The Beginning Of The End

Jack stood in front of the mirror in his private office in Pearl, suit jacket already on, tie knotted, staring at his reflection.

His phone lay on the counter, face down. He was yet to receive a response from the driver and it's been over four hours.

He clenched the edge of the sink until his knuckles whitened; did he run to the cops like he said?

He straightened his cuffs, smoothed his jacket. He had men in the police station who would call him if anything happened.

Jack walked towards the door, today was for something else.

“Cancel my next meeting,” Jack said as he passed his assistant. “And find the driver.”

The assistant hesitated. “Sir?”

“Find him,” Jack repeated, voice low. “And make sure he doesn’t speak to anyone. Ever.”

The assistant nodded. “Yes, sir.”

Jack picked up the folder prepared for the board meeting and headed for the elevator.

The company bylaws were clear. A CEO deemed emotionally unstable could be removed by a majority vote. Damon had handed him that opportunity on a silver platter and his outburst at the house had proved his point.

Jack smirked.

The elevator doors slid shut.

Jack exhaled slowly, staring at the rising numbers. He had planned this very well and made sure Damon isn't invited for the board meeting.

Even if he showed up, he would be unstable, easy to dismiss and the board would see his point clearly in case that video of his outburst didn't do the trick.

The boardroom echoed with conversation when he entered. Heads turned, a few nods followed.

“Good morning,” Jack said smoothly, taking the seat at the head of the table.

The chairman cleared his throat. “Shall we begin?”

Jack stood.

“Thank you all for coming on such short notice,” he began. “I wish the circumstances were different.”

A murmur of agreement rippled around the table.

“As you know, Damon Sinclair has been… indisposed,” Jack continued. “The tragic disappearance of his wife has understandably affected him. But this company cannot afford uncertainty.”

A few board members exchanged glances.

“Our investors are nervous. Our partners are watching and while the Sinclair Empire will endure regardless, Pearl Industries won't survive. It needs leadership to keep it afloat.”

He let the words hang.

“According to company law,” Jack went on, “The board may vote for a new CEO should the current one be deemed unfit to serve.”

The chairman nodded. “And you are proposing..”

“That I step in,” Jack said, without hesitation. “To stabilize operations and ensure the success of Pearl.”

The hall echoed with murmur again but he could see his words had an impact.

The chairman leans forward, "I'll have to agree. We might as well cast a vote right now.”

A vote was called and hands began to rise, majority in favour of Jack as its new CEO.

“Well, the votes are in and…” the chairman started.

The doors burst open and Damon Sinclair walked in.

“A meeting without me.” He said, his eyes scanning the surprised crowd in front of him.

He didn’t look like a man in mourning.

He was clean-shaven, dressed in a dark suit with a hint of exhaustion etched on the lines of his face, but he looked very sane.

“M…Mr Damon..” Some muttered.

Damon didn’t look at him. He walked straight to the head of the table and stopped beside the chairman.

“I believe you’re voting on my position,” Damon said calmly.

The room fell silent.

“You should have told us you were attending,” one board member said cautiously.

Damon turned to him. “I wasn’t invited.”

The chairman cleared his throat again. “Mr. Sinclair, given recent events…”

“I’ve lost my wife,” Damon said, cutting him off. “Not my mind.”

A few heads turned.

Jack seized the moment. “This isn’t personal. Pearl is a subsidiary and you own an empire worth billions. Why cling to this?”

“Because this company belongs to Naomi.”

“But she's dead!” Jack snapped,not a hint of concern for her in his tone. “The police are still searching fir her body and we all know what that means!”

Jack turned to face Damon slowly, “That means you don't own a right in this company anymore. Your ties with it have been legally severed.”

Damon turned to face the board, "I understand the argument but you need to rethink this decision. Pearl has a right to mine and it's the only company allowed to do so in the entire country. Jack is going to use that to his advantage. Illegally.”

“But Sinclair Empire has been using Pearl's rights to fill its pockets, no?”

eyes narrowed on Jack, “We operate with Pearl under a legal partnership and..”

Jack cuts him off, “We can all see that Mr Damon isn't the right fit for this company. We can all tell from the video I sent to you.”

Damon's eyes narrowed, “What video?”

Jack turned to him, “You attacked me at your house a few days back, no?”

Damon clenched his fist, Jack had recorded their fight. No wonder he didn't fight back! It was all part of his plan!

“Members of the board, please. Let's make the right decision for Pearl and its future.”

The chairman cleared his throat and leaned closer to his mic. “Are we all voting in support of Mr Jack Pearl? Please raise your hand.”

Hands went in the air. Damon clenched his jaw, this was it. He'd be losing Pearl to Jack…

The doors burst open again and police officers flooded the room with Harris right behind them.

The room bursts into murmurs and whispers as Harris approaches Damon.

Harris' eyes fixed on Damon and then went over to Jack.

“Jack Pearl,” Harris announced, “you are under arrest.”

The boardroom erupted in shock.

“W..why?”

“What’s going on?”

“For what charges?”

“What is the meaning of this?”

Jack frowned. “ What is the meaning of this?”

His eyes landed on his assistant outside the board room who was now handcuffed by the police officers. He exhaled.

“What is going on here officer?” Jack asked calmly.

Damon glanced at Harris, confusion written all over his face. “What's going on?”

Harris met his gaze, “We have warrants. For fraud, conspiracy, attempted murder, the homicide of Aaron Pearl and the illegal use of a banned chemical item.”

Jack’s face twisted. “What? This has to be a mistake!”

“We can discuss that at the station..” Harris said.

“No! I will not go anywhere until I see proof of whatever you are accusing me of.”

Harris showed him his warranty again. “We have a warrant here sir.” He said in annoyance. “If we can't prove anything in twenty four hours, you're free to go.”

Harris had had enough of this old hag and wanted nothing but to throw his ass behind bars for years!

He glanced at his men, “Cuff him.”

Jack’s eyes darted wildly around the room until it landed on Grace.

“Grace, call my lawyer and tell him..” he went silent.

Grace stared at him with a look he couldn't quite read but something didn't sit well with him about those eyes.

Grace took a shaky breath. “I am not calling your lawyer, Jack. I will be testifying against you.”

Jack chuckled, “You can't be serious.”

She looked at the board. “He killed Aaron Pearl. He ordered the accident on Naomi as well and he wants to use this company to fund criminal operations.”

The board erupted. Jack stood there, glaring at Grace as he gritted his teeth.

Damon leaned on the table, more stunned than ever. He had more questions than answers but for Harris to move this way, he was very confident Jack would be locked away for good.

“What?!”

“Is this true?!”

“Mr Jack!”

“No, this can't be right!”

Jack was dragged toward the doors as questions continued to follow him all in shock and utterly disappointment.