Chapter 6 - The Fall of the CEO
The boardroom remained in breathless shock for nearly half a minute.
Arthur Bellamy tapped his knuckles against the table twice—a sound like a gavel falling in a courtroom.
"As the owner of twenty-four percent of the voting shares," Arthur announced, "I move for an immediate vote of no confidence regarding Daniel Whitmore as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Executive Committee."
"I second," Chairman Kincaid said immediately, not even looking at Daniel.
"All in favor?" Arthur asked.
Eight hands went up instantly. The only hand that stayed down belonged to Daniel himself, who sat frozen, staring at the table as if his entire life had just been erased in front of him.
"Motion carried unanimously," Kincaid declared. "Daniel Whitmore is removed from his post effective immediately. Security will escort him from the premises. He is barred from accessing any company servers, files, or facilities."
"You can't do this to me!" Daniel yelled, standing up so fast his leather chair fell backward onto the carpet. "I built this company's current quarter! My father's name is on the building!"
"Your grandfather’s name is on the building, Daniel," Claire said softly, looking at him with pity rather than anger. "Your father nearly lost it, and you sold it to buy political favors from a crooked congressman."
Two heavy security officers stepped through the boardroom doors. They didn't touch Daniel roughly, but their presence left no room for argument.
"Mr. Whitmore," the lead officer said. "Please step away from the table. We have cleared your personal items into two boxes at the security desk."
Daniel looked around the table, searching for a single ally among the men and women he had played golf with, dined with, and shared millions in bonuses with over the last decade.
Every single one of them looked away.
His eyes finally landed on Claire. His voice cracked, stripped of all corporate pomposity. "Claire... where are you going to go? What about our baby?"
"Our baby will be raised far away from you, Daniel," Claire said, leaning forward. "And as for where I'm going... I'm staying right here."
Arthur Bellamy smiled—a real, wide smile that transformed his weathered face.
"Which brings us to the second order of business," Arthur said, sliding a thick blue document across the table to Chairman Kincaid. "With Daniel removed, Whitmore Aeronautics requires immediate, interim leadership to cooperate with federal auditors and stabilize shareholder trust. I propose Claire Vance-Whitmore as interim President and Vice Chair of the Board."
Daniel’s jaw dropped. "Her?! She hasn't worked in corporate management for five years!"
"She has an engineering degree from Northwestern and managed Whitmore's operations department for four years before she made the mistake of marrying you," Kincaid pointed out sharply. "And more importantly, she is the only person in this building the Pentagon currently trusts not to lie to them."
Kincaid looked around the table. "All in favor of Mrs. Vance-Whitmore taking interim control?"
May you like
Eight hands went up once more.
Daniel was led out of the boardroom in silence, his shoes dragging against the carpet as he was stripped of his title, his access, and his legacy in front of the people he had spent his life trying to impress.
