Chapter 3 - The Boardroom Standoff
At 2:00 PM, I received an urgent summons from the Chicago Early Education Board. The five-year contract I had spent three grueling months bidding on—worth nearly four million dollars—was being suddenly reviewed in an emergency closed-door executive session.
When I entered the polished glass boardroom on Michigan Avenue, I wasn't surprised to see who sat at the end of the mahogany table.
Olivia Bennett sat cross-legged in an immaculate ivory Givenchy dress, her hair pinned in a sleek chignon, sipping sparkling water beside Arthur Sterling, the board’s chief compliance officer. Beside her sat Eleanor Carter, draped in emerald jewels, looking down her aristocratic nose as if the very air I breathed contaminated the room.
“Ah, Miss Miller,” Eleanor drawled, tapping a manicured nail on a thick dossier. “How thoughtful of you to join us. We were just reviewing the sanitation standards of Little Harvest Kitchen.”
“There has never been a single health violation in my kitchen,” I said, pulling out a heavy chair and sitting down without waiting for an invitation. “What is this really about, Eleanor?”
“It’s about standards, dear,” Olivia smiled sweetly, leaning forward with predatory grace. “The city of Chicago cannot entrust the nutrition of thousands of vulnerable infants to a woman who lacks financial backing, lives in low-income housing, and drags her children into public spectacles at high-end restaurants. The Bennett Philanthropic Trust has generously offered to cover this school contract through our own private catering division—at half your operating cost.”
They were trying to crush my throat. They wanted to strip away my livelihood so I couldn't afford legal representation against Sebastian’s custody team.
“You’re cutting off my contract to buy my silence,” I said, looking straight into Olivia’s smug face. “Just like you paid seventy-five thousand dollars to Nurse Vance five years ago.”
Olivia’s smile froze instantly. Her pale blue eyes widened, a micro-flinch of terror betraying her composure before she quickly recovered.
“I have no idea what ridiculous delusions you’re clinging to,” Olivia scoffed, waving a dismissive hand. “Arthur, please execute the contract termination paperwork.”
“Wait,” a booming voice commanded from the double doors.
Sebastian stepped into the boardroom, flanked by three senior partners from Chicago’s most formidable corporate law firm. He didn't look at his mother. He didn't look at Olivia. His eyes locked onto the contract documents spread across the table.
“Sebastian, darling!” Eleanor gasped, rising to her feet. “What are you doing here? This is routine municipal business for the family foundation.”
“Shut up, Mother,” Sebastian snapped, his tone so icy the temperature in the room plummeted.
Olivia stood up, fluttering her eyelashes with practiced innocence. “Sebastian, honey, we were just protecting your interests. Hannah made such an embarrassing scene last night, and we wanted to spare you the public scandal—”
“Arthur,” Sebastian interrupted, turning his glacial gaze upon the compliance officer. “The Carter Corporation contributes forty percent of the operating budget for this educational board. If you cancel Hannah Miller’s contract, I will withdraw every penny of our endowment by 4:00 PM today. Furthermore, I will audit every single commercial contract the Bennett family has signed with this city over the last decade.”
Arthur turned paper-white, immediately dropping his gold fountain pen. “Mr. Carter... we were simply reviewing procedures. The contract remains intact. Fully intact.”
“Get out,” Sebastian told Arthur. The man didn't hesitate; he scooped up his papers and bolted from the room.
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Eleanor banged her fist on the table. “Sebastian! Have you lost your mind? She is an opportunist trying to extort our family fortune with three nameless brats!”
Sebastian turned to his mother, his face trembling with barely contained fury. “Those 'nameless brats' have my grandmother’s chin and my exact genetic eye structure, Mother. And if I discover you had a hand in keeping them from me, I will strip you of your board seats, revoke your estate access, and let you spend your golden years explaining fraud to a federal prosecutor.”
