Chapter 47 A couple million dollars
Back at the Williams estate.
The morning sun streamed through the tall windows of the dining room, casting warm light across the polished mahogany table. But despite the pleasant weather, the atmosphere inside was anything but bright.
Mildred sat slumped in her chair, pushing her scrambled eggs around her plate without actually eating anything. Her eyes were distant, her expression troubled, and she had barely said two words since sitting down for breakfast.
Margaret noticed immediately. As a woman who prided herself on maintaining perfect control over her household, any deviation from normal behavior set off alarm bells in her mind.
"Mildred, what's wrong with you?" Margaret asked, setting down her coffee cup with a delicate clink. "You've been moping around the house for days now. It's getting tiresome."
Mildred didn't answer. She just continued staring at her plate, her jaw tight.
Margaret's eyes narrowed with impatience. She turned to Malcolm, who was casually buttering his toast, seemingly unbothered by his sister's mood.
"Malcolm, do you know what's going on with your sister?"
Malcolm glanced up, a smirk playing at his lips. "Oh, she didn't tell you?"
"Tell me what?" Margaret demanded.
"Well, that bitch Dandy threatened her a few days ago," Malcolm explained, taking a bite of his toast. "Whatever it was she said to Milly left her traumatized and moody. She's probably planning a comeback."
Margaret's face immediately darkened, her perfectly composed features twisting with irritation. "What? Why can't that girl just stay down forever? Why must she always disturb our peace? So annoying!"
At her mother's words, Mildred's eyes began to glisten with tears. Her hands clenched into fists on either side of her plate.
Margaret noticed and scoffed dismissively. "Is that why you're all moody and even crying? Over some empty threats from your disgraced stepsister?"
"Mom, you don't understand!" Mildred's voice cracked as tears started streaming down her face. Her carefully applied makeup began to smudge. "If she truly comes back into the movie industry, I'll have to struggle for attention and roles again! All my efforts will be wasted! Why can't that lousy bitch just allow me to shine for once?"
She slammed her palm on the table, making the silverware rattle and her juice glass wobble dangerously.
Margaret's expression hardened immediately. This was not the daughter she'd raised. This weeping, insecure girl was not what she'd molded Mildred to be.
"Well, you'd better wipe those tears and take control," Margaret said coldly, her voice sharp as a blade. "You have to be smarter and step up your game. Do whatever it takes to keep her down where she belongs. Do you understand?"
Mildred sniffled and wiped her tears roughly with the back of her hand, her expression shifting from despair to determination. "Yes, Mom."
Even though she still felt chills remembering the way Dandy traumatized her and even slapped her, she couldn't mention that part to her Mom, she would be very disappointed in her, she just have to take control and not give Dandy any space at all.
Malcolm leaned back in his chair, adding his own contribution. "Don't give her any chance at all. You've got all her old roles now. Her endorsements. Her fans. Don't let sentimentality make you weak."
Mildred nodded firmly, her tears drying as her face hardened. "I won't. I promise."
Margaret nodded approvingly, satisfied that her daughter was finally showing some backbone. She took another sip of her coffee, already mentally planning how to ensure Dandelion stayed buried under the weight of her scandal.
But then she remembered something else, something that had been nagging at her since earlier that morning.
"Malcolm," she said, her tone shifting to something more serious. "Your father wanted to speak with you earlier, but he was already running late for an event, so he left. He asked me to talk to you on his behalf."
Malcolm didn't look particularly concerned. He continued eating his breakfast with the same casual indifference he approached everything with. "About what?"
"About some missing funds in the company records," Margaret said, watching him carefully. "Apparently, the auditors noticed discrepancies and don't have any idea where the money went. Your father wanted to ask if you knew anything about it."
Malcolm finally looked up, his expression completely unbothered. In fact, he looked almost bored by the question. "Oh, that. Yeah, I know about it."
Margaret's eyes widened slightly. "You know about it? Malcolm, what did you do?"
"Relax," he said with a casual shrug, reaching for his coffee. "I simply needed it for something urgent. It's not a big deal."
"Not a big deal?" Margaret's voice rose despite her attempt to maintain composure. "What was so urgent that required such a large amount from the company funds?"
Malcolm set down his coffee and leaned back in his chair, his expression turning defensive. His tone carried the entitled arrogance of someone who had never faced real consequences for his actions.
"I'm the CEO, aren't I? Shouldn't I be allowed to enjoy some nice things once in a while? I work hard for this company. I deserve to reap the benefits."
Mildred, who had been watching the exchange with growing concern, couldn't help but interject. "Malcolm, how much money are we talking about here?"
Malcolm waved his hand dismissively, as if discussing pocket change rather than company funds. "A couple million dollars. Nothing the company can't afford."
"A couple million dollars?" Margaret's voice came out sharp and dangerous. All pretense of calmness evaporated from her face. "Malcolm, are you out of your mind?"
"What?" He genuinely looked confused by her reaction, as if he couldn't understand what the problem was. "It's not like I stole it. I'm the CEO. I have access to those funds. They're practically mine anyway."
Margaret's hands gripped the ar it her chair so hard her knuckles turned white. "That's not how corporate finances work, you fool! You can't just take millions of dollars from company accounts for personal expenses without board approval or proper documentation!"
"Why not?" Malcolm argued, his pride clearly wounded. "I'm Maxwell Williams' son. I'm the CEO. Who's going to question me?"
"The board will question you, you idiot!" Margaret hissed, her composure completely shattered now. "If you keep spending like that, they'll flag you. They could suspend you or even remove you from the CEO position entirely!"
Malcolm scoffed, though a flicker of uncertainty finally crossed his face. "They won't do anything. Father has influence. We're untouchable."
"Your father's influence only goes so far when there's clear evidence of financial misconduct," Margaret snapped. She pressed her fingers to her temples, feeling a headache building. "You'd better have a reasonable explanation ready when your father comes back. And I mean a damn good one, Malcolm. Because if the board starts digging into this, they'll find everything. Every unauthorized transaction. Every personal expense charged to company accounts."
Malcolm's confident expression faltered slightly. He hadn't considered that.
Margaret stood up abruptly, her chair scraping loudly against the floor. "I swear, between you stealing company funds and Mildred crying over Dandelion, I'm surrounded by incompetent children. Figure this out, Malcolm. And fast."
She stormed out of the dining room, leaving her two children sitting in uncomfortable silence.
Mildred looked at her brother, genuine worry evident on her face now. "Malcolm, maybe Mom's right. you shouldn't have--"
"Don't start," Malcolm cut her off sharply. "I'm going to handle it. Just focus on keeping Dandelion down and let me worry about the company finances."
But despite his confident words, his hand shook slightly as he reached for his coffee.
For the first time, Malcolm realized that being CEO came with consequences he hadn't anticipated.