The penthouse living room, perched sixty floors above the glittering, chaotic grid of the Chicago skyline, was a masterpiece of modern luxury and calculated intimidation.

"Majority shareholder?" Richard laughed, though a bead of sweat rolled down his neck. "You own thirty percent, Eleanor! I own forty! You don't have the math!"

Eleanor looked at the lead counsel, a sharp, ruthless lawyer named David whom Richard had trusted for ten years.

"David, explain it to him," Eleanor instructed softly.

David adjusted his glasses, avoiding Richard’s eyes. "Richard, the shares you bought under the dummy corporation in Delaware... you used company funds to purchase them. Eleanor found the paper trail. Because those shares were purchased with stolen company equity, they legally revert to the original founding estate. Which is Eleanor."

"You betrayed me?!" Richard lunged at David, but the security guards caught him by the arms, holding him back.

"He didn't betray you, Richard," Eleanor said, her voice cutting through the lobby. "He just backed the winning horse. You relied on loyalty bought with money. I relied on self-preservation. I told David I’d give him your seat on the board, or I’d hand the Feds the documents proving he helped you hide the Cayman accounts. It was a very short negotiation."