Monarch Enterprises was tense, and the stench of expensive leather and polished wood did little to mask the underlying animosity. With his eyes sharp as a blade and his jaw clenched, Grayson stood at the head of the long table. Around him, senior executives were chatting among themselves in whispers, their worried eyes darting from him to the screen that displayed the company's plummeting stock prices.
Grayson was aware that the emergency conference, which had been called "financial stability discussions," was a fabrication. This was not just a dialogue. A coup was carried out.
At the far end of the table, sitting with his fingers steepled and his face expressionless, was veteran board member Samuel Whitmore. Grayson, Monarch Enterprises has benefited from your leadership during challenging times. But in light of the recent failures, it's time to consider what's best for the company.
Grayson leaned forward and touched the table. Then he said coldly, "You mean what's best for you."
A murmur reverberated through the room, but Samuel remained unmoved. He gestured to the documents in his hands. "Our funds are escaping. Investors are pulling away. Board members have taken a vote.
At his sides, Grayson's fingers clenched into fists, but his mouth curled into a sneer. "A vote?" His tone was low and threatening. "And what was decided exactly?"
A new board member, a sleek woman with a sharp bob, glanced at Samuel and began to speak. "The board is immediately utilising the emergency clause in the business charter. For this reason, we are firing you as CEO.
Be quiet.
Then, with a low laugh that lacked humour, Grayson spoke. "You believe that I created this empire merely to give it away?"
Samuel let out a sigh that suggested fatigue. "It was never yours in the first place."
Despite the surprise of the comments, Grayson's expression did not flinch. He had seen it before; betrayal was in his blood.
He stood up straight, slowly and deliberately shifting his cufflinks. "I understand."
As soon as he finished speaking, the doors flew open.
Two security guards came in with their hands in their holsters and their stern faces. The others in the room tensed.
After glancing at the board members, Grayson turned back to them. "Oh... This is the situation, then.
Samuel told the guards. "Grayson, you have to go."
It seemed as though the room held its breath.
With a shake of his head, Grayson laughed again. "Very bad."
He didn't resist when the guards came at him. Instead, he walked purposefully and easily around the table, glancing at everyone seated in front of him.
While he was adjusting the sleeves of his suit, he thought, "You think you've won." "That everything I've built will fall apart if you take away my power." He paused next to Samuel's chair and lowered himself so that he was the only one listening. "But you overlooked something."
Samuel swallowed, and his face turned pale. "And what is that?"
Grayson smiled. "You require me."
Without a word, he walked to the exit, the guards on his sides.
But when he reached the threshold, his countenance was unreadable as he turned. "Savour your triumph while it lasts." Since when I get back... He spoke in a decisive and lethal tone. "Those seats will no longer be yours."
And then he was gone.
An uncomfortable silence descended as the weight of his remarks loomed over the gathering like a storm on the horizon.
A cold light from the screen lit Emery's face as she sat in front of her laptop and scrolled through the devastating information. The reality was there, unforgiving and unmistakable. Bank records, shell company operations, and offshore accounts all link her father, Alexander Blackwell, to the Richards criminal network.
She lingered over the keyboard, her pulse pounding. She would have to destroy these records if she revealed them. Once connected to authority and status, the Blackwell name would be irreparably tarnished. She had been battling for years to get away from her father's wickedness. Yet this? And this would ruin the name.
She had a buzzing phone next to her. Lila.
She hesitated, then took the phone. "There's no turning back if I do this," Emery whispered, her tone betraying the seriousness of the decision.
However, Lila's response was a savage lack of compassion. "Greetings from our world."
Emery shut her eyes. Then she took a big breath and hit the submit button.
It was the beginning of the fire.
Grayson's wrists ached from the security guards' tight grip as they dragged him through Monarch Enterprises' gleaming hallways. Executives and employees gazed in stunned silence, with some turning their heads away entirely and others muttering to themselves. The concept that his father had planned this was more devastating than the betrayal.
This was a planned execution rather than merely a hostile takeover.
They had just arrived at the foyer doors when a stern, authoritative voice cut through the mumbling.
"Give him up."
The security guards halted. With his heels clicking like bullets on the marble floor, Emery Blackwell stormed through the glass doors, and Grayson gasped and spun around.
With the confidence of a woman who knows she is going to destroy lives, she walked.
Board members standing around the entrance turned in terrified silence as she marched by them. Without giving it any thought, Emery slammed a bulky folder onto the meeting table.
With a seductive and deadly voice, she stated, "I wonder how investors will react when they learn that Monarch Enterprises has been hijacked by criminals."
The tension in the room started to shake. The face of Samuel Whitmore turned pale as he reached for the folder and turned the pages.
He felt the blood drain from his face.
He looked at the others and swallowed hard. "This is it."
"Enlightening?" With a smile, Emery asked. "Are you interested? Terrible? She leaned forward, placing her hands on the table. Alexander Blackwell has been sending money through Monarch Enterprises to fund illegal offshore dealings. There are some of your names in such transactions. If this is made public, his reputation won't be the only thing hurt.
The boardroom descended into chaos. Several participants jumped up and yelled at each other.
"Is this thing real?"
"This cannot be connected to us!"
"She's bluffing..."
Emery stared straight at Samuel. "Give me a try."
His jaw tightened, and she saw the glimmer of panic beneath his mask.
When the roles were reversed, Grayson smiled and kept massaging the parts of his wrists where the guards had held him.
Slowly, the board member with the elegant bob slid her chair back. Then she said, "I didn't sign up for this." "I refuse to let Alexander Blackwell's greed bring me down."
Another individual nodded. If this is made public, we will all be destroyed. This is a decision we need to rethink.
Samuel tightened his jaw. "We don't deal with things like this."
Emery inclined her head and gave a nod. "This is my approach to things."
She considered that for a moment, then straightened. "Now, I think my business partner" added something of her own, pointing to Grayson.
Grayson retaliated with his signature sneer, stepped forward, and faced the men who had tried to ruin him.
"Gentlemen." He drew and repositioned his cufflinks. "Should we talk about how to tidy up this mess?"
In a moment, the tide shifted.
It had been weeks since Grayson had felt in control. He had successfully undone his father's secret takeover with Emery's assistance, the board had capitulated, and his enemies had scattered.
They were close to victory until the room darkened.
The giant TV displays that were fastened to the walls of the boardroom flickered to life. The same image was presented on every phone, tablet, and screen throughout Monarch Enterprises' offices.
A man sat in a vast, dark study with walls covered in oil paintings that date back hundreds of years and bookcases on either side. He wore a clean three-piece suit, and beside him, he had a tumbler of amber whisky. His hair was slicked back in a salt-and-pepper style, and his stance was steady. He wasn't just calm, he was prepared.
Alexander Blackwell.
Grayson was feeling nauseous.
Alexander said, "Son," in a rich, smooth voice that radiated absolute authority. "You performed well in your role. Let's see how you handle actual electricity, though.
Silence fell over the boardroom as the screen split into two live feeds.
A queue of federal authorities in black suits stood outside the headquarters of Monarch Enterprises on one side, while news reporters were already crowding the area.
In contrast, a red banner appeared on all major networks:
A Federal Investigation Into Financial Fraud Claims Against Monarchy Enterprises CEO Grayson Blackwell
The bolded text said, "assets frozen."
Gasps sounded throughout the room. Executives ran for their phones in a panic to check their accounts, make calls and escape.
Clamping his jaw, Grayson's fists clenched at his sides.
For a moment, Alexander's eyes blazed with laughter, but his face remained expressionless. "You never understood, Grayson. This was never about money. Instead of focussing on what you have, power is about what you can take away.
The screen went dark.
The chaos then began.
Alexander's remarks continued to echo as the first contingent of federal agents entered the facility.
"The FBI! Stand up from your workstations! From the foyer came the yell, followed by the clear sound of safety being released.
Outside, reporters shoved microphones into the faces of those trying to flee. They called out to investors on their phones. The digital screen outside showed the stock market ticker, which indicated that Monarch Enterprises' worth was decreasing by the second.
Grayson remained still as he saw his empire burn in front of him.
Then... He sensed a hand grab his wrist.
Lila.
Her dark eyes were glowing with urgency as she leaned in and spoke just beyond a whisper. "Everything you built will be gone by sunrise if we don't take action now."
A heavy sigh was released by Grayson, whose mind was racing. To recover from this, there was no conventional method. They have changed the rules. And his father had made sure of that.
The business conflict was over.
It was a survival issue.
He smoothed his cufflinks and straightened them as he turned to face Emery, Alex, and the few allies still standing. Curving his lips was a smile that stopped short of his eyes.
"It is time to remove the king from the board."