Chapter 57 - The Boardroom Reborn
Before we moved on Point Judith, one final public knot had to be tied. The media frenzy outside the harbor was reaching critical mass. Helicopters from every major news network were circling the docks; social media was exploding with blurry photographs of Marcus Montgomery descending the gangway.
The market opened in twenty minutes. If Montgomery Maritime stock plunged on wild speculation of a ghost CEO, the Vance syndicate's short-sellers would make hundreds of millions on the panic.
"We do this together," Marcus said, standing beside me in the yacht's private broadcast studio, which fed directly to the national financial networks. "One transmission. Then we finish the hunt."
The red tally light on the camera flickered to life.
I sat in the center of the frame, Julian just off-camera within arm's reach, and Marcus standing directly behind my right shoulder, tall and imposing in his dark coat.
"Good morning," I said directly into the lens, my voice calm, melodic, and resonant with absolute power. "I am Serena Montgomery, CEO of Harbor House Capital and majority shareholder of Montgomery Maritime."
Across the country, the ticker at the bottom of the CNBC feed paused.
"For seven years, rumors have circulated regarding the fate of my father, Marcus Montgomery, and the stability of our corporate lineage," I continued, gesturing to the man behind me. "Marcus Montgomery is alive. He has returned from an extended private maritime operation under sovereign government contract. But he is not returning to the boardroom."
Marcus stepped forward, placing his hand firmly upon the desk beside mine.
"Effective as of eight o'clock this morning," Marcus announced into the microphone, his voice booming with unmistakable authority, "I have executed an irrevocable transfer of all founder shares, voting proxies, and maritime assets directly to my daughter, Serena. The Vance family’s hostile maneuvers are over. The syndicate is broken. Daniel is in custody. And my daughter holds one hundred percent executive control of this empire."
I leaned in, looking straight into the camera, knowing with absolute certainty that Valerie was watching this broadcast from her tablet in the hideout at Point Judith.
"To those who believed that pouring dirt on a Montgomery would bury us," I said, my eyes cold as the northern seas, "remember this: you didn't bury a seed. You buried an anchor. And the tide has just come in."
The broadcast went black.
Clara looked up from her command console, a ferocious grin on her face. "Montgomery Maritime stock just jumped forty-two percent in pre-market trading. The Vance hedge funds just got liquidated. They are broke, Serena. Completely, utterly wiped out."
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"Now," I said, unbuttoning my tailored cuffs and rolling them up with military precision, "get the strike team ready. We have a debt to collect at the cliff."
***
