Chapter 7 - The Will of Richard Drummond
At 8:00 AM sharp, the glass tower of Drummond Global in downtown Boston was in chaos.
Rumors had been leaking since midnight. News crews were parked outside the building, satellite trucks blocking the street, reporters thrusting microphones toward every executive entering the lobby.
Inside the executive boardroom on the 50th floor, twelve board members sat around a thirty-foot conference table made of polished mahogany. The air was thick with tension, quiet muttering, and the smell of stale coffee.
At the head of the table sat Edward Drummond.
He didn't wear his usual sharp charcoal suit. Today, he wore a simple dark navy jacket, looking rested, composed, and terrifyingly focused. Sitting directly to his right was Jonathan Vance, holding a thick leather binder.
The heavy doors opened, and the board members fell silent as the firm's senior partner, Arthur Pendelton—a man who had served under Edward's father forty years ago—walked in, looking deeply shaken.
"Edward," Pendelton began, leaning his heavy hands on the table. "The press is outside claiming Victoria was arrested last night by Boston PD. They're talking about child endangerment, fraud, and embezzlement. The stock is down eight percent in pre-market trading. We need a statement. We need to deny these ridiculous accusations immediately!"
Edward picked up a pen, turned it over in his fingers once, and set it down.
"The accusations are not ridiculous, Arthur," Edward said calmly. "Victoria was arrested last night. She is currently being held without bail at the Suffolk County House of Correction."
A collective gasp rippled through the room. Two board members immediately pulled out their phones.
"This is a disaster!" one director shouted. "The firm will be ruined! If Victoria is implicated in a criminal scandal, the entire governance structure comes tumbling down!"
"Victoria’s actions were her own," Edward said, his voice cutting through the noise like a blade. "She attempted to conceal the existence of a legal heir to the Drummond estate. She engaged in criminal conspiracy to remove that heir."
"An heir?" Pendelton frowned, his brow furrowing. "What heir? You have no children, Edward. Julian died seven years ago without issue!"
"Julian did not die without issue," Edward said. He signaled to Vance, who opened the binder and distributed heavy paper dossiers to every board member at the table.
"Three years before his death," Edward explained as the directors flipped through the pages, "Julian left biological material at a licensed medical repository in Massachusetts. A month ago, his partner, Clara Miller, gave birth to his son, Julian Drummond Jr., via lawful medical procedure. I have verified the DNA match through two independent laboratories. The boy is 99.8% a direct descendant of Julian Drummond."
The boardroom was dead silent now. The directors stared at the medical reports, the DNA certificates, and the legal filings with wide eyes.
"Furthermore," Edward continued, leaning forward, "my sister Margaret Drummond—whom my father falsely claimed was deceased thirty-five years ago—is alive. She is residing at my estate. Her granddaughter, Sophia Miller, is also in my legal custody."
Pendelton collapsed back into his chair, looking like he’d seen a ghost. "Margaret? Alive? Dear God... Richard told us she died in a sanitarium..."
"My father lied," Edward said flatly. "He lied to protect his pride, just as Victoria lied to protect her greed. But this firm will no longer be run on lies."
"Edward," another director spoke up nervously. "If Julian has a son, and if Margaret is alive... what does this mean for the ownership of Drummond Global? Under your father's original trust..."
"Under my father's trust," Edward interrupted, "the estate is divided equally among the primary male heirs, with provisions for surviving siblings. Because Julian's son is a minor, I am assuming total legal guardianship of his fifty-percent stake in the company."
He stood up, towering over the boardroom.
"Effective immediately, I am liquidating Victoria’s voting shares and transferring them into an irrevocable trust for Sophia Miller and Julian Jr. I am also resigning as Chief Executive Officer of Drummond Global."
The room erupted.
"Resigning?!" Pendelton yelled, half-rising from his chair. "Edward, you can't resign! You are the firm!"
"I spent thirty years being the firm, Arthur," Edward said, picking up his leather briefcase from the floor. "And in doing so, I almost let my family be destroyed. I will remain Chairman of the Board to oversee the transition. But my daily work here is finished."
May you like
He walked toward the boardroom doors. Before pushing them open, he paused and looked back at the stunned, speechless men who had been his colleagues for decades.
"If any of you have a problem with this restructuring," Edward added softly, "my legal team will accept your resignations by noon. Good morning, gentlemen."
