Chapter 12 - The Collapse of an Empire's Tyrant
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The boardroom remained entirely paralyzed.
Julian slowly sank back into his leather executive chair, his chest heaving as he fought for breath.
“This is a forgery,” Julian choked out, his voice thin and cracked.
“Richard Monroe would never have allowed Charles to execute that document without my knowledge!”
The door behind Grant opened once more.
Richard Monroe stepped into the room, accompanied by two corporate attorneys from his own firm.
Julian’s eyes bulged in disbelief.
“Richard?” Julian gasped.
“Tell them!”
“Tell them this is an illegal ambush!”
Richard did not look his longtime partner in the eye.
He walked to the center of the table and placed his official notary log onto the glass.
“The codicil is authentic, Julian,” Richard said, his voice heavy with defeat.
“I notarized it myself in Charles’s hospital room seven years ago.”
“You threatened to destroy my family if I ever registered it with the probate court.”
“Well, I registered it forty-five minutes ago with the New York County Surrogate’s Court.”
Julian jumped to his feet, knocking his heavy leather chair backward against the wall.
“You coward!” Julian screamed, spitting as he yelled across the room.
“You spineless traitor!”
“I built your firm!”
“I gave you millions in corporate retainers!”
“Sit down, Julian,” Grant commanded, the sound of his voice cutting through Julian’s hysteria like a whip.
Julian looked around the table, desperately searching the eyes of the board members he had manipulated for two decades.
Every single one of them looked away in disgust and contempt.
Grant turned his eyes toward Arthur Vance.
“Mr. Chairman, I move that Julian Holloway be immediately terminated for cause from all executive positions within Holloway Enterprises.”
“I further move that his shares be frozen pending the outcome of a forensic investigation into grand larceny and corporate embezzlement.”
Vance didn't hesitate for a fraction of a second.
“All in favor?” Vance called out.
Every single hand around the long table went up into the air immediately.
Mia raised her hand high, her posture proud and unyielding.
Grant raised his hand beside her.
“The motion carries unanimously,” Vance announced, banging his gold pen onto the desk like a gavel.
Julian stood frozen, staring at the raised hands with glazed, unseeing eyes.
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He had spent twenty-three years building a fortress of lies, extortion, and stolen millions.
And in less than twenty minutes, it had all been torn down by the daughter of the woman he tried to erase.
