Chapter 7 - Boardroom Traps and Shadows
By eight o'clock the following morning, news of Ethan Harrington’s erratic behavior had already swept through the upper echelons of Harrington Tower.
Rumors circulated that the CEO had suffered a severe medical event in his office, fired the head of housekeeping, vanished for eighteen hours with a maid, and refused to answer calls from the board of directors.
In the executive conference room on the 39th floor, Victor Sterling sat at the head of a long glass table, sipping black coffee. At sixty-two, Victor was a man of impeccable tailored suits, smooth silver hair, and ice-cold ambition.
Surrounding him were eight key members of the board.
"Ethan’s mental state has clearly deteriorated," Victor said, his voice measured and authoritative. "The pressure of the upcoming public offering has broken him. Yesterday, he locked himself in his office and suffered a psychotic episode. I have already drafted the emergency motion to temporarily strip him of his executive authority and transfer voting control to me."
"Is that legal, Victor?" asked Arthur Pendelton, a senior board member. "Ethan owns forty-two percent of the shares."
"Under Clause 9 of the corporate charter," Victor replied smoothly, sliding a document across the table, "if the CEO is deemed medically or psychologically unfit by a majority board vote, temporary authority shifts to the Chief Legal Counsel. We vote now, or the stock plummets when the market opens at nine."
The board members looked at each other, murmuring nervously.
Suddenly, the heavy oak doors of the conference room clicked open.
Ethan Harrington walked into the room.
He wasn't wearing his usual dark, severe suit. He wore an unbuttoned crisp white shirt, no tie, and a dark wool coat. His eyes were clear, sharp, and blazing with a dangerous, terrifying intensity.
Behind him walked Maria Delgado, wearing a simple navy dress, holding Lily’s hand.
Victor Sterling’s eyes narrowed as he saw Maria. A subtle flicker of panic crossed his polished features, but he masked it instantly with a warm, patronizing smile.
"Ethan!" Victor said, standing up and spreading his hands. "Thank goodness you’re all right. We were just discussing your health. Perhaps it’s best if you rest today—"
"Sit down, Victor," Ethan said quietly.
The tone was not loud, but it possessed a terrifying gravity that made every board member in the room instantly fall silent.
Ethan walked to the head of the table, standing directly opposite Victor. He set a heavy mahogany box tied with a faded blue sash onto the glass surface.
"What is this?" Victor asked, forcing a light chuckle. "Ethan, if this is about some personal matter, the board is in the middle of an emergency session—"
"Eleven years ago," Ethan interrupted, looking around the room at the seated executives, "this company was defrauded of two point four million dollars. The algorithms for our primary shipping architecture were leaked to Vanguard Tech."
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Arthur Pendelton frowned. "Yes, we remember. Clara Delgado stole the funds and fled."
"Clara Delgado didn't steal a penny," Ethan said, his voice echoing off the glass walls. "She was framed by our Chief Legal Counsel, Victor Sterling."
