Chapter 4: The Boardroom Ambush**
The top floor of the Vance Tower in downtown Manhattan offered a panoramic view of the Hudson River, but the atmosphere inside the walnut-paneled boardroom was suffocating. Ten senior board members sat around the frosted glass table, their faces masks of corporate indifference.
Eleanor was already seated at the head of the table, dressed in an immaculate charcoal Chanel suit, her hair pinned into an unyielding twist. Flanking her were two senior partners from the city’s most ruthless white-shoe litigation firm.
Julian entered precisely at 8:00 AM. He wore a simple dark suit, carrying only a single leather briefcase. He took an empty seat at the far end of the table, deliberately refusing to greet his mother.
"Julian," Marcus Vance began, clearing his throat. "We’ve convened this emergency session following troubling reports regarding domestic instability and unauthorized police intervention at the family residence. In light of pending public relations risks, the executive committee is considering a temporary suspension of your voting shares."
Eleanor leaned forward, her gaze piercing. "A man who cannot maintain order in his own household cannot be trusted with six hundred million dollars in logistics contracts, Julian. Resign your position, hand over your proxy votes to me, and take your wife somewhere quiet to recover. Do not drag this family through the mud."
Julian calmly unlatched his briefcase and pulled out three thick binders, sliding them across the smooth glass toward his uncle.
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"Those aren't domestic reports, Marcus," Julian said clearly. "Those are the forensic audits of the Vance Charitable Foundation over the past twelve years. Mother hasn't just been running family affairs—she’s been embezzling operational funds to keep private shell companies afloat in the Cayman Islands."
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