Chapter 6 - THE BOARDROOM REVOLT
Z
The emergency shareholder meeting of Moretti Holdings took place on the thirty-fourth floor of the glass tower overlooking the Manhattan skyline. Twelve directors sat around the polished walnut table—the same table where Lucian had once sat at the head, dictating terms to politicians and shipping executives alike. But today, the executive chair was empty.
In its place sat a secure high-definition video monitor.
On the screen was Eleanor Moretti. She sat in a high-backed armchair in her hospital room, wearing a simple navy blue blazer over her hospital gown. Beside her stood Miriam Cole, holding a red folder containing the final audit from the court-appointed trustee.
At the opposite end of the table sat Arthur Vance, Lucian’s chief defense attorney, his face red with frustration as he gestured wildly with a gold pen.
"This entire proceeding is an illegality!" Vance shouted, his voice echoing off the glass walls. "My client, Lucian Moretti, holds fifty-one percent of the voting stock in this corporation! You cannot hold an emergency liquidation vote without his presence or his explicit proxy!"
The chairman of the board, an elderly man named Harrison Vance (no relation to Arthur), tapped his gavel sharply against the wood. "Sit down, Arthur. Under Section 4B of the corporate charter—a section, I might add, drafted by Mrs. Moretti five years ago—voting rights are automatically suspended if a major shareholder is indicted under federal racketeering charges that threaten the solvency of the primary employment accounts."
"My client has not been convicted!" Arthur Vance argued fiercely. "He is being held without bail on bogus charges driven by a vindictive spouse!"
On the monitor, Eleanor raised her hand slightly. The simple gesture carried so much authority that the room fell instantly silent.
"Mr. Vance," Eleanor said, her voice clear and resonance-free through the digital speakers. "Your client is currently facing fourteen counts of federal wire fraud, six counts of racketeering, and two counts of conspiracy to commit murder based on the statements provided by his former chief lieutenant, Vincent Russo, and his associate, Celeste Vane."
Arthur Vance sneered at the screen. "Testimony from a rogue enforcer and a discarded mistress! No jury in New York will convict on that!"
"They won't have to rely solely on their testimony," Eleanor replied coolly. "Because ten minutes ago, the trustee verified the contents of Ledger C from the Harbor Atlantic vault. That ledger details four million dollars in illegal kickbacks paid through Moretti Holdings to city port inspectors over the past seven years. Every single transaction bears Lucian’s personal digital signature."
A collective murmur rippled through the twelve directors. Two of them leaned back in their chairs, rubbing their temples in resignation. They knew what that meant. The federal government wasn't just coming for Lucian; they were preparing to seize the entire corporate infrastructure under civil forfeiture laws.
"What are you proposing, Mrs. Moretti?" Chairman Harrison asked, leaning toward the camera.
"I am proposing a complete, voluntary dissolution of Moretti Holdings," Eleanor stated without hesitation.
Arthur Vance gasped. "You’re destroying a two-billion-dollar enterprise!"
"I am saving two thousand three hundred jobs," Eleanor corrected sharply. "Under the restructuring plan I submitted to the court this morning, the legitimate assets—the hotel chain, the commercial trucking fleet, and the sanitation services—will be carved out and transferred into an independent, worker-owned cooperative trust. The non-corrupted revenue reserves will be used to fund employee pensions and healthcare plans for the next ten years."
"And what happens to the remaining assets?" a director asked nervously.
"The shipping lanes, the dock warehouses, and the real estate holdings tied to the criminal indictments will be surrendered to the federal government to satisfy the civil penalties," Eleanor said. "Lucian’s equity will be reduced to zero. The Moretti family will no longer hold a single share, a single seat, or a single dollar of influence in any of these companies."
"You can't do this!" Arthur Vance barked, pointing his finger at the screen. "You are his wife! You have a fiduciary duty to preserve the marital estate!"
"My fiduciary duty was to the lawful operations of this company," Eleanor said, her gaze cutting through the camera like a blade. "Lucian broke his contract with this company the day he brought criminal enterprise into our accounting offices. He broke his contract with me the day he brought his mistress into our home. He has no estate left, Mr. Vance. He has only his debts."
Chairman Harrison looked around the table at the remaining eleven directors. "All those in favor of Mrs. Moretti’s restructuring and voluntary liquidation plan, raise your hand."
One by one, hands went up around the table.
First Chairman Harrison. Then the director of operations. Then the head of human resources. Within thirty seconds, ten of the twelve directors had their hands raised high.
Arthur Vance slammed his briefcase shut, his hands trembling with rage. "Lucian will appeal this! He will drag every one of you through the courts for the next twenty years!"
"Lucian won't be appealing anything from a maximum-security federal prison, Mr. Vance," Miriam Cole interjected smoothly, opening her red folder. "The grand jury just returned a true bill on all fourteen counts. The arrest warrants for his remaining co-conspirators are being executed as we speak."
On the video monitor, Eleanor watched as Arthur Vance turned and stormed out of the boardroom, his loud footfalls fading down the long, carpeted hallway.
The chairman looked back at the screen, his expression filled with a strange mixture of sorrow and profound respect. "It is done, Mrs. Moretti. The paperwork will be submitted to the bankruptcy court by noon."
"Thank you, Harrison," Eleanor said softly. "Please make sure the payroll checks for the hotel staff go out on time tomorrow."
"They will," Harrison promised. "Mrs. Moretti... how are you feeling?"
Eleanor didn't answer right away. She placed a hand over her lower abdomen, feeling a deep, powerful surge of pressure that made her draw in a sharp, quiet breath.
May you like
"I have fulfilled my duty to the company, Harrison," she said, her voice strained as she fought through the pain. "Now, if you will excuse me... I have a promise to keep to my son."
The screen went black as Miriam cut the feed, leaving the twelve directors sitting in total silence in the high room above the city, watching the end of an empire.
