Chapter 62 Chapter 62
LIANA'S POV
The room had fallen into awed, eerie silence. I let the door swing shut behind me with the softest click, but even so, the sound seemed to echo through the room like a gunshot. All the eyes fell on me, some in identification, others in confusion, and then there was Dominic, frozen stiff like he'd just witnessed a ghost.
He had. Kind of, he had. "That is not why I am here," I replied slowly, the heels of my shoes clicking deliberately across the boardroom floor, accentuating the tension with each precise crack. "I didn't come to reveal that to you.” I clarified. “But since you're so interested, there's a reply for you. It was I."
Dominic's face twisted. His chest heaving slightly, weather it was panger or disbelief, I couldn't determine but I didn't care. His hand bunched up the envelope still gripped in his hand.
"What on earth are you doing here, Liana? This is not your circus. You're have no right to be here, it's a private company meeting."
I burst into a fit of laughter, he didn't know what was coming. "Wrong. You're very wrong Mr CEO,” I said, walking towards his direction. “I infact have more right to be here than you do, I just chose to play a different role."
I walked away from him but not without seeing the confusion boldly sitting on his face. Turning to the remaining board, I addressed them as if I belonged at the head of that table. "Sorry I'm late, everyone. I would've gotten here sooner, but I hard a little delay, turns out it favoured me. Talk about perfect timing…"
A few board members chuckled under their breath, not out of humor, but with a tension that told me they'd been holding their breath waiting for someone to tip this already-lopsided scale.Zane leaned back slightly in his chair, his gaze shifting between Dominic and me with that slight glimmer of vindication.
Dominic took a step forward. "You have no right to be here. You…"
"Take a chill pill. The thing is," I cut him off, calm and collected, "Z-Core bought the majority holding in this company last quarter and formally, we became the largest shareholder. Now I am your ex-wife and although you gave me an insignificant peanut of 3%, it is still mine. So yes, Dominic, I have every right to be here. Legally, professionally, and personally."
His lips parted but nothing came out. His face paled.
"No," he growled in denial. "No, this is a joke. You're bluffing… it was sold to a small…"
"Start up company,” I cut him. “There is no way you would have sold it to me if I hadn't used one of my babies to purchase. You can have the lawyers verify if you wish," I shrugged. "But trust me, this is no ultimatum. The shares were bought in secret, strategically and surreptitiously. You never even saw us coming."
Gavin sat up straight, stunned. "So that acquisition was orchestrated by you?"
I nodded. "Every step."
The effect of that reverberated through the room like a thunderclap. Dominic stepped back, his hand on the back of the chair for support. He was trying to pull himself together, but I could see the fissures in his skillfully placed mask.
"You lying little…"
"Finish the sentence," I instructed him, my voice ice-cold, "and I'll have security escort you out before the vote is completed."
He swallowed hard, blinking wildly.
I turned again to the board. "Dominic Smith's recent policy breaches are not isolated incidents. For months now the company has suffered mismanagement, neglect, and reckless disregard for procedure."
"He is the face of the company," one board member suggested hesitantly.
"He is," I agreed. "And he's the face of so many scandals at the moment. He's been reckless with strategic acquisitions, avoided internal controls, and blown investor trust like it's his personal capital. I would have said more but I do not want to drag our personal scandals into this… but well, you know what I mean."
Dominic's anger flared. "You think you're better than me? You think you can come into my company after months lurking in the background and just assume the reins?"
I glared at him and, for the first time, didn't feel a thing. No fire. No ice. Just clarity. "I'm not here to rule. I'm here to clean up the mess you will leave behind."
The room froze again. "So, I continued, voice resolute, 'due to the gravity of his recent actions and egregious disregard of compliance instituted in documentation brought before this board, I am respectfully requesting that Dominic Smith be deposed as Chief Executive Officer of this company, effective immediately.'"
Whispers spread through the boardroom like a burning fire. "In addition," I went on, "since the destabilization he's caused to our main alliances, and to give the board a proper amount of time to restore process and protocol, Dominic will also be placed in mandatory two week suspension."
Dominic nearly choked. "Suspension? You're kidding."
"No. This is clemency."
He laughed harshly. "You really believe this board is going to put up with you? That they have any trust in you to lead this company? People don'tjust appear and take over Liana. It's not done that way "
I returned him a smile that lacked warmth. "Thats why it's not going to be me."
He blinked. "What?"
I pointed to the board. "My final motion of this meeting is to appoint an interim CEO for the two weeks of restructuring. Someone familiar with the culture, someone who has been involved in the investigation, someone who has the loyalty of the internal staff and board, and someone who has worked behind the scenes to rescue this company from internal collapse."
I glanced over the table.
"I move that Mr Nathan Jones be appointed temporary CEO"
A collective gasp reverberated around the room.
Nathan, sitting quietly at the back of the room, rose slowly, his face inscrutable. Even now, he was calm. Collected. Regal in a manner that unsettled Dominic to the very center of his being.
Dominic spun round to him. "You?"
Nathan looked at him. "I did not do this. She only asked for some informations and I could not just sit idly by and watch you destroy all that every one has worked hard for."
Dominic's eyes swept the room, begging for a voice of support. There wasn't one. Only silence. Only compliance. Even Benson took a step back, horrified and Rowland avoided his gaze.
"We shall now have a vote," Gavin went on after a gasping pause. "All those in favor of Nathan Jones as interim CEO, please raise your hand."
Hands rose. Dominic's world must have fallen apart a little more with every raised palm. He spun back to me, one last time. "You engineered this all along."
I tilted my head. "I gave you so many chances, Dominic. You blew every single one.”