Chapter 21 LOOPHOLE
The boardroom on the 47th floor of Sinclair Tower was quiet, dimly lit by the city skyline. Business hours had ended, but three men remained seated far from the head chair, the one reserved for Ethan Sinclair.
Laurence Bell swirled the last of his drink, his gaze on the glass wall. A reminder of when things were simpler. Before Ethan Sinclair's took over.
Max Sinclair had built the empire from dust brick by brick, deal by deal, until Sinclair Group was one of the most powerful private companies in the country. He was a ruthless man, sharp as steel, feared in every boardroom he entered. But in his final years, Max grew cautious. He began listening to the board, softening his grip just enough to keep them calm. On their advice, he sold off portions of the company, inviting outside shareholders to "diversify control." Laurence Bell had taken that moment as confirmation that Max was preparing the company for him. After all, Laurence had been at his side for over two decades. He wasn't just a board member; he was the shadow behind the throne.
But then Max died.
And everything changed.
At the reading of the will, it was revealed that the company, the empire was willed entirely to Ethan Sinclair, Max's grandson. No mention of Laurence at all.
Laurence hadn't flinched in the room that day. But inside, something snapped.
Ethan was young, but he wasn't careless.
From the day he took over, Ethan moved differently. He was sharp, precise, relentless. Nothing slipped past him. Every contract was reviewed. Every loophole closed.
And that's what provoked Laurence the most.
It wasn't just that Ethan inherited the empire.
It was that Ethan wasn't making mistakes.
He was watching.
And Laurence knew that if he didn't act fast, he would lose everything.
To Laurence, it wasn't just a betrayal.
It was a mistake.
One he intended to correct.
"He's moving fast," said Preston Dale, flipping through the Greenport acquisition report. "The board barely knew the deal was closing."
"He doesn't need our approval," Laurence said coolly. "He's CEO."
Preston frowned. "Still. He's tightening control, replacing advisors, pushing through changes, shutting out the board."
"He's still reviewing every line item that crosses his desk," Preston said. "The man barely breathes without checking twice."
"He's obsessed with control," Howard added. "If anything shifts, he notices."
Laurence gave a slow nod. "Which is exactly why we don't shift anything too fast."
Preston frowned. "Then what are we doing?"
Laurence took a slow sip before replying, "We're buying time. And shares. Quietly. Piece by piece."
Howard turned to him. "You think we can really gather enough?"
"It's not about owning everything," Laurence said calmly. "It's about owning just enough. Enough to make the board lean our way when the vote happens."
Preston raised an eyebrow. "You mean... remove him?"
Laurence didn't answer right away. He let the idea sit, the silence doing the work for him.
Then, "If the CEO begins to act in a way that's too rigid, too controlling, if it starts to hurt the long-term interests of the company then the board has a responsibility to intervene. That's what the bylaws say."
Howard gave a small, knowing laugh. "And by intervene, you mean restructure leadership."
Laurence looked at them both. "Exactly. It won't be framed as a removal. Just a transition. A necessary change."
"But Ethan's not stupid," Preston said. "He'll see this coming."
"He's smart," Laurence agreed. "But he trusts the structure. He thinks because he's careful, nothing can touch him. But all it takes is a simple board vote. Just a few more aligned voices. A little pressure. And the story becomes: 'CEO steps back to refocus on long-term vision.' Clean. Polished. Palatable."
Howard leaned forward. "You've already started, haven't you? Buying up through shell firms?"
Laurence gave a faint smile. "Let's just say... I've positioned myself well. And I've encouraged others to do the same."
Preston exhaled. "We'll need a majority. That's not a small swing."
"We won't need to fight," Laurence said. "We just need to tilt the room."
The men fell silent , the low crackle of the fireplace filling the space where words no longer needed to exist. They had said enough. The plan was in motion now carefully veiled, but deliberate.
Preston finished his drink and set the glass down with a quiet clink. Howard gave a slight nod, eyes still flicking between Laurence and the skyline behind him, as if already weighing the cost of loyalty.
Laurence stood slowly, buttoning his jacket with practiced precision. He didn't look at either of them when he spoke, but his voice carried the same cold certainty it always did.
"For now... let's get hold of those private documents."
And just like that, the meeting was over. The first step toward removing Ethan Sinclair had begun not with a declaration, but with a whisper.
Hugo's screen blinked again same alert, same red flag. Someone had tried accessing one of the company's most secure vaults. Not the public servers. Not the internal folders executives had routine access to. No Vault B, the one reserved for board-level documents, legal archives, and succession files.
It was subtle. Clean. Whoever did it knew what they were doing. But they didn't know Hugo monitored that vault like a hawk.
He picked up his phone and called Ethan.
It rang twice.
"Hugo" came the cool voice on the other end.
. "We've had a hit. Someone tried accessing the secure legal vault."
Ethan was silent for a beat. "How deep?"
"Just brushed the surface. Masked proxy, probably a test run. They were careful. Too careful."
There was a beat of silence before Ethan said calmly, "Good. Let's open it for them."
Hugo blinked. "Sir?"
Ethan turned his laptop slightly, typed in a command, and then forwarded a series of files. "Swap the originals. These look identical, but the data is poisoned wrong enough to derail any strategy based on it."
Hugo studied the names. "And the vault?"
"Weaken the shield just enough to tempt them," Ethan said. "Make it feel like a crack they found on their own. People are bolder when they think they're smart."
"You want to bait them."
"I want to watch them," Ethan corrected. "The moment they act on these documents, we'll know exactly who's on the other side."
Hugo let out a slow breath. "You're playing dangerously."
"No," Ethan replied. "They are. I'm just giving them a stage."
He turned his eyes back to the screen. "And Hugo make sure our people monitor everything. Every IP, every download, every copy."
Ethan's voice sharpened. "And while you're at it don't let anyone in our legal team know about this. Not even a whisper. Use your own boys. Anyone who tries to pull those files has to be from inside this company."
Hugo paused, then gave a quiet nod. "You want to see who uses the bait."
"Yes," Ethan replied. "I want to see who thinks they can play me."
He ended the call without another word
Outside, the waves of the Aegean crashed quietly against the cliffs.