Chapter 5 - The Boardroom Storm
At 6:15 AM, the executive boardroom on the eightieth floor of the Blackwood Tower was silent as a tomb.
Twelve members of the board of directors sat around a massive table made of a single slab of black obsidian. At the head of the table sat Richard Sterling—Maxwell’s brother-in-law, a man with a heavy jaw and expensive gold rings that clinked against his coffee cup. He was smiling, looking at his watch as if he had already won the crown.
"It’s fifteen minutes past the hour, gentlemen," Richard said, leaning back in his leather chair. "Maxwell isn't here. Given the... unfortunate rumors about his son’s health this morning, I suggest we vote on the emergency transition of the chairmanship immediately. The market opens in less than three hours, and the shareholders need stability."
"The market will be fine, Richard," a voice barked from the double doors.
Maxwell Blackwood walked into the room. He hadn't changed his clothes from the night before, but his presence was so immense that three board members automatically stood up before they realized what they were doing. Behind him walked Arthur Vance, carrying a stack of thick, blue-backed legal folders.
Maxwell didn't take his seat at the head of the table. He walked directly up to Richard, threw the folded paper from the Cayman Islands bank onto his coffee cup, splashing the dark liquid across his expensive silk tie.
"Maxwell, what is the meaning of this?" Richard stammered, his face turning an unwholesome shade of white as he looked at the wire transfer records. "This is... this is a private investment portfolio. It has nothing to do with the company."
"It has to do with felony kidnapping, corporate espionage, and attempted murder," Maxwell said, his voice dropping into that terrifying, quiet frequency. "Arthur, read the grand jury indictments that were signed by the federal prosecutor at 5:00 AM this morning."
Arthur Vance stepped forward, opening the first folder. "As of thirty minutes ago, federal warrants have been executed for the arrest of Richard Sterling, senior managing partner of Sterling Capital, on charges of conspiracy to commit extortion, illegal market manipulation, and the endangerment of a minor under the federal Lindbergh Act."
The boardroom erupted into chaos. Two board members immediately moved away from Richard as if he were covered in plague sores.
"This is a frame-up!" Richard shouted, his hands shaking as he tried to gather his papers. "You can't prove Eleanor Vance was working for me! She’s a certified therapist!"
"She confessed, Richard," Maxwell said, leaning down until his eyes were inches from his brother-in-law's face. "She gave up the encryption keys to your private message log. She gave them up within five minutes of meeting my security chief. Do you know why? Because she realized that when you play games with my son's life, there is no corner of this earth small enough for you to hide in."
The heavy mahogany doors of the boardroom opened again, and two federal agents in dark trench coats walked into the room, their badges pinned to their lapels.
"Richard Sterling," the lead agent said, stepping up to the obsidian table. "Put your hands behind your back."
As the agents led his weeping brother-in-law out of the room, Maxwell walked to the head of the table, pulled out his chair, and sat down. He looked at the remaining eleven board members, his hazel eyes cold and unyielding.
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"Now," Maxwell said, adjusting his cuffs. "Let’s talk about the fourth-quarter earnings report. And after that, we are going to discuss a permanent corporate endowment for the protection of homeless youth in the state of New York. I want fifty million dollars allocated before noon."
The board members didn't argue. They didn't even blink. They just reached for their pens and began to write.
