Chapter 5 - THE PHANTOM AUDIT
Three days later, the corporate headquarters of Moretti Holdings experienced a seismic shock.
It was 9:00 AM on a Tuesday.
The executive board room was packed with regional directors, casino managers, and senior partners.
Vincent sat at the head of the mahogany table.
He looked exhausted.
Dark circles bruised his eyes; his tie was slightly askew.
The door opened.
Marcus Vance walked in.
Behind him walked a woman in a sharp charcoal pantsuit, carrying a leather briefcase.
Heads turned.
Whispers rippled across the room.
I walked straight to the empty chair beside Marcus—directly opposite Vincent.
Vincent froze.
His breath caught in his throat.
His chair scraped loudly against the floor as he stood up halfway.
“Claire,” he whispered, his voice trembling across the silent room.
“You’re... you’re here.”
“Sit down, Vincent,” I said, my voice ice-cold and utterly composed.
“We have a board meeting to run.”
“Guards!” Vincent shouted toward the doorway, his panic overriding his professional composure.
“Remove her from this building immediately!”
“They won't,” Marcus said smoothly, stepping in front of the door and tossing a thick legal document onto the table.
“Allow me to introduce the majority shareholder of Moretti Holdings.”
“Claire Bennett Moretti.”
Vincent stared at Marcus as if he had spoken in a foreign language.
“What nonsense is this?” Vincent demanded, slamming his hands on the table.
“She holds zero shares! This is my company!”
“It was your company,” I corrected him, opening my briefcase and pulling out the certified trust certificates.
“My father’s legacy trust grants me forty percent voting control.”
“Combined with Marcus’s proxy shares and the independent board members who have grown tired of your tyrannical mismanagement, I hold fifty-one percent.”
I looked directly into his wide, horrified eyes.
May you like
“You’ve been voted out as Chairman, Vincent.”
“Effective immediately.”
