Chapter 8 - The Boardroom Coup
The morning of the Voss Global annual shareholders' meeting arrived with a storm of rain and thunder.
The Grand Ballroom of the Hilton was packed with investors,
journalists,
and the city's elite.
Harrison sat on the stage,
looking pale and hollow-eyed,
trying to maintain the facade of a powerful CEO.
Patricia was in the front row,
clutching her pearls as if they were a lifeline.
I walked through the back doors,
flanked by Marcus Thorne and a team of federal agents.
The room went silent as I marched down the center aisle.
I wasn't wearing velvet or silk today.
I was wearing a sharp,
navy blue power suit and carrying the black binder.
"You have no standing here,
Ms. Bennett,"
the company secretary said,
his voice trembling.
"Actually,
I have forty-nine percent standing,"
I said,
climbing the steps to the stage.
I slapped the original stock certificates onto the podium.
"And I am calling for an immediate vote to remove the entire board of directors."
Harrison stood up,
his hands shaking.
"Claire,
don't do this here."
"Oh,
we're doing this here,
Harrison,"
I said,
turning to the crowd.
"I’d like to introduce you all to The Phoenix Project."
I opened the binder and began to read the names.
The gasps in the room were like waves hitting a shore.
I read the judge's name who had been overseeing our divorce.
I read the name of the head of the SEC.
I read the names of three people sitting on the stage.
"This company isn't built on technology or service,"
I shouted over the growing roar of the crowd.
"It's built on extortion and the blood of my father."
Patricia stood up,
shrieking like a wounded animal.
"She's lying!
She's a bitter ex-wife!"
But the federal agents were already moving.
They stepped onto the stage and placed handcuffs on the board members.
Then,
they turned to Harrison.
"Harrison Voss,
you are under arrest for conspiracy to commit murder,
embezzlement,
and racketeering."
The room exploded into a frenzy of camera flashes and shouting.
Harrison didn't fight.
He just looked at me,
a single tear falling down his cheek.
"I’m sorry,
Claire,"
he mouthed.
I didn't say anything.
I just watched as they led him away.
I turned to Patricia,
who was being escorted out by two agents.
"You forgot one thing,
Patricia,"
I said,
my voice carrying over the chaos.
May you like
"The card didn't just stop working."
"The whole world did."
