CHAPTER 2: THE MAN WHO FIRED ME MEETS HIS NEW BOSS
CHAPTER 2: THE MAN WHO FIRED ME MEETS HIS NEW BOSS
I didn't sleep.
Not even for a minute.
The next morning, I sat inside a law office surrounded by documents thicker than phone books.
Across from me sat David Marshall.
The lawyer smiled.
"I know this is a lot."
"A lot?" I laughed nervously.
"Yesterday I was unemployed."
He nodded.
"And today you're the majority shareholder."
I looked at the paperwork again.
Still unreal.
"How?"
David folded his hands.
"Your grandfather was one of Kane Technologies' earliest investors."
I stared at him.
"What?"
"Richard Kane's father nearly went bankrupt decades ago. Your grandfather funded the company."
My jaw dropped.
"Then why didn't I know?"
"Because your grandfather created a trust."
David slid another file toward me.
"It couldn't be transferred until your thirty-second birthday."
Today.
My birthday.
The same day Richard fired me.
The irony was almost too perfect.
David continued.
"You now control fifty-one percent of voting shares."
I sat back.
Fifty-one percent.
Control.
Richard's nightmare.
My phone buzzed.
Text after text flooded in.
Jake.
Sarah.
Other coworkers.
Are you okay?
Sorry about yesterday.
Richard was out of control.
Cowards.
Not one of them had spoken up.
Now suddenly they cared.
David interrupted my thoughts.
"The board meeting is tomorrow."
I looked up.
"Tomorrow?"
"They'll formally announce the ownership change."
A slow smile spread across my face.
Tomorrow.
Richard had no idea.
None.
The next morning, I walked into company headquarters.
The receptionist nearly dropped her coffee.
"Emma?"
I smiled.
"Morning."
People stared.
Whispered.
Pointed.
News traveled fast.
Apparently not fast enough.
Inside the executive boardroom, Richard stood confidently at the front.
The board members sat around him.
He was halfway through a presentation when I entered.
His eyes widened.
For one brief second.
Then he smirked.
"You've got some nerve showing up here."
Several board members exchanged looks.
I took a seat.
Richard laughed.
"Security?"
Nobody moved.
His smile weakened.
"Security."
Still nothing.
One board member cleared his throat.
"Richard..."
He turned.
The chairman stood.
"We should begin."
Richard frowned.
"Begin what?"
The chairman looked toward me.
Then smiled.
"The ownership transition."
Confusion crossed Richard's face.
"What ownership transition?"
The room became very quiet.
The chairman slid a folder across the table.
Richard opened it.
His face changed instantly.
White.
Completely white.
"No."
Nobody spoke.
"No."
He flipped pages frantically.
"This can't be right."
"It is."
Richard looked directly at me.
I smiled politely.
The same smile he gave me when he fired me.
The chairman stood.
"Effective immediately, Emma Carter becomes majority owner and acting Executive Chair."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Richard looked like someone had punched him.
Then came the moment I'd imagined all night.
The chairman continued.
"Richard Kane will now report directly to Ms. Carter."
Every person in the room froze.
Richard stared at me.
The man who fired me less than forty-eight hours ago.
Now reporting to me.
But then something unexpected happened.
One board member suddenly stood.
"We have another issue."
My smile disappeared.
"What issue?"
He slid a thick folder onto the table.
"Evidence of financial misconduct."
The room exploded.
Richard's eyes widened.
And for the first time...
May you like
He looked genuinely afraid.
To Be Continued...
