Chapter 26 - The Boardroom CoupThe boardroom of Kingsley Hospitality Group was a sprawling theater of mahogany and glass, designed to intimidate anyone who sat at the long table. For years, Felix had presided over it with a reformed, ethical iron fist. But this morning, the atmosphere was suffocating.
Felix sat at the head of the table, flanked by his loyal executives. At the opposite end sat Julian Sterling, looking entirely too comfortable in a bespoke navy suit, drumming his fingers lightly on the polished wood. Beside him sat Odette Kingsley, radiating bitter triumph.
"Let's dispense with the pleasantries, Felix," Julian began, his voice projecting easily across the massive room. "I have formally acquired forty-one percent of Kingsley Hospitality's voting shares, primarily through your mother's undisclosed preferred trust, and secondary acquisitions from nervous board members."
"Forty-one percent does not give you a controlling interest, Sterling," Felix replied coldly, his posture rigid. "You are a minority shareholder. You don't dictate policy here."
"I don't need a controlling interest to call for a vote of no confidence in your leadership," Julian smiled, sliding a thick, leather-bound dossier down the table. "Especially when the current CEO is bleeding capital. Your wife’s restaurant group, which Kingsley Hospitality guarantees, is currently under federal health investigation for gross negligence."
The murmurs around the table were immediate. Several older board members shifted uncomfortably in their expensive leather chairs.
Odette leaned forward, her eyes locking onto her son. "You’ve gone soft, Felix. You care more about charity kitchens and playing house than maximizing shareholder value. Julian is offering a thirty percent premium on stock dividends if he takes over as interim CEO."
"He will gut this company," Felix warned the board, his voice slicing through the whispers. "Vanguard Holdings liquidates assets. He will sell our international hotels to the highest bidder and fire twenty thousand loyal employees. This isn't leadership; it's corporate butchery."
"It's capitalism, Felix," Julian corrected smoothly. "I motion for an emergency vote to strip Felix Kingsley of his CEO title, effective immediately, pending a full audit of the Marlowe House financial entanglement."
Felix stared down his mother. She was willing to destroy her late husband's entire legacy just to spite him and Sarah.
"You don't have the votes," Felix said, though his heart hammered in his chest.
"We will see," Julian smirked. "We reconvene in exactly forty-eight hours to cast the ballots. I suggest you pack your office, Mr. Kingsley. It's time for you to retire."
May you like
Julian and Odette stood and walked out of the boardroom, leaving a stunned silence in their wake. Felix remained seated, his mind calculating a million different strategies. He wasn't going to roll over and let them destroy his family. He was going to have to play dirty one last time.
|
Related Stories
