Claire,"
he said,
starting to stand up.
"Sit down,
Ethan,"
the Chairman said,
his voice like cracking ice.
I took my seat at the opposite end of the table.
I didn't look at Ethan.
I looked at the Chairman.
"You've all seen the photograph,"
I began,
my voice calm and steady.
"And you've all seen the room-service bill that was charged to the acquisition account."
"But that's not why I'm here."
I opened my briefcase and pulled out a stack of documents.
"I'm here to talk about the 'Project Vanessa' stock options."
"And the 'Authority Shift' draft that was created without Board approval."
The room went silent.
Ethan’s face went from pale to a sickly shade of grey.
"I was...
I was planning to present those,"
he stammered.
"You were planning to steal the voting control of this company,
Ethan,"
I said,
sliding the documents across the table.
"You were planning to use the company's future as a gift for your mistress."
"And you were doing it while I was the one maintaining the logistics network that keeps your stock price from hitting the floor."
One of the directors picked up the documents and started reading.
His brow furrowed.
"This is a direct violation of the bylaws,"
he muttered.
"This is a breach of contract,"
another added.
Ethan looked at me,
his lips trembling.
"Claire,
how could you?"
"How could you do this to me?"
I finally looked at him.
"I'm not doing this to you,
Ethan."
"You did this to yourself."
"I'm just the one who’s making sure the world sees the truth."
The Chairman turned to the Board.
"I move for an immediate vote of no confidence."
"And a termination for cause."
"Second,"
four voices said at once.
May you like
The ghost had finally finished her work.
The machine was no longer his.
