Part 7: The fight back begins!
Part 7: The fight back begins!
The hospital corridor spun around Sarah as the red breaking news ticker flashed on her phone screen. Her father was hooked to life support just yards away, and the board of directors—men who had sat at Richard Montgomery’s dinner table for decades—had stabbed him in the back before his blood was even dry on the operating table.
"Ms. Montgomery?" Arthur Sterling rushed up, his eyes wide as he looked at her phone. "Is that... is that true? Did the board really convene an emergency midnight vote?"
"Victor Vance bought off the board," Sarah said, her voice dropping into a register so cold it sent a shiver through Arthur’s spine. "He used Julian's stolen shares to force an emergency quorum, claiming my father was 'permanently incapacitated' and unable to fulfill his duties."
Eleanor walked out of the ICU room, dabbing her eyes. "Sarah... what's happening? Why are those news reporters gathering outside the hospital lobby?"
Sarah immediately locked her screen, turning to her mother with a gentle, reassuring smile. "It's nothing to worry about, Mom. Just corporate vultures being vultures. I need you to stay inside with Dad. I’ve ordered six of our private security guards to stand at this door. Nobody comes in or out without my personal clearance."
Eleanor took Sarah’s hands, squeezing them tight. "Be careful, my sweet girl. They took your father down... don't let them take you too."
"They won't," Sarah promised, kissing her mother's forehead. "Because unlike my father, I’m not going to play by their rules anymore."
Sarah turned around, her posture transforming from a grieving daughter into a relentless war commander. She looked at Arthur. "Where is Victor Vance right now?"
Arthur checked his encrypted tablet. "He’s at the Montgomery Tower penthouse suite. He’s hosting an exclusive midnight press conference to announce his appointment as interim CEO and the grand opening of the international shipping ports."
"Perfect," Sarah said, her eyes flashing like sharp steel. "Call my personal driver. We're going to a press conference."
Thirty minutes later, rain poured over the soaring glass facade of Montgomery Tower in the heart of the financial district. Dozens of news vans lined the street, their satellite dishes pointed toward the sky. Inside the main atrium, bright camera flashes illuminated the stage where Victor Vance stood at the podium.
Victor was immaculate—wearing a dark charcoal Italian suit, a pristine white pocket square, and a silver lapel pin shaped like a rising phoenix wrapping around a serpent. On either side of him stood the corrupt board members, smiling like sycophants for the cameras.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the press," Victor purred into the microphones, his voice echoing through the acoustics of the grand hall. "It is with a heavy heart that I announce the temporary step-down of my dear friend, Richard Montgomery, due to a tragic... accident. In order to protect the interests of our shareholders and stabilize our international supply chain, the board has unanimously elected me as Interim Chief Executive Officer."
Flashes went off frantically. Reporters raised their hands, shouting questions all at once.
"Mr. Vance! What about the rumors of embezzlement involving your nephew, Mark Vance?" one journalist shouted.
Victor offered a practiced, mournful sigh. "Mark was a rogue actor, misled by greed. He has been handed over to the authorities. Vanguard Holdings has no ties to his foolish actions. Tonight, we look forward to a new era of—"
CLANG.
The massive heavy bronze entrance doors of the atrium slammed open, cutting Victor off mid-sentence.
The entire press corps turned around in unison. Camera lenses shifted, auto-focusing on the tall, striking figure stepping into the hall.
It was Sarah.
She was no longer wearing the drenched white jumpsuit. She had changed into a tailored, pitch-black power suit, her long dark hair pulled back into a sleek, razor-sharp ponytail. Beside her walked Arthur Sterling, carrying a heavy steel briefcase, flanked by ten elite, uniformed security officers.
Gasps echoed through the room.
"Isn't that Sarah Montgomery?" a reporter whispered. "Richard’s daughter!"
Victor’s eyes narrowed, his smooth smile faltering for a split second before he recovered his composure. "Ah, Sarah. Dear child. We are all praying for your father’s speedy recovery. But this is a private corporate press conference. Security, please escort Miss Montgomery to the waiting area—"
"Save your breath, Victor," Sarah’s voice boomed across the atrium, carrying a force that commanded immediate silence from the entire crowd.
She strode down the center aisle, the heels of her boots clicking with rhythmic, terrifying precision against the marble floor. The camera flashes exploded, capturing every inch of her fierce, unwavering stare.
"You standing on that stage calling my father your 'dear friend' makes me sick," Sarah said, stopping right at the foot of the podium. "And as for your 'unanimous board vote'... it’s completely null and void under corporate law."
The board members shifted uncomfortably, exchanging panicked glances.
Victor chuckled softly, adjusting his cufflinks. "Sarah, I understand you're emotional right now. But as a non-board member, you have no legal authority here. The vote was legally conducted using fifty-two percent of the voting shares, including those assigned by your stepbrother, Julian."
"Julian didn't own those shares, Victor," Sarah replied smoothly.
She motioned to Arthur, who opened the steel briefcase, pulling out a thick set of leather-bound documents bearing the official gold seal of the Supreme Court.
"Three years ago, when my father established the Montgomery Family Trust," Sarah explained, her voice ringing clear into every news microphone in the room, "he added a ironclad clause: In the event of a hostile takeover attempt or family betrayal, all voting shares automatically revert to the sole designated heir—myself. Julian's transfer was illegal, fraudulent, and invalid from the moment he signed it."
The reporters gasped, writing frantically on their pads.
Victor’s face tightened, his eyes darkening with dangerous rage. "A clever piece of paper, Sarah. But without the physical land deeds to the shipping ports, your trust means nothing. Under state maritime law, whoever holds the physical deeds controls the operations."
Victor smirked, leaning closer to the microphone. "And we both know those deeds vanished from your private safe tonight..."
"You mean these deeds?" Sarah asked quietly.
She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a thick stack of original, wax-sealed parchment documents, holding them high above her head for every camera in the nation to see.
"The deeds never left my possession, Victor," Sarah said, a cold, triumphant smile gracing her lips. "The briefcase your thugs chased across the city was a decoy. The real deeds were locked inside my father’s vault at the Federal Reserve."
Victor’s jaw clenched so hard a muscle twitched in his cheek. The arrogant mask he had worn all night shattered completely, exposing the monster underneath.
"You little..." Victor hissed off-mic, his fingers gripping the edges of the wooden podium until his knuckles turned white.
"Chief Henderson!" Sarah called out, turning toward the back of the atrium.
The heavy doors opened once more, and Chief Henderson marched in alongside six federal agents wearing blue FBI jackets.
"Victor Vance," Chief Henderson announced loudly. "You are under arrest by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for corporate conspiracy, wire fraud, and the attempted murder of Richard Montgomery."
Victor stood frozen as the room erupted into total chaos. Cameras flashed like lightning, reporters screamed questions, and the corrupt board members scattered like rats trying to escape a sinking ship.
As the federal agents stepped onto the stage and slapped heavy steel handcuffs onto Victor’s wrists, Sarah stepped right up to him, leaning in close so only he could hear her.
"My father built this empire with his sweat and blood," Sarah whispered into his ear, her voice as sharp as a razor. "You tried to destroy my family, Victor. Now, I’m going to dismantle yours, piece by piece."
Victor sneered, his eyes burning with pure malice as he was led away in chains. "You think this is over, girl? You have no idea who I work for..."
Sarah stood tall on the stage, watching the disgraced billionaire dragged out into the rain.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out, expecting a call from the hospital.
Instead, it was a short text message from an unregistered, encrypted satellite number.
The text read:
May you like
[Victor was just a pawn, Sarah. The real master of the Syndicate expects your full surrender by sunrise... or your mother won't survive her night shift at the hospital.]
Sarah’s breath caught in her throat as she stared at the screen, her blood turning to ice.
