Chapter 8 - The Boardroom Coup
On Tuesday morning, the boardroom of Vance Maritime Logistics in Manhattan was the scene of a very different kind of battle.
While the underworld had recognized Alex’s claim, the legitimate corporate board of Vance’s shipping empire—comprised of four wealthy, pompous Wall Street executives who had turned a blind eye to Arthur’s true activities for decades—were refusing to sign over the corporate shares.
"We cannot simply hand over a four-billion-dollar publicly traded logistics firm to Vitali Enterprises without shareholder approval," declared Sterling Vance, Arthur’s arrogant third cousin, tapping a gold Montblanc pen against the mahogany conference table. "Mr. Vitali may have intimidated the street thugs, but this is the corporate world. We operate under Delaware commercial law, not mob edicts."
Alex sat at the end of the table, his arms crossed over his chest, listening with dangerous patience. Beside him, dressed in an immaculate cream-colored power suit that radiated absolute executive dominance, was Grace.
"Delaware commercial law, Mr. Vance?" Grace asked smoothly, sliding a thin manila folder across the glass table.
Sterling blinked, looking down at the folder. "What is this?"
"That is an audit of your private holdings in the Cayman Islands, Sterling," Grace said, her voice silky, precise, and completely merciless. "Specifically, the shell corporation through which you embezzled twelve million dollars from the Vance pension fund between 2018 and 2021."
Sterling’s face turned the color of curdled milk. His hand began to shake, dropping the gold pen onto the table.
"You... how did you..."
"I designed that shell corporation for Arthur when I was twenty-two, Sterling," Grace said with a charming, lethal smile. "I know every back door, every routing protocol, and every encrypted password. And if this board does not unanimously ratify the merger with Vitali Enterprises within the next sixty seconds, those files will be sitting on the desks of the SEC and the Southern District of New York by noon."
The other three board members looked at Sterling, then at Grace, terrified.
"Is this... is this legal?" one of them squeaked.
"Entirely," Alex chimed in, his deep voice carrying the weight of an executioner’s axe. "Because under the new charter, Miss Parker is the Chief Executive Officer of Vance Logistics. And I am her sole partner. Sign the papers, gentlemen. Or spend the next twenty years sharing a cell in a federal penitentiary."
Sterling Vance reached for his pen with trembling fingers. Within thirty seconds, every board member had signed the merger authorization.
Grace picked up the documents, reviewed the signatures with a satisfied nod, and handed them to Alex’s corporate legal team waiting at the back of the room.
"Meeting adjourned, gentlemen," Grace declared. "You have twenty-four hours to clear your personal belongings from the executive suites."
The disgraced board members scrambled out of the room like scolded children, leaving Alex and Grace alone in the sprawling, sunlit boardroom.
Alex leaned back in his leather chair, looking at Grace with pure, unadulterated adoration. "You are truly terrifying, Miss Parker."
Grace walked over to him, resting a hip against the edge of his table, a playful, victorious smirk playing on her lips. "I told you, Mr. Vitali. You handle the muscle. I handle the money."
Alex reached out, catching her by the waist, pulling her onto his lap. Grace gasped softly, laughing as her arms automatically wrapped around his neck.
"What do you think of a joint headquarters?" Alex murmured, his lips brushing the sensitive skin below her ear. "We knock down the wall between our offices on the 48th floor. One desk for you, one for me."
"And what will the staff say?" she teased, tilting her head back to give him better access to her neck.
May you like
"The staff will say whatever their Don tells them to say," Alex growled playfully, kissing her deeply, tasting the victory and sweet promise of their shared future.
***
