Chapter 3 - The Boardroom
I could hear the absolute, frantic panic echoing through the phone line as Rebecca screamed at the security guards.
"You cannot do this, this is private property!" she yelled, her elegant facade crumbling completely into pieces.
I looked at Arthur, who simply nodded and took a slow, deliberate sip of his expensive espresso.
"Tell her she has exactly twenty minutes to vacate the premises before they begin throwing her belongings onto the lawn," Arthur instructed quietly.
I repeated his exact words into the phone, feeling a dark, unfamiliar sense of absolute power wash over me.
"Mariana, you pathetic, barren witch, you will pay for this!" Rebecca shrieked, her true, vicious nature finally exposed.
"Ryan is calling his lawyers right now, and he will destroy you!"
I calmly ended the call, cutting off her toxic screaming and dropping the black phone onto the glass table.
"Ryan does not have any lawyers who will take his call today," Arthur stated smoothly, checking his gold wristwatch.
"Because the senior partners at his law firm just received a very lucrative retainer from Sterling Enterprises."
Arthur's silent power closing in on Ryan. Nguồn: StockCake
Arthur stood up from his leather armchair and offered me his arm with the polite grace of a true gentleman.
"We need to go, Mariana," Arthur said, his tone shifting back to the commanding presence of a ruthless billionaire.
"Ryan is currently rushing to his corporate office to try and salvage his failing financial accounts."
"We are going to meet him there, and I want you to be the one to officially terminate his employment."
We rode the private elevator down to the underground parking garage and climbed back into the waiting luxury SUV.
The drive to Ryan's investment firm was quick, taking less than fifteen minutes in the light afternoon traffic.
We bypassed the frantic security desk in the lobby, as every single guard immediately recognized Arthur Sterling's terrifying authority.
We took the glass elevator straight to the executive floor, stepping out into a chaotic, panicking bullpen of junior analysts.
Ryan was standing aggressively in the center of the room, desperately shouting into his cell phone.
His tie was loose, his expensive suit jacket was discarded on a chair, and he was sweating profusely.
"What do you mean my accounts are frozen?" Ryan screamed into the phone. "I am the senior vice president of this division!"
"Not anymore, Mr. Montgomery," Arthur’s booming voice echoed loudly through the silent, terrified office floor.
Ryan spun around violently, his face instantly draining of all color when he saw me standing next to the legendary Arthur Sterling.
"Mariana?" Ryan stammered, completely dropping his cell phone onto the carpeted floor.
"What are you doing here with him?"
Arthur did not answer Ryan; he simply turned to the terrified floor manager standing near the water cooler.
"Pack up Mr. Montgomery's desk immediately," Arthur ordered the manager with absolute, ruthless finality.
"He is officially terminated for severe financial fraud and gross violation of corporate ethics."
Ryan's new mistress, Vanessa, suddenly stepped out of a nearby corner office, wearing her tight red dress.
She looked at Ryan's panicked face, then glared aggressively at me.
"You cannot fire him, he is the top earner in this entire firm," Vanessa sneered arrogantly at Arthur.
Arthur just smiled a cold, calculating smile and looked directly into Vanessa's eyes.
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"And you must be Vanessa Carter," Arthur said smoothly, pulling a small audio recorder from his pocket.
"The same Vanessa Carter who has been secretly siphoning company funds into a private offshore account for the last six months."
