Chapter 2 - The Founder’s Wrath
Camden puffed out his chest, stepping forward to bridge the gap between himself and the legendary founder. He wore the smug, patronizing expression of a man who believed he was already holding the reins of power.
“By me, of course, August,” Camden replied smoothly, chuckling as if sharing an inside joke with an old friend. “As the incoming Global CEO, I had to make the difficult executive call. You know how sentimental Elena can be, but business is business. We need ruthless efficiency at the top.”
August Vale did not laugh. He didn't even blink. He leaned heavily on his silver-handled cane, his eyes narrowing into cold slits as he looked at my husband.
“You fired Elena Royce?” August asked, articulating every single syllable with terrifying precision.
“Well, yes,” Camden faltered slightly, noticing the complete absence of approval on the founder’s face. “She was... underperforming in community relations, and—look, we can discuss this in the boardroom tomorrow morning over golf. Tonight is a celebration of our future!”
August ignored him entirely. He turned his back on Camden, bypassing him as if he were nothing more than a speck of dust on the carpet, and started walking down the central aisle directly toward Table Nineteen where I stood.
The entire ballroom held its collective breath. Four hundred pairs of eyes tracked the founder’s slow, deliberate steps. Beside me, the security guard took an involuntary step backward, sensing he had stepped into a geopolitical minefield he didn't understand.
August reached my side, stopping just an arm’s length away. To the utter shock of everyone in the room, the legendary billionaire removed his velvet evening jacket, draped it gently over my shoulders, and offered a warm, deferential bow of his head.
“Are you alright, my dear?” August asked softly, his voice carrying the deep respect of a father addressing royalty.
The silence in the room shattered into a deafening wall of whispered gasps.
Camden’s face drained of every drop of color. He stumbled forward down the aisle, his hands twitching nervously at his sides. “August... I don’t understand. Why are you giving her your jacket? She’s just a terminated mid-level employee—!”
“Shut your mouth, Camden,” August snapped without turning around, his voice cracking with a whip-like authority that made Camden instantly snap his jaw shut.
August turned back to face the crowd, gesturing toward the stage with his cane. His longtime attorney stepped up beside him, handing him a heavy, leather-bound portfolio.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” August announced, his voice booming effortlessly through the venue’s audio system. “It has come to my attention that tonight’s gala has featured a rather dramatic, highly embarrassing display of corporate illiteracy. Before we discuss any CEO succession plans, we need to clear up a fundamental misunderstanding regarding who actually owns and operates this institution.”
Camden let out a nervous, high-pitched laugh, stepping further down the aisle. “August, please, let’s not air internal HR matters in front of investors—this is wildly inappropriate—!”
“HR matters?” August cut him off coldly. “Camden, you arrogant fool. You didn't fire an employee tonight. You attempted to fire the majority shareholder, the primary patent holder, and the legal namesake of this entire corporation.”
The ballroom erupted into sheer, unadulterated chaos.
Sloane Mercer leaped to her feet from the front table, her wine glass slipping from her fingers and shattering against the marble floor, splashing red liquid across her red silk dress.
Camden’s knees buckled slightly. He stared at August, his expression twisting into a mask of pure, unadulterated panic. “What... what are you talking about? Vale & Royce International... Royce is just a legacy brand name! The Royce family sold out decades ago!”
August’s attorney stepped forward, opening the leather portfolio and pulling out a certified legal document bearing the state seal.
“Mr. Royce didn't sell out, Mr. Mercer,” the attorney stated clearly into the microphone. “He passed away five years ago, leaving his entire controlling equity stake, alongside fifty-one percent of the core structural patents, to his only surviving child and heir.”
May you like
The attorney paused, sweeping his gaze across the stunned crowd of investors and board members, before looking directly at Camden.
“Elena Royce.”
