The heavy glass doors of the Sterling Holdings skyscraper opened into a vast corporate boardroom overlooking the city skyline. Twelve executives sat around the long mahogany table, their expressions cold and rigid.
Victoria walked in, wearing a sharp black suit. She held Toby's hand tightly as they took their seats near the front of the room.
Executive 1: Mrs. Sterling, thank you for attending this emergency meeting on such short notice.
Victoria: I wouldn't miss it for the world. Has Richard arrived yet?
Executive 2: He's currently downstairs with his criminal defense attorney, trying to secure bail papers for his arrest on Tuesday night.
Victoria: He won't be getting bail easily. The district attorney added corporate fraud and child endangerment to the docket.
The door swung open, and Richard walked in, accompanied by a lawyer in a grey suit. Richard looked exhausted, his hair messy and his beige suit replaced by a dark coat that couldn't hide his nervous twitching.
Richard: This meeting is illegal! I am still the majority shareholder of this firm!
Victoria: You were the majority shareholder, Richard. Until nine o'clock this morning.
Richard: What are you talking about?
Victoria: My lawyer filed the emergency freeze on your voting stock based on the embezzlement evidence provided to the court.
Lawyer: Mrs. Sterling, my client has not been convicted of any crime yet. You cannot strip his corporate rights without a board vote.
Victoria: Then let's take the vote right now.
She looked around the table at the twelve executives sitting in silence.
Victoria: Everyone here has seen the bank statements from the offshore accounts. Raise your hand if you vote to remove Richard Vance as CEO of Sterling Holdings.
One by one, every single hand around the mahogany table went up into the air.
Richard: You traitors! I paid your bonuses last year!
Executive 1: You paid our bonuses with stolen charity money, Richard. You put this entire firm in legal jeopardy.
Executive 2: We've already hired an independent forensic accountant to audit every transaction made under your name over the last five years.
Richard: You can't do this to me! I built this company from the ground up with David!
Victoria: My husband David built this company. You were just the parasite who attached himself to his success.
Toby looked up from his seat, staring directly at Richard with calm eyes.
Toby: You aren't the boss anymore, mister.
Richard: Keep that brat quiet! This is a corporate meeting, not a daycare!
Victoria: Speak to my son like that again and I'll have the guards remove you from this building in handcuffs again.
Lawyer: Richard, sit down and be quiet. You're making things worse for yourself.
Richard: Shut up! I don't care about the board! I want my money!
Victoria: The money is gone, Richard. Frozen by federal order. You have zero access to the company reserves, the private jet, or the estate in the Hamptons.
Richard took a step toward her, his face flushing red with anger.
Richard: You think you're so smart, don't you? You think you can just walk in here and take everything David worked for?
Victoria: I'm not taking it for myself. I'm placing David's entire fifty-one percent controlling interest into a trust fund for Toby.
Richard: A trust fund for a kid?! He doesn't even know how to run a business!
Victoria: He doesn't need to run it today. I will act as sole trustee until he turns twenty-one.
Richard: I'll sue you for breach of fiduciary duty!
Victoria: You don't have enough money left to pay your lawyer's retainer fee for next week, Richard.
The lawyer beside Richard leaned in, whispering softly into his ear.
Lawyer: She's right, Richard. If the court freezes your personal liquid accounts, my firm will have to withdraw from representation.
Richard sank back into an empty leather chair at the far end of the table, burying his face in his hands.
Richard: How... how did you find out about the Cayman accounts?
Victoria: David left a sealed envelope in our safety deposit box before he died. He knew you were stealing, Richard. He was just waiting for the right moment to catch you.
Richard: David... knew?
Victoria: He knew everything. He just wanted to make sure Toby and I were safe before he confronted you. Now, get out of my office.