Chapter 19 - Under the Surface
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Ten minutes later, my black town car screeched to a halt in front of the glass towers of Prescott Urban Development.
I marched through the marble lobby, my heels clicking loudly against the polished floor, with Adrian Vale and two Rowan senior attorneys right behind me.
When the elevator doors opened on the top floor executive suite, the atmosphere was chaotic.
Security guards were standing near the main glass doors. Inside the primary boardroom, Julian Vance—a slick, fifty-year-old corporate raider in an expensive pinstripe suit—was sitting comfortably at the head of the long oak table, sipping espresso.
Standing right beside him, wearing a sharp designer suit and holding a leather briefcase, was Vanessa Cole.
Maya Chen was standing across from them, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, surrounded by three corporate lawyers.
Weston was standing near the floor-to-ceiling windows, his knuckles white as he stared at Julian Vance with pure fury.
“What is the meaning of this, Vance?” I demanded, pushing open the heavy glass doors of the boardroom.
Julian Vance looked up, a lazy, predatory smile spreading across his face.
“Ah, Chairwoman Rowan,” Vance purred, standing up slowly and buttoning his jacket. “Or should I say, Mrs. Prescott? It’s so lovely of you to join our board meeting.”
“You don't own a board seat here, Julian,” I said coldly, stepping up to the table. “Meridian holds voting control over this entity.”
“We did hold voting control, Elowen,” Vanessa Cole spoke up, her voice smooth and venomous. She stepped forward, sliding a thick legal dossier across the polished table toward me. “Until forty-eight hours ago, when Capital Dynamics acquired the remaining debt tranches from your former trustee bank.”
I glanced down at the documents. The signatures were verified. A loop-hole in the initial restructuring contract—a clause from the old days—had allowed an offshore bank to sell off its secondary debt notes if a major shareholder relinquished operational control.
My eyes snapped to Weston.
When Weston stepped down as CEO two years ago, he had signed the relinquish paper.
“Elowen... I didn't know,” Weston said desperately, taking a step toward me, his voice tight with anguish. “I signed those debt release forms two years ago during the gala fallout! I had no idea Vance’s firm owned the underlying offshore bank!”
Julian Vance chuckled, leaning back against the edge of the table. “It’s remarkable how easy it is to tear down an empire built on trust, isn't it? Your husband’s old signature just gave my firm the right to liquidate Prescott Urban’s assets. By noon tomorrow, we shut down the affordable housing projects, sell off the land to commercial developers, and dissolve the firm.”
Maya Chen looked at me, her eyes filled with desperate panic. “Elowen... forty-eight housing projects are currently mid-construction. If they liquidate, four hundred workers lose their jobs today, and two thousand families lose their homes.”
I looked at Julian Vance. Then I looked at Vanessa Cole.
“You leaked the private share registry, Vanessa,” I said quietly.
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Vanessa didn't flinch. She raised her head proudly. “You destroyed my career at the gala two years ago, Elowen. You turned Weston into a weak, humble ghost of himself. Capital Dynamics offered me equity. I simply settled an old debt.”
Silence fell over the room. Weston looked as if he had been struck by lightning, his chest heaving as he realized his past mistakes had once again brought ruin to the people he loved.
