Chapter 7
The next morning, the Langford Group boardroom was packed.
Reporters waited outside. Shareholders flew in from across the country.
I walked in with Alexander and Javier.
Some board members looked surprised to see me. Others looked angry.
Robert was absent—he was in police custody—but his lawyer was there, ready to speak for him.
The meeting began.
The chairman stood up.
“Due to the arrest of Mr. Langford, we must vote on an interim leader,” he said. “Mr. Langford nominated himself before his arrest. We also have a nomination from Mr. Alexander Bennett, and a nomination from Ms. Elena Bennett.”
The lawyer stood up.
“Robert Langford has built this company from nothing,” he said. “These charges are politically motivated. He deserves the chance to clear his name before we make any changes.”
He turned to me.
“Ms. Bennett has no experience in corporate leadership. She has not held a position here in over a decade. Putting her in charge is reckless.”
That was my turn to speak.
I walked to the front of the room.
“I haven’t been here in a long time,” I said. “But I know this company better than anyone. I grew up in these halls. I worked summer jobs in the accounting department. I helped my father draft the first sustainability plan.”
I clicked the presentation on the screen.
“For the last seven years, while Robert was planning to sell us out, I was studying,” I said. “I earned my master’s in business administration. I worked for small firms to learn how to treat people right. I built networks of ethical suppliers and partners.”
I showed them the files from the USB drive.
“Robert planned to sell our manufacturing division to a shell company that will cut wages by forty percent and move production overseas,” I said. “He planned to sell our research division to a competitor for half its value.”
I showed them emails, contracts, and payment records.
“He knew it would destroy thousands of jobs,” I said. “But he didn’t care. He only cared about his own profit.”
The room went quiet.
One board member, an older woman named Mrs. Torres, nodded slowly.
“I’ve seen the numbers,” she said. “We’ve been losing ground for years. But we didn’t know why.”
Another board member stood up.
“What is your plan?” he asked me.
“Keep our headquarters here,” I said. “Invest in our workers. Finish the green energy project my father started. Buy back the shares Robert sold secretly. And expand into new markets responsibly.”
I looked at each of them in turn.
“I don’t have all the answers,” I said. “But I have integrity. And I will never sell this company out from under you.”
The vote began.
We waited.
When the last vote was counted, the chairman looked up.
“Eight votes for Elena Bennett,” he said. “Three for Robert Langford. Two abstentions.”
A low cheer went up from the back of the room.
I had won.
But as I walked back to my seat, I saw Mrs. Hale standing by the door. She held up a thick folder and smiled.
May you like
“Congratulations,” she said. “But this isn’t over. Robert has already filed an appeal. And so has Carmen. They’re taking the case to the supreme court.”
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