JULIA GARRETT POV:
I feigned surprise, my eyes wide and innocent. "Game? Aiden, what ever do you mean?"
He scoffed, a humorless sound. "Don't play coy with me. I know you, Julia. You're always plotting. Always calculating. You've convinced him to give you his shares, haven't you? To 'save' the company from my supposed 'mismanagement.'"
He paced, agitated. "He even showed me the documents. He said you refused his money, that you wanted to 'protect the legacy.' It's all an act, isn't it? You want control."
He stopped, pointing a finger at me. "You always wanted control. You just couldn't stand seeing me succeed without you. You manipulative bitch."
I simply gazed at him, my expression unreadable. I offered no defense, no denial. The old Julia would have pleaded, would have tried to explain. The new Julia had no time for such futile endeavors.
Aiden's eyes widened. He hadn't expected my silence. He expected a fight, tears, an argument he could win. My calm indifference threw him off balance.
"What's wrong with you?" he demanded, his voice rising. "Why aren't you saying anything? Are you so proud of your little scheme, you can't even pretend to be innocent anymore?"
He leaned in, his voice a harsh whisper. "Don't think this changes anything. You may have my father wrapped around your finger, but you'll never have me. And if you try anything, anything at all, I will make you regret the day you ever thought of betraying me."
The next Board meeting was a circus. Ember, draped in a shimmering red dress, sashayed into the boardroom as if she owned it. She had her hair done, her nails done, her ego inflated to bursting. She even had the nerve to sit beside Aiden, directly opposite me.
"Good morning, everyone," she announced, her voice saccharine sweet. "I'm so thrilled to be joining the Daniel Holdings Board of Directors today! Aiden has been so kind to offer me a position."
A murmur went through the room. Ewing, in his chairman's seat, frowned.
The vote was taken. My induction as the new CEO and majority shareholder passed with an overwhelming majority, a decisive victory for me and Ewing's unwavering support. Then came Ember's vote. It was a far tighter margin, barely scraping by thanks to Aiden's relentless lobbying and a few intimidated board members.
Ember, however, smirked as if she' d just won the lottery. "Well, that was exciting! I knew you'd all see my potential!" She beamed at Aiden.
Ewing Daniel cleared his throat, his face grim. "Ms. Stokes, while we welcome new blood, we expect a certain level of decorum and professionalism. Your past association with the… regrettable downfall of the Stokes family… is not something we take lightly." He was referring to her mother and uncle.
Aiden, ever the petulant child, kicked my leg under the table. A petty provocation. I met his gaze with a cool, impassive stare.
"Julia," he announced, his voice carrying an edge of false authority. "I'm going on a business trip to Dubai next week. Ember will be coming with me, of course. While I'm gone, I expect you to make sure she's settled in properly. Show her the ropes. Make her feel welcome."
A wave of shock rippled through the room. Board members exchanged appalled glances. This was a direct insult, a public humiliation. Even the air seemed to thicken with discomfort.
I lowered my eyes, masking the flicker of triumph in them. My plan was unfolding perfectly.
"Aiden," Ewing said, his voice laced with warning. "That is an inappropriate request."
"It's a request, Father, not a decree," Aiden shot back, his arrogance boundless. He ignored Ewing's disapproval and turned back to me, his voice dropping to a low, menacing tone. "And remember, Julia. Don't try anything funny. Ember is under my protection. If anything happens to her, you'll regret it."
I looked up, meeting his eyes with a placid expression. "Of course, Aiden. I'll take good care of Ember. You can count on it." My voice was calm, almost soothing.
He smirked, satisfied, and then, with Ember clinging to his arm like a trophy, swept out of the boardroom.
The moment he was gone, Ember wasted no time. Her first act as a newly appointed board member was a bloody purge.
"We need to cut costs," she declared to the remaining executives, her voice shrill. "Too much dead weight. Too many old-timers who cling to outdated ideas. We need young, fresh talent!"
She fired a dozen key executives and long-serving directors, people who had dedicated their lives to Daniel Holdings, loyalists who understood the intricate workings of the company. She did it with a smug smile, under the guise of "cost-cutting and efficiency."
"She's dismantling the company from the inside!" one of the senior managers, Mr. Henderson, pleaded with me, his face pale with shock. "Julia, you have to do something! She' s destroying everything!"
I sighed, a picture of helpless regret. "Mr. Henderson, you know Aiden. He listens to no one but Ember now. He's made it clear I'm to 'take care of her,' not contradict her." I even made a show of calling Aiden, putting him on speakerphone.
"Aiden, darling," I said, my voice sweet. "Ember is making some rather drastic changes. Firing a lot of our key people. Are you sure this is wise?"
Aiden's voice crackled through the speaker. "Julia, I told you to let Ember handle things. She's got my full support. These old fossils are just resistant to change. Let her clean house. We need new blood." He then abruptly hung up.
I turned back to the distraught employees, my face a mask of sorrow. "You see? My hands are tied."
Within days, the mass exodus began. The most experienced, the most talented, the most loyal of Daniel Holdings' employees, left in droves. Ember' s "cost-cutting" efforts had gutted the company. The stock price plummeted. Small shareholders, terrified, began selling their shares en masse.
That's when Davina, my mother, stepped in. Leveraging our family's remaining influence and quiet wealth, she began to discreetly acquire those plummeting shares. She hired the best of the recently fired Daniel Holdings executives, offering them exorbitant salaries and flexible terms. They formed the backbone of my new, stealth operation.
Bit by bit, piece by piece, my family, through various shell corporations and silent partners, acquired the majority of the shares. When the dust settled, Julia Garrett, the "damaged goods," the "tarnished wife," was now the undisputed majority shareholder of Daniel Holdings.
The next board meeting was set. Ember, oblivious, strutted in, a triumphant grin on her face. "Alright, everyone! Let's get this meeting started. First order of business: I believe the board needs to vote on the removal of Mrs. Garrett as CEO. She's clearly not up to the task."
I looked over my shoulder. Aiden, always late, entered, a self-satisfied smirk on his face. He nodded to Ember, an almost imperceptible signal.
"Julia," he announced, his voice cold and devoid of any emotion. "I formally request your resignation as CEO. The board will vote to remove you if necessary. And frankly, your presence on the board is no longer required."
Ember, seeing her moment, whipped out a document. "And here, everyone, is the proxy from Aiden. He holds the majority of the voting shares. So, he decides." She waved the paper triumphantly. "So, Julia, you have to listen to Aiden. Unless you want to be completely broke." She batted her eyelashes at Aiden, then leaned in, whispering something in his ear. Aiden chuckled, patting her hand.
"And once Julia is gone," Aiden announced, his eyes gleaming with malicious satisfaction, "Ember, my dear, I believe that corner office will suit you perfectly. It's time you had what you deserve."
