Chapter 3 - The Restructuring of Power
A collective gasp rippled through the wedding guests who had crowded around the perimeter of the children's section. The executives Nicholas had spent months trying to impress were now staring at him not with respect, but with absolute disdain.
"Jenna, is this... is this true?" my mother whispered, stepping forward, her hand fluttering to her throat. "Why didn't you tell us you were working with Sterling Global? We’re your family. We could have helped you network!"
"You never asked, Mom," I said softly, setting down my drawing pencil. The weight of ten years of being the invisible, dismissed sibling finally lifted off my shoulders, replaced by an unbreakable sense of calm. "Every time I tried to talk about my clients at Sunday dinner, Nicholas told me to keep my hobbies to myself because the adults were talking about real business."
"It's not a hobby when she charges twenty thousand dollars a speech, Mrs. Vance," Emmett added, finally standing up and smoothing the front of his jacket. The sheer physical presence of the man seemed to shrink my father and brother instantly. "And as of five minutes ago, I've decided to make our arrangement permanent. Jenna, my board approved the budget for the new Creative Communications Division. The contract is sitting in your inbox. Chief Communications Officer. Full equity shares. You answer only to me."
My heart did a sudden, joyous flip. "Emmett... are you serious?"
"I'm never more serious than when it comes to retaining top-tier talent," he smiled, before turning his gaze back to Nicholas, who looked physically ill. "Which brings me to my next piece of business. Nicholas, your firm has been aggressively lobbying for the logistics contract for Sterling Global's new European expansion, correct?"
Nicholas swallowed hard, a desperate spark of hope igniting in his eyes. "Yes, Mr. Stewart! We have the full portfolio prepared. We were hoping to discuss it tonight—"
"Don't bother," Emmett interrupted coldly. "I don't do business with men who treat their own blood like corporate liabilities. If you can't even value the brilliant writer who built your family's modern reputation, I certainly can't trust you with my international supply chain. The deal is off table."
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"Mr. Stewart, please!" Nicholas begged, his voice dropping all pretense of sophistication as he took a desperate step forward. "This wedding... this firm... my entire career is riding on that expansion! You can't do this over a seating misunderstanding!"
"It wasn't a misunderstanding, Nicholas," I said, standing up to face him, my light-blue dress catching the light of the crystal chandeliers. "You told me I didn't fit the atmosphere. You told me not to embarrass you. It turns out, you did a perfectly fine job of doing that all by yourself."
