Chapter 9: The Ultimatum at Dawn
The morning sun rose over Manhattan, casting long, bloody-red shadows across the skyscrapers.
Inside the grand conference room of Vance Dynamics Headquarters, fifty board members and high-level investors filled the leather chairs. Victoria Sterling sat at the head of the mahogany table, radiating triumph. In front of her lay the resolution to strip Marcus of executive power and appoint herself interim CEO to finalize the merger.
The double doors opened.
Marcus walked in. He had swapped his custom designer suit for a simple, sharp dark blazer. He held no files, no laptop—only the charred black notebook and Arthur's cassette player.
"You're late, Marcus," Victoria said smoothly, tapping her gold watch. "The board was about to call the vote to declare you incapacitated."
"Go ahead and call it, Victoria," Marcus said, taking a seat at the foot of the table.
Victoria smiled thinly. "The resolution is on the floor. Due to erratic behavior, abandonment of corporate fiduciary duty, and jeopardizing a trillion-dollar merger, we move to terminate Marcus Vance's tenure as Chairman and CEO."
"Before you vote," Marcus said calmly, "there is one piece of unfinished business from the Sector 4 incident twelve years ago."
Victoria’s smile vanished. "That matter is legally closed. It has no bearing on this board."
"It has everything to do with this board," Marcus replied. He looked around at the assembled directors—men and women who had profited billions from the company's meteoric rise. "Twelve years ago, this company built its initial valuation on the ashes of Arthur Campbell. We buried his sacrifice. We framed his name. We left his children to starve in squalor so our share prices could soar."
"Security, remove him!" Victoria shouted, slamming her palm onto the table.
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Marcus pressed play on the cassette deck.
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