Chapter 8 - The Desperate CEO|
While Elise found peace in the quiet countryside of Connecticut, Matthew Hayes was living in a nightmare.
Inside the high-floor boardroom of Hayes Dynamics, thirty board members sat in tense, terrifying silence. At the head of the table sat Arthur Vance, the lead investor and Julian Sterling’s close ally.
Matthew stood at the podium, sweating through his custom shirt, trying to present a damage-control strategy.
"If we just issue a public apology and pledge a donation to a maternal health charity—" Matthew stammered.
"Shut up, Matthew," Arthur Vance commanded coldly, slamming a stack of financial reports onto the mahogany table. "Our stock has lost forty percent of its value in seventy-two hours. Three major tech partners have canceled their contracts. The company is bleeding fifty million dollars a day."
"I can fix this!" Matthew pleaded. "Elise is just emotional because of the pregnancy! Once she comes home and we take a family photo—"
"She isn't coming home," Arthur interrupted. "She’s filed for divorce. And her lead attorney is David Boies—the most terrifying family lawyer in the country, fully funded by Julian Sterling."
Matthew’s jaw dropped. "Sterling is funding her divorce?"
"Julian Sterling owns sixty percent of our corporate debt as of nine o'clock this morning," Arthur revealed, a cruel smile touching his lips. "He has officially initiated a hostile takeover. The board has voted unanimously to remove you as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately."
Matthew felt the air leave his lungs. "You... you're firing me? From my own company?!"
"Security is waiting in your office to escort you out of the building," Arthur said, standing up. "You’re done, Matthew."
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Dazed, ruined, and consumed by a sudden, toxic rage, Matthew stumbled out of the boardroom. He pulled out his phone and dialed his private investigator.
"Find out where Sterling is keeping my wife," Matthew snarled into the receiver. "Now!"
