Chapter 44 Dealing with him legally
Alexander.
"Viola. You will provide me with a full record of those transactions by the end of the week, along with a detailed explanation. Until further notice, you are suspended from all board activities."
Viola's mouth opened in protest, but Grandma's glare silenced her.
"And Tristan," Grandma continued, her tone heavy with disappointment, "I expected better from you. As COO, it was your responsibility to report this. Your silence is unacceptable."
"Grandmother--" Tristan began, but she held up a hand.
"I'm sorry, my dear grandson, but with things like this happening, how can this company continue to thrive? This makes you unprepared and incapable of taking over. My decision is final."
The words landed like hammer blows. Tristan's face went pale, then red, cycling through emotions too quickly to name. Beside him, Viola looked ready to explode, her chest heaving with suppressed fury.
I studied my grandmother carefully. She maintained her stern expression, but I knew her well enough to see past the facade. The slight tremor in her hands. The way her lips pressed together just a fraction too tight. She was hurting. She cared about Tristan, truly cared, but she couldn't let sentiment override what was best for Graham Corp.
If only Tristan could see that. If only he could break free from Viola's poisonous influence long enough to understand that Grandma wasn't choosing me over him. She was trying to save him from his own mother's schemes.
"A press release will be issued immediately," Grandma announced, her voice regaining its authoritative edge. "Alexander Graham will be announced as the new CEO of Graham Corp, effective next week. This meeting is adjourned."
She stood, and the board members scrambled to their feet. No one dared speak or argue as she swept out of the room, her assistant hurrying after her.
The moment she was gone, Viola turned on me, her eyes blazing with hatred.
"This is your doing," she hissed. "You've been planning this all along, haven't you? Digging up dirt on me just to--"
"To what?" I interrupted, my voice dangerously calm. "To expose the truth? You did this to yourself, Viola. You and your greed."
"How dare you--"
"That's enough mom." Tristan's voice was quiet but firm. He stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor. "We're leaving."
Viola looked like she wanted to argue, but something in Tristan's expression made her reconsider. She grabbed her designer handbag and stormed out, her heels clicking angrily against the marble floor.
Tristan lingered for a moment, his gaze meeting mine across the table. There was something different in his eyes today. Not the usual resentment or rivalry.
"Congratulations," he said flatly, then followed his mother out.
I watched him leave, then I turned to Director Gregory and Director Evelyn who were avoiding eye contact with me.
I scoffed. such lousy allies.
I ignored them and walked out of the boardroom.
A minute later, I slid into the backseat of my car. Walter was already in the driver's seat, adjusting the rearview mirror.
"That went well," he said dryly as he started the engine.
"Define well."
"You're the new CEO. Viola has been suspended." Walter pulled out of the parking garage, merging smoothly into traffic. "I'd say that's a successful takeover"
I loosened my tie, and smirked. "Viola's face was worth the trip alone."
Walter chuckled, then glanced at me sideways. "And Tristan?"
My smirk faded slightly.
"Naturally. You just exposed years of embezzlement in front of the entire board. Viola's probably planning on revenge, She'll blame you for ruining Tristan's chances."
"When she's the only one at fault," Walter added. "The irony isn't lost on anyone with half a brain."
"She's the main reason Noona never considered Tristan capable in the first place. He's too wrapped around his mother's fingers." I stared out the window, watching the city blur past. "The earlier he sets himself free, the better for him. Anyways he'll figure it out. If he's sensible enough."
"Hmm"Walter made a sound in agreement. We drove in silence for a few minutes before I remembered something more pressing.
"What about Chase Brussel's report?"
Walter's expression darkened in the rearview mirror. "Ah yes. That charming individual."
"Walter?."
"Chase is indeed a nasty person, sir." He changed lanes, his voice taking on a more serious tone. "It turns out Dandelion isn't the only one he's blackmailed. There were other ladies in the past too. Most of them were celebrities."
My hands clenched into fists on my lap.
"His pattern is consistent," Walter continued. "He dates them, gains their trust, then secretly takes pictures or videos. Sometimes during intimate moments. Sometimes just in compromising situations. He uses the material to make them bend to his commands. Some actresses are still under his control even now, too afraid to speak up."
A cold rage settled in my chest, the kind that made my vision sharpen and my thoughts turn calculating. This was the bastard who had hurt Dandelion. Who had broken her trust, leaked her photos, and destroyed her career. Who had driven her to that bridge, to the edge of Glass Lake, ready to end everything.
"That bastard," I said, my voice low and dangerous. "He should be amputated for messing with the wrong person."
I was slipping. The darkness I'd left behind, the methods I'd sworn to abandon, they were creeping back in. My mind automatically began calculating....how easy it would be to make Chase disappear. How satisfying it would be to---
"Sir," Walter's voice cut through my thoughts, cautious. "Remember, you are Alexander Graham, not Gho--"
I met his eyes in the rearview mirror, my glare sharp enough to cut glass.
Walter wisely stopped mid sentence.
I took a deep breath, forcing myself back from that edge. I wasn't that person anymore. I couldn't be. Not with Dandelion in my life now. Not with a legitimate businesses to run. Not with a grandmother who'd have a heart attack if she knew what I was truly capable of.
"Make sure you get strong evidence against him," I ordered coldly, my voice controlled once more. "And testimonies from his current victims. Every single one of them."
"Already on it, sir."
"Good. I'm going to ruin him." A dark smile curved my lips. "If I can't handle him in a brutal way, I might as well handle him through his own tactic of career destroying scandal. Let's see how he likes being exposed to the world."
Walter nodded approvingly. "A much more... legal approach."
"Don't sound so disappointed Walter."
"I'm not disappointed, sir. Just observing that revenge served through public humiliation can be just as satisfying as the alternative methods you were considering."
I almost laughed. Walter knew me too well.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out to see a message from Nicholas.
Nico: Congrats on the CEO position. Drinks this weekend? At your place.
I typed back: sure.