PART 9: THE BOARDROOM TERMINATION
PART 9: THE BOARDROOM TERMINATION
Back in Chicago, the corporate board of NexusCore had completely dissolved.
The remaining minority partners sat in a semi-circle inside the main boardroom, their faces pale as they looked at the massive red stock charts flashing on the projection screens. The value of the firm’s shares had hit a record low, plunging 65% in less than forty-eight hours as major institutional investors pulled their liquidity pools out of the network.
Michael’s sister, Clara, stood near the windows, her hands trembling as she held a glass of water.
"We can't clear the afternoon payroll for the regional branches, David," Clara told the chief operating officer. "The bank says the primary operating account is entirely locked under a third-party audit lien. My mother’s boutique accounts are empty."
The double doors of the boardroom pushed open, and Sophia walked inside, flanked by four federal receivership managers. She wore a flawlessly tailored slate-grey suit, her face completely calm, her eyes carrying the unyielding authority of a woman who owned the very ground they stood on.
"Sophia!" Clara cried out, stepping forward defensively. "Please... you can't punish the entire company for what Michael did! My fiancé and I are supposed to sign our wedding contract next month! Our entire inheritance is tied up in these shares!"
Sophia didn't stop walking until she reached the head of the table. She didn't look at Clara with anger or satisfaction. She looked at her like a manager inspecting an error on a balance sheet.
"Your inheritance was an illusion built on my salary, Clara," Sophia said, her voice dropping into a low, deadly register that silenced the entire room. "Every single weekend you spent posting videos of luxury feasts on social media, you were spending the maintenance dividends that belonged to my grandfather's foundation."
May you like
"We didn't know the exact corporate structure!" Clara stammered, her lower lip trembling.
"You knew enough to stay quiet when your mother tore my white dress under the kitchen lights," Sophia replied, her micro-expressions turning into pure ice. "You rolled your eyes and called me entitled while my own money was keeping your family's lifestyle alive. The receivership has just voted to cancel all family dividend distributions permanently."
