Chapter 6: The Boardroom Ultimatum
The sleek glass conference room on the forty-fifth floor of Sterling Enterprises offered a panoramic view of the glittering city skyline, but inside, the atmosphere was as cold as a frozen tundra. Victoria Sterling sat at the head of the long obsidian table, her fingers tapping a rhythmic, impatient tattoo against the polished surface. Across from her sat David Vance, her husband’s lead corporate attorney—a man whose sharp suits and slicked-back gray hair matched the ruthless efficiency with which he handled the family’s most scandalous legal liabilities.
“The incident at the gala has already generated whispers among our investors, Victoria,” Vance said, sliding a thick manila folder across the table. “Society columnists are asking questions about the identity of the maid who caught your son. If this narrative gets out of hand, your husband’s bid for the Senate board will be compromised.”
Victoria’s jaw tightened, her blonde hair catching the sharp office lighting. “I am well aware of the stakes, David. That is why I brought you here. I want that girl gone. I want her fired, blacklisted, and driven out of the city before the end of the week.”
Vance adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, flipping open the folder to reveal a copy of the original surrogacy contract. “It’s not quite that simple. If we terminate her employment abruptly and she decides to contest the confidentiality clause in court, discovery could expose the financial arrangements behind the surrogacy. A public custody battle involving a hired maid as the biological mother is a headline our public relations team cannot spin.”
“Then what do you suggest?” Victoria snapped, her voice rising in sharp frustration. “I have to watch her walk my halls every day, listening to that child call her by names he should never utter. She is a constant threat to everything I have built!”
“We don’t fire her,” Vance said smoothly, a cold smile touching the corners of his mouth. “We isolate her. We transfer her to our remote estate in the countryside—the one in Vermont that hasn’t been lived in for five years. We take the boy with us under the pretext of a family vacation, and once we are there, we pay her off with a final lump sum, force her to sign an absolute waiver of contact, and make sure she disappears permanently. Out of sight, out of mind.”
May you like
Victoria listened to the plan, a slow, grim satisfaction replacing her initial panic. “And the boy? How do we explain his attachment to her?”
“At two years old, children forget quickly,” Vance replied with chilling practicality. “A change of scenery, a new set of nannies, and within a month, he won’t even remember her face. You are his mother, Victoria. You hold the legal keys, the money, and the power. Use them.”
