Chapter 5 - The Vote That Could Destroy Everything
We reached Rivers Meridian's Zurich office with sixteen minutes remaining.
Nolan walked through the lobby like a man headed toward execution.
Reporters were already gathering outside.
Someone had leaked the acquisition scandal.
Rivers Meridian stock was falling in premarket trading.
The board appeared across three enormous screens.
Eleven directors.
Graham sat physically beside us, bruised but furious.
Victor remained at the hospital under police protection.
The acting board secretary began.
"Due to extraordinary circumstances surrounding the suspended acquisition, this emergency meeting will consider a motion to remove Nolan Rivers as chief executive officer."
Nolan sat.
No defense.
No anger.
That worried me more than anything.
The first director spoke.
"The company is facing criminal investigations."
Another followed.
"Our acquisition has collapsed."
Another.
"Mr. Rivers concealed material conflicts."
I frowned.
"What conflicts?"
A document appeared.
Photographs.
Nolan and me entering the hotel.
The note.
Then another image.
Us leaving the hotel the next morning.
Someone had built a narrative.
CEO involved romantically with assistant.
Assistant linked to Carroway collapse.
Assistant discovered contract irregularity.
Conflict of interest.
Manipulation.
It was elegant.
And disgusting.
One director stared directly at Nolan.
"Did you have an intimate relationship with Miss Ward during negotiations?"
I felt humiliation burn through me.
Nolan answered calmly.
"My personal relationship with Miss Ward has never influenced a corporate decision."
"That's not what I asked."
Nolan looked at me.
Then back at the screen.
"Our relationship changed less than twenty-four hours ago."
Whispers.
I wanted the floor to disappear.
Another director asked, "Did Miss Ward disclose her involvement with Carroway?"
"No."
"Then your judgment was compromised."
"No," Nolan said. "My judgment saved this company twenty-eight million dollars because Elena found what everyone else missed."
The room became quieter.
Graham leaned forward.
"I would also remind the board that she discovered a fraudulent shell company inserted into an agreement many of you were prepared to approve."
That helped.
Not enough.
The vote proceeded.
First director.
Remove.
Second.
Remove.
Third.
Retain.
Fourth.
Remove.
My stomach tightened.
Five votes were needed to force temporary suspension.
The fourth removal vote came.
Then Graham spoke.
"I vote retain."
Four to three.
Victor had a board proxy.
If he voted retain, the motion might fail.
But Victor was unconscious after emergency surgery.
The secretary announced his proxy had been filed earlier.
My heart stopped.
"By whom?" Graham demanded.
"Victor Hale."
The vote appeared.
Remove.
Nolan closed his eyes.
Five votes.
Motion carried.
Effective immediately, Nolan Rivers was suspended as CEO.
The board appointed interim leadership.
For the first time since he'd built Rivers Meridian, Nolan had no authority inside his own company.
The meeting ended.
Everyone left except me.
Nolan stared at the empty screens.
"I'm sorry."
He laughed quietly.
"You're apologizing?"
"If I had told you about Carroway—"
"No."
"Nolan—"
"No."
He stood.
"This is my father's doing."
"But I gave him ammunition."
"And I gave him an entire company to attack."
We looked at each other.
Then he said something I didn't expect.
"You should leave."
My chest tightened.
"What?"
"Go home."
"Because you think I'm in danger?"
"Because you've already lost enough."
"Don't do this."
"I'm not your boss anymore."
"Good. Then I can say this without risking insubordination."
I stepped closer.
"You're being an idiot."
His expression almost softened.
Almost.
"Elena."
"You told me yesterday you loved me."
"I do."
"And today you're sending me away."
"Because I love you."
"That's not romantic. That's cowardly."
That landed.
He looked angry.
"People around me get hurt."
"People around everyone get hurt."
"My father destroyed companies to reach me."
"Your father destroyed companies because he's a criminal."
"He targeted you."
"He targeted me five years before I met you."
Silence.
I took his hand.
"If you want me gone because you don't love me, say it."
His fingers tightened.
"If you want me gone because you're afraid, I'm staying."
He looked down.
"I don't know how to lose you."
My anger disappeared.
"You haven't even had me for twenty-four hours."
"That's the problem."
I touched his cheek.
"Then maybe stop wasting time."
This kiss was different.
Not hidden beneath hotel blankets.
Not uncertain.
It carried anger, fear, and three years of restraint.
When we separated, Nolan whispered, "I love you."
I smiled through tears.
"Better timing."
Then Marcus entered.
"We have a problem."
"Another one?" I asked.
He placed a laptop down.
"Victor's proxy vote was forged."
Nolan's expression sharpened.
"Can you prove it?"
"Yes."
"Then send it to the board."
"There's more."
Marcus opened transaction records.
Northstar had transferred money to three board members.
Two had voted to remove Nolan.
The third was the newly appointed interim CEO.
Graham swore.
"This is bribery."
"Exactly."
Nolan leaned closer.
"If we expose it now—"
"They'll claim the documents are fabricated."
I thought of Carroway.
Evidence had existed there too.
Evidence without narrative was easy to bury.
"We need someone inside."
Graham frowned.
"Inside where?"
"The interim leadership."
Everyone looked at me.
"No," Nolan said immediately.
I ignored him.
"The board thinks I'm the reason Nolan fell."
Graham understood.
"So they'll believe you're angry."
"Exactly."
Marcus shook his head.
"Dangerous."
"So is doing nothing."
Nolan stared.
"You want to pretend we've turned against each other."
"Yes."
"Absolutely not."
"You're still not my boss."
"That's becoming irritating."
"Good."
The plan began that afternoon.
I sent a resignation letter.
Then leaked it.
Within thirty minutes, reporters surrounded the building.
I walked out alone.
When someone shouted whether Nolan and I had been romantically involved, I stopped.
"I trusted Mr. Rivers professionally," I said. "Today I learned that trust was misplaced."
The clip went viral.
I hated every second.
Nolan watched from an apartment across the city.
An hour later, the interim CEO contacted me.
His name was Stephen Cole.
He wanted to meet.
Privately.
At dinner, Stephen played sympathetic.
"I know what Nolan does to people."
"You don't know him."
"Apparently neither did you."
I lowered my eyes.
He mistook disgust for vulnerability.
Good.
"We need someone who understands his systems," Stephen continued.
"What are you offering?"
"Chief administrative officer."
I looked shocked.
It wasn't difficult.
"You want to hire the woman supposedly responsible for the scandal?"
"I want someone capable."
"And loyal?"
He smiled.
"To the right people."
There it was.
I accepted.
By midnight, I had temporary access to Rivers Meridian again.
By one, Marcus had installed secure monitoring.
By two, I found a folder Stephen had forgotten to encrypt.
Inside were payment records.
Board bribes.
Northstar ownership.
Richard's offshore trusts.
Enough to destroy them.
Then I opened one final document.
A contingency plan.
My stomach dropped.
If investigators closed in, funds would automatically transfer.
Not millions.
Billions.
From Rivers Meridian pension accounts.
Thousands of employees could lose retirement savings.
The transfer was scheduled for 8:00 a.m.
Six hours away.
I called Nolan.
He answered instantly.
"What happened?"
"They're not trying to steal the company anymore."
"What are they doing?"
May you like
I stared at the screen.
"They're going to burn it down."
