Chapter 6 - Taking the Helm
At eight-thirty the following morning, the glass doors of Moretti Holdings' corporate headquarters on Wacker Drive swung open.
I stepped into the grand marble lobby wearing a sharp, tailored navy pantsuit, my dark hair styled in an immaculate, professional chignon.
Beside me walked Nathan Brooks, carrying three thick briefcases containing the newly ratified corporate charter and transition decrees.
Behind us walked Richard Moretti, leaning on his carved silver cane, his presence signaling absolute continuity of power.
The entire lobby went completely silent, the five hundred employees who had received my 3:00 a.m. message freezing in their tracks.
The receptionist who had accepted Vincent’s suitcases yesterday stood up from behind her curved desk, her eyes wide with shock.
Instead of an embarrassed, discarded wife hiding from scandal, they were looking at their newly appointed Chief Executive Officer.
We took the private executive elevator directly to the top floor, where the boardroom was already filled with the senior vice presidents.
Every single department head was present, murmuring in anxious, hushed tones as they clutched their financial tablets.
When the double doors opened and Richard escorted me to the head of the forty-foot glass table, the room held its collective breath.
Richard took his place at the podium, his voice booming with the undeniable authority of a patriarch who had ruled Chicago for forty years.
“Gentlemen and ladies,” Richard announced, his eyes sweeping across the executive council.
“Yesterday, Vincent Moretti resigned all executive and administrative duties within this conglomerate.
By unanimous action of the family trust and the board of directors, Claire Bennett Moretti has been ratified as Chief Executive Officer.”
A wave of astonished gasps rippled through the room, several older vice presidents exchanging uneasy, skeptical glances.
David Vance, the senior vice president of European shipping, raised his hand with cautious, polite hesitation.
“Chairman Moretti, with all due respect, the North Atlantic freight contract is facing a forty-million-dollar margin call this Friday.
Vincent was the only one managing the Dutch shipping cartel negotiations. How do we prevent a total supply chain collapse?”
I stepped forward to the head of the table, placing my hands flat on the polished glass, looking directly into David’s eyes.
“The Dutch cartel was threatening to pull out because Vincent attempted to route their fuel subsidies through an unvetted Delaware LLC,” I stated clearly.
“An LLC managed by Sophia Carter, which raised red flags with maritime compliance auditors in Rotterdam three days ago.”
The entire room went dead silent as the vice presidents stared at me in stunned realization.
“I spent last night on the phone with Director Van Dijk in Amsterdam,” I continued smoothly, opening my tablet to display an approved agreement.
“The Bennett Family Maritime Trust has underwritten the fuel bond directly through our Rotterdam terminal.
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The contract was renewed at 6:00 a.m. this morning with a five percent discount for Moretti Holdings.
Now, gentlemen, let’s open our quarterly ledgers and get to work.”
