Chapter 9 - The Ultimatum
My father dropped to his knees right there in the center aisle, completely abandoning whatever shreds of dignity he had left.
"Clara, sweetie, please listen to me," he begged, clasping his hands together in a pathetic display of prayer.
"I was stressed about the business, I didn't mean to hurt you, you know I love you!"
The sheer hypocrisy of his words made my stomach churn.
My stepmother gasped, offended that he was begging me for anything.
"Richard, get up! Don't you dare apologize to this ungrateful brat!" she shrieked.
My father suddenly snapped, turning on his wife with eyes full of venomous fury.
"Shut up, Martha! This is all your fault, you're the one who told me to take the ticket for Haley!"
Haley looked at her mother in shock, her mascara running down her face in thick black rivers.
"Mom, you said Clara gave it to me because she knew she wasn't good enough to be here!"
My father turned back to me, desperately crawling closer to the edge of the stage.
"Clara, I'll divorce her right now, I'll write Haley out of the will, just give me the distribution rights to your patent!"
He was willing to throw his new family away in a heartbeat just to save his own wallet.
"I'll give you a corner office, a massive salary, whatever you want, just please don't let them take my company!"
I walked slowly down the wooden stairs of the stage, my doctoral robes whispering against the steps.
I stopped right in front of him, looking down at his pathetic, trembling form.
"You can't give me a corner office in that building, Dad," I said softly, making sure the microphone caught every word.
He looked up at me, confused and desperate for a lifeline.
"Why not? I'm the CEO, I can do whatever I want!"
I reached into the pocket of my gown and pulled out a crisp, notarized legal document.
"Because as of 8:00 AM this morning, I used the advance on my grant money to purchase the remaining fifty-one percent of your company's shares."
My father stopped breathing, his eyes locking onto the corporate seal at the bottom of the page.
"You... you bought my company?" he whispered, his entire world shattering into a million irreparable pieces.
"No, Dad," I corrected him, a genuine smile finally breaking across my face.
"I bought my company, and your very first order of business as my former employee is being officially terminated."
The crowd erupted into deafening cheers and a thunderous standing ovation.
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My stepmother screamed in rage and lunged at me with her nails out.
Before she could even take two steps, the police officers slammed her against the barricade and clicked the handcuffs tightly around her wrists.
