Chapter 2 - The Five-Minute Clock Runs Out
The timer on my dashboard hit 5:00.
I picked up my phone, opened my text chain with my senior counsel, Arthur Sterling, and typed a single word: Execute.
Five floors above me, inside the executive suite of Carter Logistics, Daniel was sitting at his grand mahogany desk, pouring himself a glass of scotch. Vanessa was leaning against the edge of his desk, smoothing down the lapels of his suit jacket with a satisfied smirk.
“She’s bluffing, Daniel,” Vanessa said, running her fingers through her hair. “She’s a housewife. What is she going to do, call her manicurist? She’ll be crying at home by dinner.”
Daniel chuckled, though the sound was hollow. “You’re right. Emily doesn’t have the stomach for a fight.”
Suddenly, the glass door to his private office didn't just open—it clicked shut with a heavy electronic lock.
The monitors on Daniel’s desk flickered, turned bright red, and displayed a bold security message: SYSTEM LOCKDOWN. ACCESS REVOKED BY MAJORITY SHAREHOLDER.
Daniel dropped his glass. Scotch spilled across his oak desk, soaking his documents.
“What the hell?” Daniel muttered, hitting his keyboard. The screen was completely frozen.
Before he could stand up, his office door swung open. Three men in tailored charcoal suits stepped into the room, led by Arthur Sterling—a legendary corporate litigator known across the city as the "Financial Grim Reaper." Behind Arthur walked two uniform officers from the local police precinct and the chief of corporate security.
Vanessa gasped, stepping back behind Daniel. “What is this? Who authorized you to come in here?!”
Arthur didn't even look at Vanessa. He walked straight to the center of the room, unbuttoning his suit jacket, and unclasped a thick leather folder.
“Daniel Carter,” Arthur’s voice boomed softly, cold and precise. “As of 2:14 p.m., an emergency injunction issued by the State Chancery Court has gone into effect. By order of the majority shareholder, your voting rights are suspended, your corporate credit lines are terminated, and your executive authority as CEO of Carter Logistics is officially revoked.”
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Daniel stood up so fast his chair slammed against the window behind him. “Are you out of your mind?! I am the CEO! I built this company!”
“Correction, Mr. Carter,” Arthur replied calmly, pulling a laminated document from his folder. “You managed this company. But you never owned it.”
