Chapter 13 - The Green-Eyed Devil
The boardroom erupted into murmurs. Elias, standing by the back wall, moved forward instantly, his hand hovering near his waist where his concealed firearm rested. Charlotte held up a single, commanding hand, stopping Elias in his tracks.
She stood slowly, refusing to break eye contact with Julian.
"Security," Charlotte said, her voice echoing off the glass walls. "Remove this man."
"On what grounds, Miss Vale?" Julian asked smoothly, pulling out a chair opposite her and sitting down, kicking his expensive Italian leather shoes onto the polished mahogany table. "I hold a legally binding transfer of assets. Kicking me out would be a violation of shareholder rights. You’d have a lawsuit on your hands by noon."
"You hold fraudulent documents signed by an interim CEO who is currently indicted for corporate treason," Elias interjected, his voice dripping with venom. He stepped up to the table, towering over Julian. "Those contracts aren't worth the paper they're printed on, Castellan."
Julian finally looked at Elias, a dark amusement dancing in his green eyes. "Ah, Elias Thorne. Vanguard’s vicious attack dog. Still playing the loyal knight, I see? Careful, Thorne. This board is for owners, not hired help."
Elias’s jaw clenched so tightly Charlotte thought the bone might snap.
"The contracts are under federal review," Charlotte stated coldly, drawing Julian’s attention back to her. "Until the SEC clears the transfer—which they won't, because Vanguard will bury it in litigation for a decade—you have no authority here. Get your feet off my table."
Julian smirked. He slowly lowered his feet, leaning forward until his face was inches from the center of the table. The playful facade vanished, replaced by a cold, predatory intensity.
"You think you’ve won because you put an old fool in a cage, Charlotte?" Julian murmured, his voice soft but carrying across the dead-silent room. "Solmere owes a debt. A debt paid in blood and money. Your mother refused to pay it, and look what happened to her."
A collective gasp echoed from the board members.
Charlotte’s blood ran icy cold, but her face remained an expressionless mask. She leaned forward, mirroring his posture.
"My mother built this empire from the ground up," Charlotte whispered fiercely. "And I will burn it to ash before I let a parasite like you take a single brick. You have five seconds to leave this building before I have Vanguard security throw you through the glass."
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Julian held her gaze for a long moment, the tension in the room thick enough to choke on. Then, surprisingly, he smiled.
"I look forward to breaking you, Charlotte Vale," Julian said quietly. He stood up, buttoning his suit jacket. "See you at the shareholder’s meeting."
