Chapter 6 - The Stakes Rise
By Friday afternoon, the corporate storm outside matched the emotional hurricane brewing inside Caldwell Enterprises.
Marcus Vance had called an emergency board meeting behind Ethan’s back. Armed with rumors about Henry’s health and unverified reports of erratic behavior, Vance was pushing for a vote of no confidence to strip Ethan of his CEO title and place a temporary board committee in control of the upcoming proxy vote.
Ethan stood at the end of the long mahogany table, his tie undone, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, glaring down at the twelve board members.
“You’re moving too fast, Marcus,” Ethan said coldly. “You don't have the votes.”
“I have seven out of twelve votes, Ethan,” Vance replied smoothly, leaning back with a victorious smirk. “The board has lost confidence in your crisis management. Your father hasn’t appeared in public in eighteen months, and your personal focus has... drifted. We are voting at 9:00 AM Monday morning.”
Ethan felt the trap snapping shut. If Vance took control before Saturday night’s charity gala, the proxy trust would be frozen, the European expansion would collapse, and Caldwell Enterprises would be carved up and sold off to Sterling Dynamics.
His phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out covertly beneath the table.
A text from Clare: Your father is at the studio. He’s practicing his turns. He says tell you to stop working so hard or he’ll fire you as his son.
A faint, involuntary smile touched the corners of Ethan’s mouth.
He locked his phone, looked up at Marcus Vance, and let all the ice back into his eyes.
“Monday morning hasn’t arrived yet, Marcus,” Ethan said, his voice ringing with absolute authority. “And on Saturday night, my father will be standing on the ballroom floor at the Jefferson Hotel in front of every major investor, partner, and media outlet in the state. If you try to execute a coup while he is leading the grand march, the public backlash will destroy this company overnight.”
May you like
Vance’s smirk wavered slightly. “He won’t make it through one dance.”
“He will,” Ethan said, standing up and grabbing his briefcase. “Because I’ll be right beside him.”
