Chapter 3 - THE BOARDROOM BLOODBATH
The following morning,
the financial district was a hornet’s nest of rumors.
The news of a "mass divestment" from Whitmore Holdings had leaked to the press at 4:00 AM.
By the time the markets opened,
the stock had plummeted sixty percent.
I walked into the boardroom of my father’s former firm at 9:00 AM sharp.
I was wearing a charcoal suit that cost more than Jake’s first car.
My hair was pulled back in a tight,
unforgiving bun.
The directors were already there,
sitting in a state of shock,
staring at their tablets.
Jake sat at the head of the table,
looking like he hadn't slept or showered.
Amanda sat beside him,
her engagement ring glittering like a taunt in the fluorescent light.
When I entered,
she stood up,
her face a mask of surgical perfection and cold fury.
"Emma,"
she said,
trying to sound authoritative.
"You're being incredibly reckless."
"This move is hurting the shareholders."
I didn't look at her.
I looked at Jake.
"I am the majority shareholder,
Amanda,"
I said,
taking a seat at the opposite end of the table.
"So technically,"
"I'm only hurting myself."
"And I find the cost of this lesson to be quite affordable."
Martin,
my lawyer,
stepped forward and laid a stack of documents on the table.
"These are the formal papers of withdrawal,"
he announced to the room.
"As per the bylaws established in 2010,"
"the principal investor has the right to recall capital if the management is found in violation of the moral integrity clause."
Jake’s head snapped up.
"Moral integrity?"
"That's for criminal acts,
Martin!"
"Publicly engaging to a business partner while legally married to the primary benefactor,"
Martin replied calmly,
"is considered a gross mismanagement of corporate image."
"The investors are pulling out."
"The banks have called in the loans."
"Jake,"
"you're finished."
Amanda slammed her hand on the table.
"This is a personal vendetta!"
"I'll sue you for everything you have!"
I finally shifted my gaze to her.
"With what money,
Amanda?"
"Your salary is paid by the company I am currently dismantling."
"Your 'medical empire' in the valley is leveraged against Whitmore stock."
"By noon,"
"your credit cards will be as useless as your promises."
She went pale,
her eyes darting to Jake,
who was staring at the table in silence.
"Jake,
do something!"
she hissed.
Jake looked at her,
and for the first time,
I saw the cracks in their "perfect" facade.
He didn't see a visionary CEO anymore.
He saw a liability.
And she didn't see a powerful mogul.
She saw a man whose bank account was a desert.
"Leave us,"
Jake said,
his voice barely a whisper.
"Jake?"
Amanda gasped.
"I said leave us!"
he roared,
finally showing a flash of the anger he had been suppressing.
The directors scrambled out of the room like rats fleeing a sinking ship.
Amanda stood frozen for a moment,
her lip trembling,
and then she marched out,
the click of her heels sounding like a retreat.
Only Jake,
Martin,
and I remained.
"Is this what you wanted?"
Jake asked,
his voice hollow.
"To watch me lose everything?"
"No,
Jake,"
I said,
standing up to leave.
"I wanted to go to Paris with my husband."
May you like
"But since he doesn't exist anymore,"
"I'll settle for watching the paper king fall."
