CHAPTER 187

CHAPTER 187
The air in the boardroom felt unnaturally thick, like the walls themselves were holding their breath. Adrian stood tall at the front, his hand raised high, waiting for others to follow. A few shareholders shifted in their seats, their hands hesitating mid-air, unsure but leaning toward surrender. Viviana was already smiling, her fingers twitching with anticipation, her chin tilted as though she were moments away from witnessing a coronation. Amelia held her breath in the corner, frozen in disbelief as she watched this entire scene unfold like a nightmare she was powerless to stop.

Then the doors burst open.

The heavy wooden panels slammed against the walls, startling nearly everyone. Vincent strode into the room with a gravity that made the atmosphere tremble. His security driver, Victor, stepped in behind him, tall and still, closing the doors quietly as the room’s murmurs rose in shock.

Vincent didn’t hesitate. He walked directly to the front, his expression controlled but bruised with betrayal and exhaustion. He reached for the microphone on the table, not snatching it, but taking it with a calm finality that silenced the room far more effectively than any gavel or command.

“I heard there was a meeting,” Vincent said, his voice low but steady. “A meeting I was not invited to.”

No one dared speak. Even Adrian lowered his hand, though his smirk didn’t fade.

“And apparently,” Vincent continued, sweeping the room with a gaze that carried both weariness and steel, “you are all preparing to vote me out as CEO.”

Victor stood behind him like a wall, ready and watchful, but Vincent never glanced back. His focus was solely on the room, on the people he had built dreams with, fought battles beside, people he had trusted for years.

“I will not stop this meeting,” he said, voice firming. “All I ask is that before you make your decision, I be allowed to speak and hear the accusations brought against me.”

He turned his gaze to Adrian.

“Since you called this meeting, Adrian, tell me. What evidence do you claim to have?”

Adrian stepped forward with the confidence of a man who believed victory was a foregone conclusion. He tapped his tablet and the screen behind him changed. Red charts, manipulated data, forged financial reports, and selective screenshots filled the display. He spoke with perfect clarity as he explained each slide.

“These are records of misallocated funds under your direct authorization,” Adrian said. “Funds that were moved into projects without shareholder approval. Here we see patterns consistent with embezzlement or, at the very least, gross negligence.”

A few shareholders gasped. Others whispered. One man rubbed his forehead, already convinced.

Adrian clicked again, revealing headlines of Amelia’s scandal plastered across the internet.

“And then we have your poor judgment in placing your daughter into a leadership pipeline, immediately after gifting her five percent of your shares, all without a board vote or due diligence into her qualifications. Her recent scandal alone cost this company millions in brand withdrawals.”

The humiliation crawled up Amelia’s throat until she felt like she couldn’t breathe. Her hands curled into fists in her lap, desperate to hold herself together.

Vincent glanced at her for only a heartbeat, and the look was soft, pained, but not accusatory. She nearly cried from that alone.

Adrian continued, “Your emotional instability, your reckless decisions, your refusal to separate family from business - these all prove you are no longer fit to lead.”

When he finished, he folded his hands behind him and turned toward Vincent, as if waiting for him to crumble under the weight of the accusations.

Vincent didn’t flinch.

“I won’t defend myself,” he said quietly, but the room heard every word. “Not today. Not in this moment. I will address every accusation after the vote, whether I remain CEO or not. For now, I want something far simpler…”

He took a few steps forward.

“I want to see who among you still has loyalty.”

A ripple spread across the room, something between discomfort and awe. Some shareholders shifted, suddenly aware that this was not only a vote but an unmasking of where each person stood.

Adrian smirked, misinterpreting Vincent’s calm.

“Very well,” Adrian said. “Then let us vote.”

He raised his hand again.

“I vote to remove Vincent Cole as CEO.”

His voice rang with triumph.

Immediately, Viviana lifted her hand, her eyes glinting as she turned to look at Vincent. “I vote the same,” she said, her voice dripping with cruel satisfaction.

Vincent stared at her, stunned in a way that cut deeper than any accusation.

“Viviana…” he breathed. “Why?”

She leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs casually. “Because I thought you were a great father,” she said, shrugging lightly. “Lately, you’ve proven to be neither a great father nor a competent leader. I was just a stand in for your real daughter. After I realised that, I decided to join the winning side.”

Her laugh was soft, childish, and yet sharp enough to pierce.

Adrian looked delighted. “With my vote and Viviana’s,” he said, “and with the votes of the minor shareholders who have already expressed concerns regarding Vincent’s leadership, we are positioned to move forward.”

He straightened, stepping closer to the centre of the room, chest rising with arrogance.

“And as the next motion, I am presenting myself as the new CEO of Cole Enterprises.”

A few shareholders nodded. One man clapped once before stopping, unsure if it was too soon. Amelia felt her stomach twist violently, nausea rising as she watched Adrian savour this moment like a predator taking its first bite.

Vincent, however, didn’t look shaken.

“You seem to be forgetting something,” Vincent said, turning toward Adrian. “I still have Amelia’s vote. Her five percent, combined with my forty-nine, gives me fifty-four percent total. Enough to keep me in office.”

Amelia blinked in confusion. She hadn’t even considered that possibility. Her mind raced with so many thoughts as she watched her father.

She could see something in Vincent – desperation – something she had longed to see ever since she had set her eyes on him, stepped into the Cole mansion. She had wished to see her beg, depend on her as if his life depended on it. And here was the chance to take her revenge, the revenge she had dreamt of every day since she found those letters in the attic.

But strangely, her heart refused to betray him. Looking at him, the way he had protected and cared for her since he found her, how he had cheered her on and celebrated her small wins – she couldn’t do it. Her mind wanted to burn him now that the chance had presented itself, but her heart wanted to cling to the warmth in his gaze and help him out from Adrian and Viviana’s betrayal.

Now she held to the possibility of saving him like a lifeline.

Adrian’s smile deepened, becoming something cold and venomous.

He stepped forward, stopping just inches from Vincent. Then he lowered his voice so that only Vincent could hear.

“You should have followed up with your lawyers.”

Vincent froze.

Adrian slipped a document from his jacket - sleek, official, bearing the Cole Enterprises seal. He opened it and let Vincent read the name printed clearly on the certificate.

Adrian Reyes
Shareholder – 5%

Vincent’s eyes widened. His blood drained from his face. The betrayal hit him like a physical blow.

The shares meant for Amelia…

The shares he fought for…

The shares he trusted his lawyers to handle properly…

They had been stolen.

Used.

Reassigned.

Given to the very man trying to destroy him.

His lawyers had betrayed him too.

Adrian closed the certificate and stepped back, addressing the room pleasantly, hiding the truth behind a mask of professionalism.

“I now own an additional five percent,” he announced.

Shareholders gasped. Murmurs rose into full noise.

Amelia shook her head slowly, unable to understand how the certificate could be real. How the paper she had been given - a lie, a forgery - had been in her hands for weeks. She felt her vision blur with tears as the realization crawled across her skin.

She had never truly been a shareholder.

She had been deceived.

Played.

Humiliated on a scale she couldn’t comprehend.

Vincent was still staring at Adrian, stunned, betrayed, and utterly lost for words.

Adrian didn’t wait.

He returned to the front with theatrical confidence and spoke into the microphone again.

“As I was saying,” he continued, “the motion stands. A vote to remove Vincent Cole as CEO.”

He scanned the room, eyes bright with victory.

“All those in favour…”

He paused, savouring it.

“…raise your hand.”

Hands began to lift.

Slowly.

Painfully.

One by one.

Amelia felt her entire world tilt, her heart pounding so loudly she could hear nothing else. Vincent stood motionless, staring at the sea of hands, at the betrayal that was unfolding before him.

They had finally won…

Adrian and Viviana had managed to leave her completely humiliated, helpless and alone.