Chapter 7 - The Cornered Rat
The next morning, I walked into the headquarters of Voss Logistics as the official CEO. The employees were lined up in the lobby, clapping nervously, unsure of what my leadership would mean for their jobs. I assured them that their positions were secure—the only toxic element being removed was Eric.
When I reached the top floor, I found the door to the executive suite locked. From inside, the sound of glass shattering echoed through the hallway.
"Open the door, Eric," I said through the intercom, flanked by two security guards.
"Go to hell, Claire!" Eric screamed from inside. "You stole my life! You manipulated Dad! I built this place! I’m not leaving!"
I signaled the security guards, who immediately used a master key to override the electronic lock. The heavy oak door swung open to reveal the office in complete chaos. Eric had smashed a bottle of whiskey against the wall. He was frantically stuffing corporate laptops and confidential financial files into a leather briefcase.
"You're committing corporate espionage and theft of proprietary data, Eric," I said calmly, stepping into the room. "The police are already downstairs. If you walk out of here with that briefcase, you’ll be spending your afternoon in a jail cell instead of a country club."
Eric dropped the briefcase, his chest heaving as he stared at me with pure hatred. "You think you’ve won? Vanessa is leaving me, Claire! She packed her bags this morning because the bank froze our joint accounts! My kids are crying! You ruined my family!"
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"No, Eric. Your greed ruined your family," I corrected him, stepping closer to his desk. "You thought you could treat people like garbage because you had a title on your door. You forgot that titles don't pay the bills—liquidity does. Now, get out of my chair."
Realizing he had absolutely no cards left to play, Eric stumbled past me, his eyes wild and broken. As he was escorted out of the building in front of the entire staff, I sat down in the large leather chair that had once belonged to my father. The transformation was complete.
