Chapter 2: The Blackout at 9:00 AM
The next morning, the sun rose over the massive Vance estate, casting a warm, golden light across the manicured lawns and the sparkling swimming pool. In the guest house, Carmela woke up feeling refreshed and powerful. In her mind, she had put Victoria in her place the night before. She dressed in an expensive designer robe, poured herself a cup of coffee, and walked toward the main mansion to demand that the housemaids prepare her breakfast.
Inside the main house, Alejandro was pacing back and forth in his private dressing room. He hadn't slept a wink. He had tried to open Victoria's study door multiple times during the night, but the biometric lock had refused his thumbprint. He kept telling himself that Victoria was just throwing a tantrum. She loved him. She wouldn't destroy his career over a few torn dresses.
At exactly 9:15 AM, Alejandro adjusted his tie, picked up his leather briefcase, and pulled out his corporate smartphone to check his morning schedule.
The screen was completely blank.
He pressed the power button frantically. The phone vibrated, and a large, red notification banner appeared across the screen: “SYSTEM ACCESS REVOKED. SECURITY PROTOCOL 404. PLEASE CONTACT INDEPENDENT CORPORATE OVERSIGHT.”
Alejandro’s heart skipped a beat. "No, no, no... this is a glitch," he muttered, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.
He ran down the grand staircase toward the living room, where his mother, Carmela, was comfortably sitting on the plush velvet sofa, reading a magazine.
"Alejandro, darling, tell the kitchen staff to make my eggs poached today," Carmela said without looking up. "The maid is ignoring me."
"Mom, shut up for a second!" Alejandro yelled, his voice cracking with panic.
Carmela looked up, shocked by his tone. "Alejandro! How dare you speak to your mother—"
Before she could finish, the heavy front doors of the mansion clicked loudly. A tall, muscular man in a dark suit walked into the foyer, followed by two technical workers carrying black cases. The man in the suit was David Vance—no relation to Alejandro, but Victoria’s personal head of security and a former elite military contractor.
"Alejandro Vance," David said, his voice completely devoid of warmth. "As of 9:00 AM this morning, by order of the Board of Directors and the majority shareholder of Project Alpha, your employment with Vance Enterprises has been suspended indefinitely pending a full forensic financial audit."
Alejandro felt like the floor was falling out from under him. "David, what is the meaning of this? I am the CEO! You can't suspend me without a full board meeting!"
"The board meeting took place at 8:00 AM via video conference," David replied calmly, pulling an official document from his coat pocket and handing it to Alejandro. "The majority shareholder exercised her right to immediate emergency suspension based on evidence of hostile conduct and corporate espionage. Your system access has been wiped. You are no longer authorized to enter any Vance Enterprises facility."
Carmela stood up from the sofa, her face turning red with anger. "Who do you think you are? Get out of my son's house before I call the police! Victoria must have paid you to do this! Alejandro, fire this man immediately!"
David didn't even look at Carmela. He nodded to the two technical workers, who immediately began disconnecting the high-tech smart-home server located in the hallway closet.
"What are they doing?" Alejandro gasped, his voice trembling.
"They are revoking your master access to the property's digital infrastructure," David explained. "As of right now, your corporate credit cards, your personal expense accounts, and your administrative control over this estate are dead."
"This is illegal!" Alejandro screamed, slamming his briefcase onto the floor. "I built this life! I ran the operations! Victoria was just a silent partner!"
"You ran the operations into a three-million-dollar deficit by funneling company funds into your mother’s private real estate investments in Spain," a new voice interrupted from the top of the stairs.
Alejandro and Carmela looked up. Victoria was standing on the landing, dressed in a stunning, perfectly tailored black business suit. She held a glass of water in her hand, looking down at them like a judge delivering a final verdict.
"Victoria!" Alejandro cried out, taking a step toward the stairs. "Please! We can fix this! It was a mistake! The investments in Spain were meant to benefit the company's future expansion!"
"The investments were registered under your mother’s maiden name, Alejandro," Victoria said, her voice cutting through the room like a razor blade. "You thought I didn't see the ledger entries. You thought because I spent my time in the charity foundations and product development, I wasn't looking at the bank statements. You underestimate me. You always have."
Carmela stepped forward, pointing her finger at Victoria again. "You witch! You’re trying to ruin my son! He gave you everything! Without him, you’re just a lonely tech nerd!"
Victoria chuckled softly, taking a sip of water. "Carmela, you still don't get it, do you? Look at your son. He knows the truth now. Look how pale he is."
Carmela turned to look at Alejandro, expecting him to roar back with power. Instead, she saw her son sinking onto the bottom step of the staircase, his head in his hands, trembling violently.
"Alejandro?" Carmela whispered, a tiny seed of doubt finally planting itself in her mind. "Darling, tell her she’s lying. Tell her you own the company."
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Alejandro didn't look up. "She owns 51%, Mom," he whispered hoarsely. "And the other 49% is tied up in a trust fund that she controls as the trustee. I... I have nothing without her signature."
Carmela’s breath caught in her throat. The magazine she was holding slipped from her fingers, fluttering to the floor right next to the dust from the dress she had shredded the night before.
