Chapter 3 - The Boardroom Coup
Stripped of his office, Julian forced his way into the executive boardroom where the emergency session was already underway. The long oak table was surrounded by familiar faces—board members who had nodded at his every command for five years. But today, the air in the room was suffocatingly tense, and every eye turned toward the head of the table, where a single empty chair remained framed by the large windows overlooking the city.
Julian slammed his hands onto the polished wood, demanding an explanation. "Are you all out of your minds? I built the current profit margins for this firm! You cannot hold a meeting without the CEO!"
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From the shadows near the back doors, Arthur Sloan, the company’s longtime legal counsel, stepped forward. He held a crisp document bearing a red seal. "Mr. Meridian, you are no longer the CEO. Under the family trust bylaws, the sole voting trustee holds absolute authority to restructure leadership in the event of gross fiduciary negligence and executive abandonment. That authority was exercised this morning."
A murmur rippled through the seated directors. Julian’s gaze darted from face to face, searching for an ally, but he found only averted eyes and rigid postures. "Who?" he choked out, his voice finally losing its polished veneer. "Who signed the order?" Arthur simply turned the document toward him, revealing a signature written in steady, elegant ink that Julian knew better than his own. The reality of Evelyn’s retaliation settled over the room like a shroud.
