Chapter 7 - Boardroom Bloodbath
The top floor of the Whitmore BioTech skyscraper was packed with reporters, investors, and terrified board members.
Chester Aldrich stood at the head of the mahogany conference table, smiling triumphantly as camera flashes went off.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the board," Chester proclaimed, wiping fake tears from his eyes. "It pains me to report that Vanessa Whitmore’s tragic grief over her daughter’s permanent disability has led to severe emotional instability. For the safety of the company, I am moving to strip her executive authority and assume the role of sole CEO—"
BANG!
The heavy double doors of the boardroom were blown off their hinges, slamming into the wall with a deafening crash.
The room went dead silent.
Vanessa Whitmore strode into the boardroom, her eyes blazing with absolute authority. Beside her walked Vance Thorne, towering over the crowd, flanked by six armed tactical guards.
"The only thing suffering from severe instability, Chester," Vanessa’s voice echoed across the room, clear and unshakeable, "is your fraudulent bank account."
Chester’s face turned white as sheet paper. "Vanessa! How... how dare you interrupt an official board meeting! Security, remove them!"
None of the venue security guards moved an inch. They were all staring at Vance Thorne.
"Try it," Vance said softly, his voice cutting through the silent room like a razor blade. "I double-dare you."
Vanessa stepped up to the head table, tossing a thick dossier of medical evidence and financial forensics onto the glass desk in front of the board members.
"This is the official medical report from the Chief of Surgery at Johns Hopkins," Vanessa announced, turning to face the news cameras. "Six years ago, Chester Aldrich paid an illegal black-market medical group to surgically implant a neural dampener into my daughter’s ear to simulate deafness, keeping me distracted while he embezzled over $400 million into offshore Moretti family accounts."
The room erupted into absolute chaos. Reporters yelled questions, camera flashes flickered wildly, and board members scrambled to read the documents.
"This is slander! Fabrication!" Chester shrieked, grabbing his chest. "You have no majority here, Vanessa! You can't oust me!"
Vance stepped forward, dropping a thick red binder onto the table.
"Thorne Global Logistics holds 18%," Vance declared smoothly. "Combined with Vanessa’s 40%, we hold 58%. As majority shareholders, we hereby execute an immediate vote of no confidence. Chester Aldrich is relieved of all duties, stripped of his stock options, and blacklisted."
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Chester stared at Vance, his eyes bloodshot with rage. Suddenly, he pulled a small black remote control from his coat pocket.
"If I’m going down, Thorne," Chester snarled, his thumb hovering over a red trigger button, "I’m taking your little fortress with me. I have men stationed outside your estate right now. Pressing this button sends the strike command to eliminate your daughter!"
