Chapter 16: The Hostile Takeover

THE HEIRESS' COLD REVENGE 

The boardroom of the Thorne Group had always been Julian’s stage, but today, the atmosphere said otherwise.

Eleven men sat around the long mahogany table in the room, their eyes darting between Julian and the door. The digital ticker on the wall showed the company’s stock in a steady, crimson decline.

"He is ten minutes late, Julian," Arthur Vance muttered, checking his gold watch for the third time. "Julian, if this investor of yours is a no-show, the banks will trigger the margin calls before the markets close. We will be insolvent by morning and I will skin you alive for wasting my time and for the ridicule."

Julian adjusted his cufflinks, though his fingers were cold. "It is no news that investors like to make an entrance, Arthur. Sit down. I have told you that this will work, we have the leverage of the upcoming merger. No one buys forty percent of a company unless they intend to save it. This is also my ticket to getting Sarah and everything I have built back, so I wouldn't mess it up."

The double doors opened.

Theo Sterling walked in first. He didn't offer a greeting or a handshake to anyone. He simply moved to the side of the door, standing with his hands clasped behind his back, a silent, imposing barrier.

"Why is he here?" Arthur asked, becoming restless.

Julian, unable to talk, swallowed dryly.

A moment later, Elena entered.

The room went silent, but it wasn't the silence of respect; it was the silence of total confusion. Julian let out a short, sharp laugh that sounded closer to a bark.

"Elena?" Julian leaned back in his chair, a smirk twitching on his lips. "What is this? Wby are you here? Did you forget to sign the final divorce papers? Or did you just come to see what a real office looks like before you head back to whatever hole you have maliciously crawled into?"

Elena didn't respond to the bait. She walked to the foot of the table, opposite Julian, and placed a slim leather portfolio on the polished wood. She pulled out the chair and sat down.

"I am not here for the divorce papers, Julian," Elena said. Her voice was calm, devoid of the soft, hesitant edges Julian was used to. "And I didn't crawl out of a hole. I walked out of the Blackwood estate."

Arthur Vance leaned forward, his face reddening. "Look, young lady, I don't care who your grandfather is. This is a private board meeting for shareholders for the Throne-Vance. You have no standing here! No Blackwood was invited."

"Actually, Mr. Vance, I have more standing than you do," Elena replied. She slid a document towards the center of the table. "As of 8:00 AM this morning, Blackwood Industries has exercised its right to convert the Thorne Group’s outstanding secondary debt into equity. Combine that with the private acquisitions made over the last week, and I am currently the lead shareholder of this firm."

Julian’s smirk vanished. He snatched the paper, his eyes scanning the legalese. "Forty-two percent? That is practically impossible. My father set up protections, protocols..."

"Your father set up protections against competitors, Julian," Elena interrupted. "He didn't set them up against family. And since you spent the last three years treating the Blackwood trust as your personal ATM without ever actually reading the fine print of the commingled asset clauses, you essentially handed me the keys."

"So in summary, you have been stealing from me?" Julian shouted, slamming his hand on the table. "While you were living in my house, eating my food, wearing designers you bought with my hard-earned money, you were plotting to take my company?"

"I wasn't stealing, Julian. I was auditing," Elena said, her eyes locking onto his. "I watched you funnel money into shell companies for Sarah’s consulting fees. I watched you bypass safety protocols to inflate your quarterly earnings. I didn't have to plot. I just had to wait for you to trip over your own greed."

One of the older board members, a man named Miller who had been a friend of Julian’s father, cleared his throat. "Elena... if this is true, what are your intentions? We need stability."

"My intention is to clean house," Elena said, turning her gaze to Miller. "The Thorne Group is bloated, corrupt, and headed for a cliff. Step one is a vote of no confidence in the current CEO."

"You can't be serious," Julian gasped. He looked around the table, his voice rising in pitch. "Gentlemen, you know me. You know what we have toilee to build over the years. Are you going to listen to her? To the girl who spent three years picking out curtains and staying out of the way?"

"I stayed out of the way so I could see exactly what you were doing when you thought no one was looking," Elena said. She stood up, leaning forward slightly. "Arthur, you have a choice. You can either vote for Julian and watch the Vance Group get dragged into the fraud investigation I am handing to the SEC at noon. Or, you can vote for his removal, and I might consider absorbing your debt into the Blackwood portfolio."

Arthur Vance looked at Julian. He looked at the paper on the table. Then he looked at the floor.

"Arthur?" Julian’s voice was a whisper now. "Arthur, don't listen to her. She is just bluffing, she knows she's offering you a mouthwatering and irresistible offer but don't fall for her gimmicks."

"I have a fiduciary responsibility to my own company, Julian," Arthur muttered. He slowly raised his hand. "I vote in favor of the motion."

One by one, the other hands went up. Miller was the last. He didn't look Julian in the eye as his hand rose.

Elena looked at Julian, her expression flat. "The motion passes. You are no longer the CEO of the Thorne Group, Julian. In fact, you no longer have a pass to enter this building."

"This isn't over, Elena. All of this is far from over," Julian hissed, his face contorted with rage. "You think Theo Sterling is going to protect you forever? You are biting but a placeholder, Elena. You are nothing without the Blackwood name."

"And you," Elena said, closing her portfolio, "are currently a trespasser. Permit me to say you are nothing. Theo?"

Theo stepped forward, his shadow falling over Julian. "Mr. Thorne. Security is waiting. I suggest you leave before we have to involve the police in your exit."

Julian looked at the men around the table, but they had already turned their chairs away from him, focusing their attention on Elena. He was a ghost in his own room. Without a word, he turned and walked toward the door, his footsteps sounding hollow against the floor.