Chapter 3: The Boardroom Execution
Chapter 3: The Boardroom Execution
By 9:00 a.m. the following morning, the corporate headquarters of Vance Global Enterprises—a towering glass monolith overlooking the city’s financial district—was in a state of total lockdown. The video of Regina’s red carpet meltdown and Maya’s three-second miracle had gone virally nuclear across every digital platform, accumulating over forty million views before dawn. The company's stock ticker was displaying a terrifying, jagged red downward line, dropping four percent in opening trade.
Regina sat at the far end of the polished mahogany boardroom table, her white designer suit from the night before looking wrinkled and exhausted. She had spent the night mainlining espresso and screaming at her public relations team, but no amount of corporate spin could erase the high-definition footage of her ripping up an employee's artwork.
At the head of the table sat her father, Arthur Vance, the ruthless patriarch who had built the multi-billion-dollar enterprise on one unyielding principle: profit over pride. Beside him sat Julian Sterling, Victoria’s brother and the chief legal counsel for the global distribution syndicate that funded Vance Global’s largest commercial contracts.
"The numbers are catastrophic, Regina," Arthur said, his voice a low, rumbling growl that made the surrounding corporate executives fix their eyes firmly on their digital tablets. "We’ve lost the Sterling account. Aura Magazine has pulled our upcoming cover feature. And three of our primary real estate developers have called to freeze their event retainers."
"It was a setup, Father!" Regina hissed, slamming her palm against the table, her fingernails digging into the wood. "That janitor girl premeditated the entire thing! She intentionally planted herself on the carpet with those sketches to provoke an interaction! She probably tampered with Victoria’s limousine door herself!"
Julian Sterling let out a short, dry laugh that cut through Regina’s frantic defense like a razor blade.
"Mr. Vance," Julian said, ignoring Regina entirely as he slid a thick, blue legal portfolio across the glass table. "My sister’s limousine was inspected by independent forensic mechanics three hours ago. The latch failure was a maintenance issue that your logistics department flagged three weeks ago and failed to repair due to Regina’s budget cuts. But more importantly... we did some digging into Miss Maya Lin."
Regina’s eyes narrowed. "She’s a nobody. A street girl we hired through a low-tier cleaning contractor to save on overhead."
"She was a senior scholar at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Regina," Julian corrected her, his tone dropping into a freezing register of clinical satisfaction. "Three years ago, her graduation collection won the prestigious Golden Needle award. She was on track to become one of the premier avant-garde designers in Europe until her family’s textile factory collapsed under a fraudulent bankruptcy scheme orchestrated by an aggressive acquisition firm."
Julian leaned forward, his dark eyes locking onto Regina’s pale face. "An acquisition firm called Vance Development Corp. Your division, Regina. Your father broke her family’s business to seize the real estate, and when Maya tried to file an injunction, you personally blacklisted her from every design house in the city, forcing her to take a cleaning job under an assumed surname just to pay her mother’s medical bills."
The room grew so cold you could hear the digital air conditioning system humming in the walls. Arthur Vance turned his head slowly, looking at his daughter with an expression of pure, icy calculation. He didn't care about the cruelty of the past; he cared that she had gotten caught, and that her sloppy vengeance had now threatened his entire empire.
"Is this true, Regina?" Arthur asked quietly.
"It was business, Father!" Regina stammered, her voice rising into a shrill, defensive panic. "We needed that waterfront property for the new luxury showroom! The girl was a nuisance—"
"The girl is currently sitting in a private suite at the Four Seasons, designing Victoria’s wardrobe for the upcoming European Academy Awards," Julian interrupted, standing up and buttoning his charcoal suit jacket. "And as of ten minutes ago, my syndicate has filed a formal motion with the federal trade commission to initiate a full forensic audit into Vance Global’s historical acquisition practices. Good luck with the press conference, Arthur."
As Julian walked out of the boardroom, Arthur Vance stood up, his face entirely devoid of parental mercy.
May you like
"Father, please," Regina pleaded, reaching out for his sleeve. "I can fix this. I’ll issue a public statement. I’ll say the janitor was an inspiration—"
"You won't say anything, Regina," Arthur said, his voice flat and dead. "You are stripped of your title. Your corporate accounts are frozen. Your security credentials have been deactivated. Pack your things and leave the building through the basement freight elevator. You are a toxic liability, and I will not let you drag my legacy down into your grave."
