Chapter 6 - THE SUMMONS AT SUNRISE
Andrew received the board notice at 5:42 in the morning.
He had not slept.
Brenda had locked herself in a guest bedroom.
Margaret sat in the drawing room, staring at the empty velvet case.
The message appeared on Andrew’s phone with the formal seal of Whitmore Global.
EMERGENCY BOARD SESSION.
MANDATORY ATTENDANCE.
8:00 A.M.
He called the company secretary.
A recorded message informed him that her number was unavailable.
He called the chief financial officer.
No answer.
He called three board members.
Each call went directly to voicemail.
Then another notification arrived.
His access to the corporate executive system had been suspended pending review.
Andrew threw the phone across the room.
It struck the wall and fell onto the carpet.
Margaret entered.
“You need to calm down.”
“Mariana arranged a board meeting.”
“So go there and remind them who you are.”
“They suspended my access.”
Margaret’s confidence faltered.
“Can they do that?”
“No.”
Andrew said the word too quickly.
He opened the safe behind a painting.
Inside were copies of the company’s original shareholder agreements.
He searched for his controlling shares.
The documents showed that he owned twelve percent of Whitmore Global.
He had always voted nearly sixty percent.
That additional authority came from proxy rights Mariana had granted him.
He found the proxy agreement.
A clause on the final page allowed Mariana to revoke it immediately.
No warning was required.
No board approval was required.
Her signature alone was enough.
Andrew felt the room tilt beneath him.
For four years, he had stood in front of investors and acted like the absolute owner of Whitmore Global.
He had never controlled more than a small portion of the company.
Mariana had allowed him to borrow her power.
Margaret read the agreement over his shoulder.
“She tricked you.”
Andrew’s face hardened.
“No.”
The truth was worse than that.
Mariana had explained the arrangement years earlier.
He had barely listened.
He had been too busy celebrating the rescue of his company.
He remembered kissing her forehead and telling her she was good with paperwork.
Then he had taken the documents to the board and accepted credit for the entire deal.
“Call our attorney,” Margaret demanded.
Andrew laughed bitterly.
“Our attorney is Helena Cruz.”
Margaret went silent.
Helena had represented Whitmore Global in nearly every major negotiation.
Andrew had assumed she worked for him.
In reality, she had always represented Escalante Capital.
Brenda appeared at the doorway wearing a coat over her evening gown.
“Where are you going?” Andrew asked.
“To my apartment.”
“You are coming to the board meeting.”
“I am not part of the company.”
“You received four point six million dollars from the company.”
Brenda froze.
Andrew stepped closer.
“You are coming.”
She looked toward the front entrance.
Two security officers stood outside.
They were no longer Andrew’s employees.
May you like
They wore the insignia of Escalante Security.
The mansion had become a cage.
