Chapter 28 - The Boardroom at Sunrise
At seven o'clock the following morning, the executive boardroom of the Harbor Authority was filled with tense silence.
The emergency board meeting had been called via satellite by Chloe’s high-priced legal team in New York. On the giant video wall at the end of the long mahogany table, Chloe appeared on live feed from her suite in the Hôtel de Paris in Monaco. She was dressed in an immaculate white designer suit, smiling like a queen about to claim her crown.
"Good morning, gentlemen," Chloe’s voice echoed through the high-end boardroom speakers. "I believe you have all received my legal petition. As of nine a.m. today, I am the majority shareholder of the Vance Basin Terminal. I expect Mr. Arthur Vance to vacate the premises by noon, and I will be appointing an asset liquidation firm to convert the bluffs into luxury waterfront condominiums."
The board members, consisting of old maritime veterans and local civic leaders, looked down at their papers in uneasy silence. None of them wanted to see the Vance harbor carved up, but corporate bylaws were corporate bylaws.
The heavy double doors of the boardroom suddenly swung open.
Caleb Vance walked in, wearing a sharp charcoal suit, his posture straight, his eyes fierce and confident. Beside him walked Tori, holding young Maya by the hand, while Arthur strode in behind them, carrying a thick black leather portfolio.
Chloe sneered through the screen. "Oh, Caleb. Did you bring the children here to beg for an allowance? It’s pathetic, really. You should have signed the divorce settlement when you had the chance."
"I’m not here to beg, Chloe," Caleb said calmly, pulling out the central leather chair at the head of the table—the chairman’s seat—and sitting down.
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"Get out of my chair, Caleb!" Chloe barked, her veneer of sophistication slipping into sharp annoyance. "Security, remove him!"
"Security works for the majority shareholder, Chloe," Arthur interjected smoothly, taking the leather document from his portfolio and sliding it across the table to the Harbor Authority’s chief legal counsel, a silver-haired attorney named Vance Sterling. "Sterling, examine the probate filing recorded in the state registry three hours ago."
