Chapter 5 - The Boardroom Execution
The boardroom of Harlan Holdings was filled with the company's major shareholders and board members. Jeffrey sat at the head of the table, flanked by Noelle and his cheap divorce attorney. Cynthia sat in the back gallery, looking anxious but still holding her expensive designer handbag.
When the doors opened, Madeline walked in.
She wore a tailored, midnight-black power suit. Her hair was styled perfectly, and her eyes held the cold, sharp gaze of an empress. Behind her walked Colonel Harrison, a legendary corporate attorney, and two federal investigators.
Jeffrey stood up, trying to look confident. "Madeline. Let's get this over with. I want fifty percent of the London expansion profits, and we will agree to joint custody of Liam."
Madeline didn't sit down. She looked at him with utter contempt.
"You want fifty percent of my hard work?" Madeline asked. "And you want custody of the child you forced to eat on the floor?"
"The court will decide what's fair, Madeline," Noelle chimed in smugly. "You can't prove we did anything wrong. A single recording won't stand up in a custody battle against a grandmother's love."
"A grandmother's love?" Madeline gestured to Colonel Harrison.
Harrison opened his briefcase and projected a video onto the boardroom screen.
It wasn't just the recording from three days ago. It was a compilation of two years of systematic neglect. The board members gasped in horror as they watched footage of Liam being pushed away, left in dirty clothes, and ignored while Jeffrey and Cynthia toasted with champagne in the background.
"This footage," Madeline announced to the silent, horrified board, "has already been sent to the Department of Family and Children Services, the District Attorney, and every major news outlet in Atlanta. It will air on the evening news in exactly two hours."
Jeffrey’s attorney stood up, his face pale. "Mrs. Vance-Harlan, please... we can settle this privately!"
"There is no settlement," Madeline said. "And there's more. Federal investigators, please proceed."
One of the investigators stepped forward, flashing his badge. "Jeffrey Harlan, you are under arrest for federal corporate embezzlement, tax evasion, and felony child neglect. Noelle Harlan and Cynthia Blake, you are also being charged as accomplices in financial fraud and child abuse."
Cynthia screamed as handcuffs were slapped onto her wrists, her expensive handbag falling to the floor. Noelle began to hyperventilate, begging Jeffrey to save her.
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Jeffrey stared at Madeline, his hands trembling as the officers pulled him backward. "Maddy, please! You're ruining my family! You're ruining our company!"
"You ruined yourself, Jeffrey, the moment you forgot who built this empire," Madeline said coldly. "Take them away."
