Chapter 3 - The Boardroom Coup
Julian took the tablet from his security chief, his storm-gray eyes scanning the live news broadcast.
On the screen was a sleek podium set up in the lobby of the Sterling Global headquarters downtown. Standing behind the microphones was a sharp-featured man in his late forties, wearing a gold watch and a dark suit. A ticker ran across the bottom of the screen: STERLING GLOBAL BOARD DECLARES FOUNDER UNFIT FOLLOWING DISAPPEARANCE.
"Richard Vance," Julian growled, his jaw clenching so hard a muscle twitched near his ear. "He couldn't even wait until my daughter was buried."
I stepped forward, looking over his shoulder at the screen. "Is that your late wife's brother?"
"Former brother-in-law," Julian corrected coldly. "Richard owns twelve percent of the company voting shares. He’s spent five years trying to force a buyout to sell our shipping lanes to an overseas syndicate. He used my disappearance after my daughter's passing to stage a hostile takeover."
The reporter on the tablet was speaking urgently: "Sources close to the board report that CEO Julian Sterling suffered a severe nervous breakdown over the weekend and is currently unaccounted for. Vice President Richard Vance has petitioned the High Court for temporary operational control of the fifty-billion-dollar enterprise..."
Julian clicked the tablet off, handing it back to his guard. The warmth he had shown Lily was now completely replaced by the razor-sharp intensity of a seasoned corporate titan.
"Arthur," Julian said to his head of security. "How long to get downtown?"
"Traffic is jammed on the highway, sir," Arthur replied. "By car, twenty-five minutes. By chopper, four minutes."
Julian turned back to me and Lily. "I must ask you both to come with me."
I blinked in surprise. "To your corporate headquarters? Mr. Sterling, we don't belong in a corporate boardroom. We're just—"
"You are the reason I am standing here alive today," Julian interrupted smoothly, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Richard is telling the press and the board that I was wandering the streets, raving, out of my mind, unfit to hold my position. He is trying to portray me as a broken lunatic who needs to be locked away in a private facility."
He looked down at Lily with a soft, strategic glint in his eye.
"When I walk into that boardroom with the two people who witnessed my turning point—with the little girl who showed more honor and clarity than my entire board of directors—Richard’s narrative will collapse into dust."
I looked down at Lily. She wasn't scared; she was holding her tiny pink purse, looking up at the massive helicopter with pure wonder.
"Can I ride in the flying car, Mom?" she whispered excitedly.
I looked at the house deed in my hand, then at the man who had just saved my family from poverty. I took a deep breath, setting my shoulders back.
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"Load us up, Mr. Sterling," I said firmly. "Let's go show your brother-in-law what real strength looks like."
Five minutes later, the massive helicopter rose into the gray morning sky, lifting us above the suburban rooftops, banking sharply toward the glittering glass spires of the downtown skyline.
