Chapter 6 - The Fall of Blackwood
""Here are the terms,"" I announced, walking back to my chair and picking up a single sheet of paper.
The boardroom fell so quiet that the faint hum of the climate control sounded like a jet engine. Alexander stood frozen, looking like a condemned prisoner waiting for the trapdoor to drop beneath his feet.
""Clause 8B of your Crestview promissory note specifies that in the event of an undisclosed material change in management control or personal conduct causing severe reputational damage to the debtor, the lender reserves the right to declare an immediate covenant default,"" I read smoothly. ""Your little stunt at the Hawthorne Grand on Saturday evening was live-streamed by twenty-four guests. It trended on LinkedIn, TikTok, and Twitter under the headline 'Tech CEO Dumps Fiancée at Altar for PR.' Our brand risk evaluation team scored your personal enterprise value at negative seventy-four points this morning.""
""You can't do that,"" Alexander whispered, his voice trembling violently. ""That's personal. You can't use corporate debt to settle a romantic grievance!""
Marcus Vance chuckled again, opening a thick blue binder. ""Young man, you stood at a podium with a corporate microphone, invoked your company's strategic future, and used an official Blackwood Dynamics corporate event to humiliate our Chairwoman. You made it business. We are merely accepting your invitation.""
""Evelyn, please,"" Alexander begged, stepping toward the table, completely abandoning whatever pride he had left. ""If you call that note, Blackwood Dynamics goes into Chapter 11 by Friday! We have sixty employees! We have contracts with regional distributors!""
""You should have thought about those sixty employees before you turned your life into a cheap reality television show,"" I said coldly. ""Sterling Global has already arranged to purchase your company's core intellectual property through a structured pre-packaged bankruptcy auction on Thursday. Your engineers will keep their jobs. Your support staff will receive an immediate twenty-percent salary increase and full healthcare coverage under the Carter Trust health network. The only people who will be removed from the premises...""
I paused, looking between Alexander and Vanessa.
""...are the CEO and the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships. Unvested shares forfeit. No severance. No golden parachutes.""
""Dad!"" Vanessa screamed, grabbing Arthur’s arm and shaking it frantically. ""Do something! Use your fund! Counter-sue her!""
Arthur ripped his arm away from his daughter’s grasp, his face twisted in bitter fury. ""Shut up! You idiot girl, do you have any idea who Henry Carter was? If Sterling Global calls our commercial paper, Crestview Capital will be bankrupt by dinner time tomorrow! We are completely ruined because of your ridiculous vanity project!""
Vanessa recoiled as if she had been slapped. She looked at Alexander, and for the first time, the illusion was completely gone. She didn't see an ambitious, brilliant tech mogul. She saw a broke, fraudulent opportunist who had led her off a financial cliff.
""You lied to me,"" Vanessa spat at Alexander, her eyes filled with venom. ""You told me you were running this town! You told me you were six months away from an IPO!""
""You came onto me!"" Alexander yelled back, completely losing his composure in front of the most powerful corporate board in the Midwest. ""You practically threw yourself at my desk the second you saw my growth charts! You told me dumping Evelyn would make us a power couple!""
""Enough,"" I commanded.
The single word cut their argument like a guillotine.
""Security,"" I said, gesturing toward the door. ""Escort Mr. Blackwood, Miss Cole, and Mr. Cole out of the building. Have their credentials revoked across all Sterling real estate, digital access points, and affiliate networks. Effective immediately.""
Four burly security guards in dark suits moved forward. One placed a firm hand on Alexander's shoulder, steering him away from the podium.
Alexander looked back at me over his shoulder, his eyes wide with horror, tears of humiliation finally spilling down his cheeks. ""Ev... Evie... please. Don't do this. I love you. I made a mistake! I’ll go to the press! I’ll tell everyone I was wrong! I’ll marry you today! Please!""
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""I told you on Saturday, Alexander,"" I said, leaning back into the great leather chair that had belonged to my grandfather. ""You were never going to fit into my world.""
The heavy oak doors clicked shut behind them.
