Chapter 6 - The Boardroom Slaughter
The top floor of the Keller Tower in downtown Los Angeles was chaotic.
Reporters and news crews were swarming the lobby downstairs, held back by security guards. The headline on every major news channel screamed: BEVERLY HILLS BABY SHOWER DISASTER: KELLER ENTERPRISES CEO EMBROILED IN FAKE PATERNITY, FRAUD, AND ELDER ABUSE SCANDAL.
Inside the mahogany-paneled boardroom, the twelve members of the board of directors were screaming at each other.
"The stock crashed forty percent at the opening bell!" senior director Charles Henderson shouted, slamming his hand on the table. "Our primary investors are pulling out! The SEC has frozen our secondary accounts! Brandon Keller has ruined this company!"
"Where is Brandon?!" another director demanded. "Why isn't he here?!"
The heavy double doors of the boardroom swung open.
Every head turned.
I walked into the room wearing a tailored white silk suit, my hair styled in a sharp, elegant bob, holding a slim leather briefcase. Behind me walked Arthur Vance and two forensic accountants.
Silence washed over the room.
Charles Henderson frowned, adjusting his glasses. "Sabrina? What are you doing here? This is an emergency board meeting for shareholders only."
"I know, Charles," I said smoothly, walking to the head of the long oak table—the very chair where Brandon used to sit and gloat about his power. "That's why I'm here."
I pulled out the high-backed leather chair and sat down calmly, crossing my legs.
"You can't sit there!" director Harold Croft barked. "That is the CEO’s chair!"
"Correction, Harold," Arthur Vance spoke up, stepping forward and placing a stack of legal documents in front of each director. "As of seven o'clock this morning, Brandon Keller was formally removed from his position following his arrest by federal authorities on charges of corporate embezzlement, tax evasion, and wire fraud."
The directors gasped, hastily grabbing the documents and flipping through them.
"Furthermore," Arthur continued, "under the terms of the marital asset preservation order issued by the California Superior Court, Mrs. Sabrina Keller has been granted temporary voting control over Brandon Keller’s thirty-five percent equity stake in Keller Enterprises."
Charles Henderson read the court order, his hands trembling. He looked up at me, his eyes wide with newfound respect—and fear. "Thirty-five percent... that makes you the largest individual shareholder in this company."
"Which means," I said, leaning forward and resting my chin on my hands, "I now hold the controlling vote."
"Sabrina... please," Charles said, his tone softening instantly from hostility to desperate pleading. "This company is facing total ruin. The media is devouring us. If we don't present a strong, unified leadership today, the board will be forced to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy by Friday."
"I am aware," I replied. "And I have a solution."
I opened my briefcase and pulled out a single sheet of paper.
"I am proposing an immediate vote," I announced, my voice cutting through the room like a razor. "Item one: the permanent termination of Brandon Keller from all executive positions, without severance, benefits, or stock options."
"Seconded!" Charles shouted immediately.
"All in favor?" I asked.
Every single hand in the room shot up into the air without a second of hesitation.
"Item two," I continued. "The immediate appointment of a new Interim Chief Executive Officer to restructure the firm, clear the fraudulent accounts, and rebrand the company under a new name."
"Who do you propose?" Harold asked anxiously.
I looked at the doors.
The double doors opened once more, and a middle-aged woman with sharp blue eyes and an air of absolute authority walked in. It was Victoria Sterling—the former Chief Financial Officer of Keller Enterprises who had been unfairly forced out by Brandon three years ago because she refused to help him cover up his illegal transfers.
"Victoria Sterling," I declared. "She knows this company better than anyone, she has an immaculate reputation on Wall Street, and she has agreed to lead the restructuring."
The directors stared in shock, then let out sighs of overwhelming relief. Victoria was a legend in corporate finance. Her return was the only thing that could save the company from complete collapse.
"All in favor of appointing Victoria Sterling?" I asked.
Again, every hand went up.
Victoria walked to the front of the room, offering me a warm, grateful smile. "Thank you, Sabrina. You've brought sanity back to this place."
"Just finishing what should have been done years ago, Victoria," I replied, standing up.
As I walked out of the boardroom, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and looked at the screen.
It was an incoming call from an unknown number originating from the Los Angeles County Detention Center.
May you like
I slid the bar to answer and placed the phone to my ear.
"Sabrina?!" Brandon’s voice shrieked through the line, raspy, terrified, and sobbing. "Sabrina, please! Don't hang up! You have to help me!"
