Chapter 17 - THE FINAL BOARDROOM
At 4:30 PM, thirty minutes before the deadline, the boardroom on the top floor of the Vance Building was a arena of silent tension.
Katherine Vance-Cross sat at the head of the oval table, her silver hair immaculate, her gray suit sharp. Beside her stood her team of six international corporate lawyers. Sitting across from her was Julian Sterling, holding the leather binder containing his twenty-five percent voting proxy.
The remaining board members sat nervously in their seats, watching the digital clock on the wall tick toward 5:00 PM.
"It is 4:45 PM," Katherine announced, her voice cold and resonant. "Emma Vance has failed to secure bridge financing. Upon the stroke of 5:00 PM, Aegis Capital will execute its foreclosure rights and assume full operational control of Vance & Co."
"Not so fast, Katherine," Julian said calmly, opening his binder. "As executor of the Arthur Vance blind trust, I hold twenty-five percent of the voting shares. I move to freeze the asset transfer pending an independent valuation."
Katherine let out a sharp, dismissive laugh. "Your voting proxy is worthless against a senior secured debt default, Julian. You're playing junior league chess."
The heavy double mahogany doors of the boardroom swung open.
I walked into the room, flanked by Marcus Vance and two plainclothes detectives from the Manhattan District Attorney's Financial Crimes Unit. I wore my mother’s favorite silver pearl necklace and held a blue velvet folder beneath my arm.
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Katherine sneered, leaning back in her chair. "Ah, the birthday girl arrives to watch her empire burn. You're fifteen minutes early, Emma."
"I'm right on time, Aunt Katherine," I replied, walking straight to the head of the table and tossing the blue velvet folder directly in front of her.
