Chapter 3 - The Boardroom Execution(Target: 2,000 words - Focus: The corporate battle, Victoria taking back her father's company, and Marcus Blackwell’s chilling introduction.)
The glass skyscraper of Sterling-Blackwell Enterprises pierced the morning fog. I walked through the lobby wearing a tailored black power suit, my collar high enough to hide the bruises on my neck, but my posture completely unyielding. Behind me walked Julian and four armed private security guards.
When I pushed open the doors to the 50th-floor boardroom, the atmosphere was thick with tension. Ten board members, all men who had once bowed to Adrian, sat in silence. At the head of the table sat an empty leather chair.
"Victoria," whispered Mr. Henderson, one of the oldest board members. "We saw the news... the scandal... it's a terrible tragedy..."
"It’s not a tragedy, Mr. Henderson. It’s a restructuring," I said, walking to the head of the table and pulling back the empty chair. I didn't sit down; I leaned over it, staring at them. "Adrian Blackwell is behind bars. His assets are frozen. Today, we vote to strip him of his title and return the Sterling shares to their rightful owner."
"You can't just take over!" a harsh, deep voice boomed from the back of the room.
The door opened, and a man stepped inside. He looked strikingly like Adrian, but tougher, with a scar cutting through his left eyebrow and an aura of pure, unfiltered malice. It was Marcus Blackwell.
"My brother is innocent until proven guilty," Marcus sneered, walking confidently toward me. "And as the secondary shareholder of Blackwell Shipping, I hold the proxy votes for his shares. You don't have the majority, Victoria."
"I do," I said calmly, nodding to Julian.
Julian stepped forward and projected a document onto the screen. "As of 6:00 AM today, the federal government has seized all of Adrian Blackwell's voting shares under the RICO Act, due to evidence of money laundering through Blackwell Shipping. Those shares are suspended. That leaves the Sterling estate with 62% of the active voting power."
Marcus froze, his eyes narrowing into deadly slits. He stepped closer to me, bypassing my security guards who went for their holsters. He leaned down, whispering so only I could hear.
"You think you're clever, little girl?" Marcus hissed. "You think a few cops can protect you? Vanessa is already out of the country. Adrian will walk. And you... you won't survive the week. Enjoy your father's chair while you can, because it’s going to be your casket."
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I didn't flinch. I looked him dead in the eye. "Your brother whispered threats to me for three years, Marcus. You're going to have to do a lot better than that. Get out of my building."
With a low growl, Marcus turned on his heel and stormed out, slamming the glass doors so hard they vibrated.
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