Chapter 12 - THE COUP
Paul’s motion was clever.
Ethan owned the largest voting block.
Not all of it.
The bank was publicly traded.
A special committee could suspend him temporarily if conflicts threatened the institution.
Paul argued Martha’s case made Ethan conflicted.
He was not entirely wrong.
Ethan knew that.
So he did something nobody expected.
He stepped aside voluntarily.
Temporary leave.
Martha nearly yelled at him.
“Why?”
“Because if I fight to keep power, they’ll say this is about us.”
“It is about us.”
“No.”
He looked at her.
“It started with you.”
“It’s bigger now.”
Martha sat down.
She hated mature answers from her own child.
“Who runs the bank?”
“Interim CEO.”
“Who?”
Ethan smiled slightly.
“Priya.”
Martha stared.
“She’s a lawyer.”
“Exactly.”
Priya hated the appointment.
Which made Martha trust it.
Paul pushed harder.
He leaked that Martha was Ethan’s mother.
Not news anymore.
Then he leaked the $50,000 check source.
Ethan’s private holding company.
Headlines.
BILLIONAIRE’S MOTHER POSED AS POOR CUSTOMER.
STING OPERATION?
SETUP?
Martha read them.
Then threw the newspaper into the trash.
A reporter caught her outside.
“Mrs. Robinson, did you intentionally dress poor to test employees?”
Martha looked at her coat.
“This is my coat.”
“Did you stage the transaction?”
“No.”
“Why did you need fifty thousand dollars in cash?”
Martha almost smiled.
“My roof.”
The reporter blinked.
“What?”
“Contractor wanted a deposit.”
“Cash?”
“Long story.”
It sounded ridiculous.
True.
Then another reporter shouted.
“Why not use your son’s money?”
Martha stopped.
That question irritated her.
“Because I have my own.”
She walked away.
The clip went viral.
Not because it was profound.
Because she looked annoyed.
Meanwhile, Priya froze executive bonuses.
Opened restitution claims.
Invited external civil-rights monitors.
Paul called it panic.
Then federal prosecutors charged Daniel and Jessica.
Claire agreed to cooperate.
Graham did not.
He hired four lawyers.
The hearing date arrived.
May you like
And one hour before it started, Malik disappeared.
