Chapter 10 - The Counter-Strike
The sterile hospital corridor felt as though it had dropped ten degrees. Richard Vance stood towering over them, his arrogant smirk radiating absolute confidence as he reveled in the trap he had meticulously sprung. Clara clenched her fists at her sides, her professional composure fracturing under the weight of corporate betrayal. Julian instinctively stepped closer to Valeria, his jaw tight as he glared at Richard.
“You’re breaking federal securities laws, Richard,” Clara said, her voice trembling slightly with suppressed rage. “Arthur never signed over his voting bloc. Any transfer of power executed tonight is entirely illegal.”
Richard let out a dry, dismissive laugh. “Prove it, Clara. By the time your lawyers manage to wake a judge at three in the morning, the restructuring will be finalized, the accounts frozen, and Mendoza Holdings will be absorbed into Vance Enterprises. The old man built his empire on technicalities; it’s only fitting he loses it the exact same way.”
Valeria stared at Richard, her mind racing a mile a minute. For years, she had watched her father outmaneuver rivals like Richard with cold, calculated precision. Arthur Mendoza didn't leave loopholes for vultures to exploit—he anticipated every betrayal. Suddenly, a memory flashed in Valeria’s mind: the leather-bound notebook she had rescued from the restaurant table, and the heavy leather envelope resting safely inside her handbag right now.
With deliberate slowness, Valeria unzipped her white handbag. Richard’s eyes darted down to her hands, a flicker of cautious curiosity crossing his sharp features.
“Looking for a tissue, Valeria?” Richard mocked smoothly. “Or perhaps your checkbook to buy me off?”
Valeria didn't answer. Instead, she reached deep inside her bag and pulled out the leather envelope her father’s nurse had handed her just an hour ago. She slid out the thick parchment documents, her fingers steady and sure. She bypassed the medical directive and pulled out a single, folded sheet stamped with a golden notary seal dated less than forty-eight hours prior.
“You’re right about one thing, Richard,” Valeria said, her voice cutting through the corridor with a chilling, authoritative clarity that echoed her father’s very tone. “My father built his empire on technicalities. But he also knew how to spot a rat from a mile away.”
Richard’s smug smile faltered for a fraction of a second as Valeria unfolded the document and held it up under the harsh fluorescent lights.
“What is that?” Richard demanded, his voice losing its playful edge.
“It’s the amended corporate charter,” Valeria replied, stepping forward to close the distance between them. “Signed, sealed, and notarized yesterday afternoon. In the event of Arthur Mendoza’s temporary or permanent incapacitation, all executive voting rights do not pass to the board—they pass exclusively to his designated proxy and heir.” She paused, locking her dark eyes triumphantly onto Richard’s stunned face. “Me.”
Richard lunged forward instinctively, trying to snatch the paper from her hand, but Julian was faster. Julian stepped directly into Richard’s path, grabbing his forearm with a bruising grip and shoving him back against the hospital wall.
“Don't even think about it, Richard,” Julian warned, his voice low and dangerous.
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Before Richard could recover his composure, the elevator dinged loudly behind them. The doors slid open to reveal two uniformed corporate security officers accompanied by a senior partner from Mendoza Holdings’ legal counsel, carrying a briefcase stamped with emergency injunction files. Clara broke into a brilliant, triumphant smile as she stepped forward to greet the arriving lawyers.
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