Chapter 9 - The Matriarch's Verdict
Eleanor Hawthorne possessed an intimidating aura that instantly silenced every single person in the massive corporate boardroom.
She walked slowly to the absolute head of the table, her silver cane tapping rhythmically against the polished hardwood floor.
Julian quickly recovered from his initial shock and smugly welcomed his mother, assuming she had arrived to protect the sacred family legacy.
He arrogantly began to explain how I had tried to destroy the Hawthorne empire with my malicious, manipulative lies.
Eleanor did not say a word; she simply raised her hand and struck Julian across the face with shocking, brutal force.
The sharp crack of the slap echoed through the silent room, leaving a bright red mark across Julian’s stunned cheek.
Eleanor looked at her youngest son with absolute, unapologetic disgust, her piercing blue eyes entirely devoid of maternal warmth.
She loudly announced to the entire board that she had known about the disgusting affairs, the massive embezzlement, and the fake heirs for months.
She revealed that she had secretly hired private investigators to monitor both of her foolish sons because she knew they were completely incompetent.
Eleanor stated firmly that Richard and Julian had both disgraced the Hawthorne name with their petty, greedy, and arrogant behavior.
She turned her terrifying gaze toward the board members, reminding them that she still secretly held fifty-one percent of the founder's voting shares.
With a single, dramatic motion, Eleanor pulled a legally binding transfer document from her expensive leather handbag.
She loudly declared that neither of her pathetic sons possessed the intelligence or the ruthlessness required to run her late husband’s empire.
She officially signed the heavy document, immediately transferring her absolute controlling interest of Hawthorne Meridian directly to me.
Julian stared at the paper in absolute horror, realizing his own mother had just permanently stripped him of his entire fortune.
Blind, uncontrollable rage completely consumed him, and he pulled a concealed tactical knife from his expensive suit jacket.
He let out a terrifying scream and lunged aggressively across the boardroom table, aiming the deadly blade directly at my chest.
Before the federal agents could even draw their weapons, the heavy glass window overlooking the hallway violently shattered inward.
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Richard, who had just managed to escape his federal holding cell, burst through the broken glass in a desperate, bleeding frenzy.
He saw his brother lunging with the knife and unexpectedly threw his entire body weight forward, tackling Julian brutally to the floor.
