Chapter 11 - THE BOARD MEMBER NOBODY SUSPECTED
There were eleven independent directors on the Bennett Global board.
Charlotte had known most of them since childhood.
Bankers.
Hotel executives.
Investors.
Former government officials.
Any one of them could benefit from her removal.
Marcus reviewed voting records.
Jonathan reviewed corporate bylaws.
Then Evelyn Price found the pattern.
Every time Victor proposed reducing Charlotte’s authority, one director supported him first.
Richard Sloan.
Seventy years old.
Chairman of Sloan Capital Partners.
A family friend of Charlotte’s father.
Richard had toasted at Charlotte’s wedding.
He had once called her “the daughter I never had.”
Charlotte stared at the voting history.
“Why would Richard want Bennett Global?”
Evelyn answered.
“His investment firm is in trouble.”
“How much trouble?”
“Possibly catastrophic.”
Sloan Capital had borrowed heavily against commercial property.
Interest rates changed.
Several developments collapsed.
Creditors were circling.
Bennett Global would solve his problems overnight.
Jonathan leaned back.
“Victor steals several high-value hotels.”
“Sloan pushes Charlotte out.”
“Then Sloan Capital arranges financing to ‘stabilize’ the company.”
“And eventually gains control.”
Charlotte felt sick.
It was not merely theft.
It was a corporate coup.
Her phone rang.
Richard Sloan.
Everyone looked at the screen.
Charlotte answered.
“Richard.”
“Charlotte.”
His grandfatherly voice sounded exactly as it always had.
“I heard about the unpleasantness at the Monarch.”
“Did you?”
“Victor called me.”
“Interesting.”
“He believes you are making emotional decisions because of your marriage.”
Charlotte nearly laughed.
“Does he?”
“I think we should meet.”
“Why?”
“To protect your father’s legacy.”
There it was.
Always her father.
Men who wanted Charlotte to obey them loved invoking the dead man who had taught her not to.
“When?”
“Tonight.”
“Where?”
“My townhouse.”
Charlotte looked at Marcus.
He shook his head slightly.
Charlotte understood.
“No.”
Richard went silent.
“No?”
“You can come to Bennett headquarters tomorrow.”
“This is personal.”
“No.”
His voice cooled.
“Charlotte, I have known you since you were nine years old.”
“And I’ve known you since I was nine.”
She paused.
“Maybe we both mistook familiarity for trust.”
Richard said nothing.
Then he whispered.
“You are making a very dangerous mistake.”
Charlotte’s eyes hardened.
“That is the third man today who has told me that.”
She ended the call.
Marcus looked toward her.
“That sounded like a threat.”
Charlotte nodded.
“It was.”
Then Evelyn’s laptop chimed.
She opened an email.
Her face changed.
“What?”
Evelyn looked up.
“Richard Sloan just called an emergency board meeting.”
“When?”
“Tomorrow morning.”
“Purpose?”
May you like
Evelyn swallowed.
“To vote on removing you as Chairwoman.”
