The Boardroom War

*Chapter 12: The Boardroom War*

The boardroom at Loriss Corp headquarters hadn’t changed in 20 years.

Mahogany table. Leather chairs. One-way glass looking out over Geneva.

The only difference now was the cameras.

Live-stream cameras. Three of them, broadcasting to every shareholder, employee, and reporter who had a link.

David had insisted on it.

“If they want to take the company in public, let the public watch,” he’d said last night.

Jennifer sat beside him at the long table, wearing the same black suit from the press conference. No jewelry. No distractions. Just the USB drive in her pocket, now backed up in three separate secure locations.

Across from them sat seven board members.

Five were old money. Men who’d known Robert Loriss and thought David was too young to run anything.

One was a woman named Elise Moreau, who’d been neutral until last week.

And one chair was empty.

Harry Argent’s nameplate sat in front of it like a threat.

The live-stream counter hit 400,000 viewers.

“Let’s begin,” said Chairman Klaus Weber, 68, Robert’s old golf partner. His voice was dry, practiced. “This emergency board meeting is called to order at 9:00 AM CET. Agenda: Item 1, vote to remove David Loriss as CEO. Item 2, vote to dissolve the Benz-Loriss partnership agreement.”

Jennifer’s stomach tightened.

David didn’t move.

“Before we vote,” David said, his voice carrying easily through the room and the stream, “I’d like to address the board and the public with new evidence.”

Klaus frowned. “The agenda does not allow for—”

“The agenda allows for anything I deem relevant to the stability of this company,” David cut in. “Section 4.2 of the corporate bylaws. I wrote it.”

Murmurs rippled through the room.

David nodded to Marcus, who stood in the corner.

The screens on the wall lit up.

It was Ravenna’s warehouse footage. Unedited.

The board watched in silence as Ravenna admitted to letting Jennifer’s parents die.

As she ordered the hit on Jennifer.

As she explained how Harry had been funneling money through Argent Holdings for years.

When it ended, the room was dead quiet.

Elise Moreau broke it first.

“Is this verified?” she asked.

Ms. Okoro stood from the back of the room. “Verified by Interpol, the ICC, and three independent forensic labs. The full file is public record as of this morning.”

Klaus’s face went red.

“This is a distraction!” he said. “We are here to vote on leadership. The company cannot survive another scandal. David Loriss has made us a target.”

David leaned forward.

“No,” he said. “Robert Loriss made us a target. Harry Argent kept us a target. I’m trying to end it.”

He turned to the camera.

“Shareholders watching this,” he said. “You own this company with me. You’ve watched it bleed for 15 years because of deals made in this room before I was old enough to vote. Today, you have a choice. Keep the old guard. Or let us finish what we started.”

Jennifer felt it then. The shift.

Elise Moreau looked at the other board members, then nodded slowly.

“I move to table the vote on removing David Loriss,” she said.

Klaus slammed his hand on the table. “You can’t—”

“I can,” Elise said. “I have 12% of the voting shares. Enough to call a recess.”

Klaus opened his mouth to argue, but the doors at the back of the room burst open.

Harry Argent walked in.

He looked tired. Unshaven. But his smile was the same.

“Sorry I’m late,” he said. “Traffic.”

Security moved to stop him, but Klaus waved them off.

“Mr. Argent is a 9% shareholder,” Klaus said. “He has the right to be here.”

Harry walked to his chair and sat down, eyes never leaving Jennifer.

“Jennifer,” he said. “You look good. Geneva suits you.”

Jennifer didn’t answer.

Harry turned to the board.

“You’ve all seen the video,” he said. “My aunt’s a monster. I never denied it. But what you haven’t seen is this.”

He placed a tablet on the table and tapped it.

The screen showed a contract.

Benz Holdings. Signed by Jennifer’s father.

Date: Two weeks before the accident.

“Sale agreement,” Harry said. “Your father sold 51% of Benz Holdings to Argent Holdings for £20 million. The money was paid. The transfer was legal.”

Jennifer’s blood ran cold.

“That’s a forgery,” she said.

Harry smiled.

“Is it?” he said. “Because the signature matches. The notary is verified. And the witness…”

He paused for effect.

“Was Robert Loriss.”

The room erupted.

David stood up fast.

“That contract was voided when Robert tried to kill Jennifer’s father,” David said. “It’s in the evidence file. Section 9, Clause 3.”

Harry shrugged.

“Maybe,” he said. “But it takes a judge to rule that. And until then, I own 51% of Benz Holdings.”

Jennifer felt the floor drop out.

If Harry owned Benz Holdings, the partnership agreement was meaningless. He could block everything.

Klaus leaned forward, sensing blood in the water.

“Then the vote stands,” he said. “All in favor of removing David Loriss as CEO…”

Elise’s hand shot up. “I object. We need a recess to verify this document.”

“Denied,” Klaus said. “All in favor…”

Three hands went up. Klaus. Two others.

Four hands remained.

Jennifer’s heart pounded.

If two more voted yes, David was out.

David looked at Jennifer. Not scared. Not angry. Resigned.

She knew what he was thinking.

If he loses, I lose everything.

Before anyone else could vote, the boardroom doors opened again.

A man in a suit walked in, flanked by two Interpol agents.

“Stop the vote,” the man said.

Klaus stood up. “Who are you?”

“Agent Laurent, International Criminal Court,” the man said. “We have a warrant for Mr. Harry Argent’s arrest.”

Harry didn’t move.

“For what?” he asked calmly.

“For fraud, conspiracy to commit murder, and obstruction of justice,” Agent Laurent said. “Based on evidence submitted this morning.”

Harry’s smile didn’t waver.

“You’re too late,” he said. “The vote is happening now.”

Agent Laurent looked at the board.

“If you vote while a criminal case is pending, you invalidate the entire meeting,” he said. “Corporate law, Article 12. Check it.”

Klaus’s face went white.

David exhaled.

“Recess,” Elise said immediately. “Motion to recess for 72 hours pending criminal review.”

This time, no one objected.

The vote was adjourned.

As Harry was led out in handcuffs, he looked back at Jennifer.

“You’ll never win, Jennifer,” he said. “Not while there are still people who remember what your father did.”

Jennifer didn’t answer.

The boardroom emptied fast. Cameras stayed on, broadcasting the empty table to 600,000 viewers.

David turned to Jennifer the moment the doors closed.

“You okay?” he asked.

Jennifer nodded, but her hands were shaking.

“That contract,” she said. “Did my father really sign it?”

David pulled her aside, away from the cameras.

“I don’t know,” he said honestly. “But even if he did, it doesn’t matter. We have proof Robert coerced him. That makes it void.”

Jennifer nodded.

“Then why do I feel like we just lost?” she asked.

“Because we didn’t win yet,” David said. “We just bought time.”

Ms. Okoro joined them, face grim.

“Harry’s lawyers are filing an injunction to stop the merger,” she said. “They’ll argue the partnership is invalid because of the sale agreement.”

“How long do we have?” David asked.

“72 hours,” Ms. Okoro said. “Until the recess ends.”

Jennifer looked at David.

“What do we do?” she asked.

David’s eyes hardened.

“We find the witness,” he said. “The notary. The person who signed off on that contract.”

Ms. Okoro nodded. “I’m already on it.”

Jennifer thought for a moment.

“There’s one other person who might know,” she said quietly.

David frowned. “Who?”

“My mother’s old assistant,” Jennifer said. “Mara. She was with my father the week before he died. If anyone saw that contract, it was her.”

David nodded.

“Where is she?”

Jennifer swallowed.

“Last I heard, she was in witness protection,” she said. “After the accident.”

David cursed under his breath.

“Then we find her,” he said. “Before Harry’s people do.”

As they left the boardroom, Jennifer’s phone buzzed.

Unknown number again.

_You’re running out of time, Jennifer. Mara won’t talk. Not to you._

Jennifer stopped walking.

David noticed.

“What is it?” he asked.

Jennifer showed him the message.

David’s face went still.

“Then we don’t ask her to talk to me,” he said. “We ask her to talk to you.”

Jennifer looked up at him.

“How?”

David’s mouth curved.

“We go to her,” he said. “And we bring your mother’s necklace.”

Jennifer’s breath caught.

Ravenna had the necklace. Or she had said she did.

If it was a lie, they were walking into a trap.

If it was true…

Jennifer nodded.

“Let’s go,” she said.

Outside, the Geneva sky was clear.

But somewhere in the city, Harry’s last allies were moving.

And Mara was about to become the most dangerous person alive.