Chapter 3 - THE FALL OF THE GILDED CAGE
Within thirty minutes, the grand cathedral had been cleared of guests by Marcus Vance's security detail.
Dominic and Jessica had been forcibly escorted out through the side entrance by estate guards, surrounded by a horde of screaming journalists and flashing cameras. Without his credit cards, his driver, or his personal security, Dominic was reduced to shouting threats at the closed cathedral doors while Jessica wept uncontrollably on the rain-slicked pavement.
Inside the high-ceilinged vestry, seven senior board members of DeLuca Global sat around a heavy walnut conference table. These were men and women who controlled global trade routes, private banks, and real estate trusts across four continents.
And now, they were looking at me.
I sat at the head of the table, wearing a black tailored blazer that Marcus’s team had brought from my private quarters. The USB drive Victor had given me sat in the middle of the table, glowing faintly blue as it remained plugged into the central laptop terminal.
"Mrs. DeLuca," spoke Arthur Sterling, the gray-haired senior counsel who had represented Victor for forty years. "The evidence provided on this drive is absolute. The forensic audit of the Swiss accounts, the Naples police reports from twelve years ago, and the biometric transfer deeds signed by your late father-in-law have all been verified by three independent legal firms."
"Which means?" I asked, leaning forward, resting my hands on the cool wood.
"Which means you are officially the largest single shareholder and Chairman of the Board of DeLuca Global," Arthur replied, sliding a thick leather portfolio toward me. "You control fifty-two percent of the voting stock outright, with another forty percent held in trust under your sole direction. You hold total executive authority."
A female board member, Lady Harrison—a woman who had ignored me at every charity gala for the past four years—cleared her throat nervously. "Elena... my dear. We are all deeply shocked by Dominic’s treason. Naturally, the board fully supports your succession. However, the market is opening in Tokyo in four hours. Once the news of Victor's death and Dominic's criminal indictment breaks, our stock could plummet thirty percent."
"It won't," I said calmly.
Lady Harrison blinked. "Excuse me?"
I opened the laptop screen and tapped a key, projecting a series of international shipping manifests onto the wall.
"For the past three years," I explained, my voice steady and commanding, "Dominic was not managing the Asian logistics expansion. I was. Victor knew his son was incompetent, so he gave me administrative access to the secondary supply chains under a pseudonym. I cut our port overhead by seventeen percent and secured exclusive dock leases in Singapore and Rotterdam."
The board members stared at the wall in pure disbelief.
"You..." Arthur Sterling gasped, a slow, impressed smile forming on his weathered face. "You ran the entire Eastern Division while Dominic was taking credit for it?"
"Dominic didn't even know how to open the encrypted manifests," I replied coldly. "He spent his time attending racing events in Monaco with Jessica. Tomorrow morning, when the markets open, I will personally host the global investor call. I will announce the immediate termination of all corrupt management figures, the recovery of the stolen fourteen million dollars, and the launch of our new green maritime fleet."
Arthur clapped his hands together, standing up to bow to me. "Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Victor picked the right successor."
"Where are Dominic and Jessica now?" I asked Marcus, who was standing quietly by the door.
"They tried to access the DeLuca penthouse downtown, ma'am," Marcus reported with a subtle smile. "However, per your instructions, their biometric access cards were revoked twenty minutes ago. The building management turned them away. Last I heard, they were attempting to check into a boutique hotel using Miss Mercer's personal credit card."
"Cancel her cards too," I instructed without hesitation. "Jessica was listed as a subsidiary dependent on Dominic’s corporate expenses. Freeze every account linked to her name."
"With pleasure, Mrs. DeLuca," Marcus replied.
May you like
I stood up from the table, looking at the board members who were all standing respectfully in my presence.
"Gentlemen, ladies," I said. "The era of Dominic DeLuca is over. Tomorrow, we take back what belongs to this company."
