by Linda Verji
People were so dramatic, and La Belle’s shareholders were the worst of the lot. When the shareholders weren’t selling their equity en masse, they were asking for a meeting with her. Sharon had refused those meetings. Why? Because they’d just ask her questions she wasn’t interested in answering. And if she didn’t answer, those idiots would’ve insisted that she quit as CEO. But now that she had Wick in the bag, it was all fixed. Sharon grinned. Once they saw him, they’d start celebrating and forget about asking questions.
A sudden knock on the door to her office cut into her thoughts. Sitting up straighter, Sharon called out, “Yes?”
Benisio walked into the office. “Everyone’s in the boardroom waiting for you.”
“Good. Good.” Sharon nodded approvingly. “What about Wick? Is he there yet?”
“His assistant called to say that something came up,” Benisio said. “Instead, he sent a representative.”
“This is an important meeting to seal our partnership.” Sharon, who was counting on Wick’s presence at the meeting to make an impact, frowned. “Why wouldn’t Wick show up?”
Benisio didn’t answer.
Sharon kissed her teeth in annoyance. “Who is this representative?”
“I have no idea,” Benisio returned. “But I assume that it’s someone from his company.”
Scowling fiercely, Sharon grabbed her phone and immediately scrolled to Wick’s number. She needed to know why he wasn’t coming. He didn’t pick on the first ring, the second ring or the third ring. Talk about unprofessional.
“Fine!” She stood up in a huff. “We’ll just have the meeting without him.”
His presence was just window-dressing anyway. He’d already paid for his share of La Belle which was what was important. The shareholders would have to be satisfied with that.
Ready for battle, Sharon left her office with Benisio at her heels. The boardroom was a floor below the executive’s offices. She took the elevator down then marched down the hallway. As she walked, she arranged her features into a pleasant smile. People always trust you when you smile.
That smile dropped the moment she entered the boardroom.
A meeting of this kind was supposed to be attended by executives from the company, the largest shareholders, and representatives from their lending bank. Typically, that meant that at any given board meeting there were at least thirteen people seated around the conference table. But today was different.
None of La Belle’s named executives were there.
The bank’s representatives weren’t around either.
The shareholders were nowhere to be seen, and neither was Wick’s representative.
There was only one person in that large room. Eve!
Eve was watching something on her laptop. When Sharon and Benisio walked in, she raised her gaze and smiled slowly.
“I thought you said everyone was here?” Sharon glanced back at Benisio before her eyes settled on Eve. “Where’s everyone?”
Her smile still intact, Eve gestured to the empty seats. “This is everyone.”
Sharon frowned. “Are you kidding me?”
“Do I look like I’m kidding you?” Eve’s smile dropped, and for some strange reason the temperature dropped too. Her eyes were hard and flinty as she announced, “I’m representing them all.”
Eve’s gaze, her tone, the sudden coldness in the room, and the lack of other people in the room sent unease threading through Sharon. Her instincts said there was something very wrong here. Frowning in confusion, she asked, “Representing them all? Who is them all? What is going on here?”
“The executives, the shareholders, Lewis Wick… everyone. I’m representing them all.” Eve gestured towards the seat at the head of the table. “Why don’t you have a seat first then I’ll explain what’s going on?”
Though the statement was phrased as a request, to Sharon’s ear it sounded like an order. Her hackles rose. Who was Eve to give her orders? She was a mere minion. Her voice tight with anger, Sharon started, “Who are you to-”
“Sharon!” Eve’s voice cracked over hers like a whip in a large room. “I think you should sit down for this.”
Her tone was firm and her expression as chilly as the coldest winter. The unsettled feeling in the pit of Sharon’s belly ballooned into a strange tightness. Though she didn’t want to sit down, something about Eve’s stare left her with the impression that it was in her best interest to sit down.
It was almost as if Benisio could read his boss’s mind. He stepped forward and pulled out the seat at the head of the table for her.
Reluctantly, Sharon sat down. “Okay, now tell me what’s going on.”
Instead of immediately answering the question, Eve wasted a minute or so pushing her laptop to the side. When she met Sharon’s eyes again, she announced, “La Belle is letting you go.”
Sharon blinked once then blinked again. She must’ve misheard the girl. Cocking an ear, she leaned towards Eve slightly. “Sorry, what?”
“La Belle is letting you go,” Eve repeated obligingly.
No, no, no. Sharon was hearing things. There was just no way. She let out a short chuckle before asking, “Did you just say that La Belle is letting me go or did I imagine it?”
“No, you didn’t imagine it.” Eve’s frosty smile was back in place. “The Board met yesterday and-”
“The Board met? Where? Why?” Sharon couldn’t help the shrillness that crept into her tone as she demanded, “Why wasn’t I informed?”
“You weren’t informed because you were the subject of the meeting. We were debating whether we should keep you or cut you and-” Eve’s smile turned smug. “- we unanimously decided to cut you. Sorry, Sharon.”
“Wha… why… wha…” Sharon couldn’t even form a complete sentence. Her brain was stuttering in its attempt to understand this situation. Every part of her was on pause because of the sudden shock that had flooded in. She swallowed and blinked several times to give her thoughts time to congregate again.
This was all a joke, right? La Belle’s Board would never fire her. She was La Belle. This company was hers. Her forefathers had built it and handed it to her. They couldn’t fire her, and they certainly would never send Eve to do it. Eve was on her side.
Her eyes wide with shock, Sharon stared at her daughter-in-law. “I… I don’t understand what’s going on here.”
“What’s so difficult to understand?” Eve arched her eyebrows. “You’re fired. Sounds simple enough to me.”
Though Eve’s condescending tone rubbed her wrong, Sharon was too shocked to say anything other than, “They can’t fire me.”
Eve shrugged. “Apparently, they can.”
“This can’t be true.” Sharon shook her head several times as panic settled into every cell in her body. “They can’t fire me.” She turned to Benisio who was watching the whole thing with a strangely nonchalant expression. “Benisio, call them all here right now. Tell them we’re having an emergency meeting. I want the Board to tell me what’s going on themselves.”
“Seeing as you’re no longer the CEO, you have no authority to call an emergency meeting.” Eve drew the older woman’s attention back to her. “Besides, them not being here is actually out of courtesy. They thought it would be best if I spoke to you alone. That way we could spare you the embarrassment of being fired in front of an audience.”
Question upon question tumbled through her thoughts. Had the Board really met without her then fired her? Was that why Eve had come home so late yesterday? But she’d said that she was meeting one of their suppliers. Was that a lie?
One glance at Eve’s smirk and Sharon got her answer. Yes, Eve had lied to her yesterday then met with the Board. But why? Why would she lie? This was all so confusing. It felt as if someone had handed her a ball of knotted strings then told her to untangle it all. What the hell was going on here?
“I can see that you’re confused. So why don’t I explain myself better?” Eve offered helpfully. “The Board i
s not happy with how you’ve been running things around here-”
“I’ve been running things just fine!” Sharon didn’t mean to sound so shrill but that’s how it came out.
“Sharon. No! Please! Let’s not lie to ourselves.” Eve shook her head and clucked like someone scolding a child. “La Belle has been a disaster in the last couple of months. The company’s value has plunged, and it’s all because of you. You need to take responsibility for your incompetence.”
Sharon heard everything that Eve said, but none of it penetrated the heavy fog that had eclipsed her brain. She knew what was going on here, yet she still couldn’t understand it. But what had her even more confused was why Eve was the one doing it. Eve was her person, her minion. Why was she the one doing the firing? And why did she seem so self-satisfied while doing it?
Sharon tilted her head as she stared at her daughter-in-law. “Eve, what do think you’re doing?”
“What do I think I’m doing?” The corners of Eve’s mouth slowly rose into a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m stealing your company.”
Sharon’s breath exploded in a sharp gasp. “What?”
“I’m stealing your company just like you stole mine.”
“When did I steal-” Sharon’s words faded into silence as a memory pricked her. She frowned. “Are you talking about Little Eve?”
Fury flashed in Eve’s eyes but her voice was even as she confirmed, “Yes, I’m talking about Little Eve.”
Sharon’s jaw dropped. “That tiny company?”
Little Eve had been nothing to write home about which was why Sharon had completely forgotten that it once existed. It was so tiny that it had only taken just a few words to Eve’s partners and spreading rumors on the internet to get rid of it. Surely Eve wasn’t still hung up on it? Why would she be? She’d gained so much in exchange for it. She was now a Welling and her child would be La Belle’s heir. She had nothing to complain about.
Genuinely baffled, Sharon stared at Eve. “That’s why you’re doing this? Because of that little company?”
Eve nodded. “Yes.”
“That is ridicul- wait!” Sharon stopped speaking again as her frown deepened. “Are you saying that you’re the one who engineered my firing?”
Eve didn’t say anything but her smug smile was all the answer Sharon needed.
But Sharon still couldn’t believe it. She forced a chuckle. “No, you couldn’t have. You just said that the Board-”
“Yes, the Board fired you but I made them.”
“You made them?” Sharon’s eyebrows flew so high up, they almost touched her hairline. “How?”
“It was easy actually.” Eve shrugged. “All I had to do was make sure that I had the majority on the Board.”
“What do you mean majority?” Sharon’s shock was slowly transforming into anger. Her nails digging into the table, she said, “I have the majority.”
“No, Sharon. You don’t.” Eve snorted. “Don’t you remember? You gave Lewis Wick fifteen percent equity in the company.”
“What does that have to do with all this?”
“It has everything to do with all this.” Eve reminded her, “You gave him fifteen percent, but he’d already bought out most of the smaller shareholders when they jumped ship. Right now he owns fifty-one percent of La Belle.”
“No, he doesn’t.” Sharon slammed her hand on the table as her fury rose. “If he’d bought more of the company, I would know.”
“Sharon. Sharon. Sharon.” Eve shook her head and clucked several times. “Don’t be naïve. You’ve heard of shelf corporations, right? If I remember correctly, you used a few of them to tear down Little Eve. Well, I’ve got news for you. Lewis Wick has a few of his own shelf corporations too and they now own the rest of La Belle. I told you, you shouldn’t have signed a deal with him.”
Sharon’s heart plunged to her stomach as fresh shock swept through her. Was that why Wick had come to her? So he could steal her company? No. No. No. He’d let her believe that she was getting one over him by just selling him fifteen percent for a boatload of money. Meanwhile, he was silently laughing at her. How could she be such a fool? She should’ve known that it was all too good to be true.
Though her mind was still reeling dizzily because of Wick’s betrayal, Sharon forced herself to sound calm as she asked, “Okay, he bought the shares, but what does that have to do with you?”
“I asked him to,” Eve said. “Wick was one of my first angel investors when I started Little Eve.”
“Wick was an investor in Little Eve?” Sharon’s eyes widened in shock. How did she not know this?
“It’s not something either of us advertised.” Eve continued, “He fronted me the money to start out but once I paid him, he stepped out of the company. You can imagine how sad he was to see it go down, and how eager he was to help me take you down.”
Slowly, the puzzle pieces fell into place. If Sharon understood this right, Eve and Wick had collaborated to steal La Belle right from under her nose. Sharon wasn’t sure whether to be furious or in awe. In the five years since Eve had kowtowed to her, she’d never shown signs of harboring any plans for vengeance. Sharon hadn’t even imagined that she had it in her. She’d been such a meek, obedient lamb that Sharon had been fully convinced that she’d leashed her and could use her as she pleased. Clearly, it was all an act. This was the definition of thinking you were raising a kitten when what you had was a tiger. Brava, Eve!
Still, Eve was messing with the wrong person! She may have shown her claws but Sharon was still the queen of this court. If Eve thought that this petty little coup would stand, then she was severely mistaken.
“You poor, poor thing.” Sharon slowly smiled. “Please don’t tell me you think this will work.” Her smile grew. “You and Wick may have bought those shares but I can just take them back. Once I go to court and show the illegality of the process, then-”
“Um… Sharon.” Eve cut her off with a mock wince. “Involving the law might not be a good idea. See, Wick’s buying of the company might not be completely on the up and up, but I have a feeling that the courts will be more interested in your illegal shenanigans than in how La Belle changed hands.”
Sharon’s smile dropped like a stone. “What the hell does that mean?”
“Hmm.” Eve sighed. “Where do I start?” She paused dramatically before grabbing her laptop and bringing it to herself. She clicked on the keyboard a few times before turning it around. “Benisio, please show Sharon the videos.”
Sharon had completely forgotten the presence of the man, but the swiftness with which he moved to obey Eve’s order had her giving him the side-eye. Benisio grabbed Eve’s laptop and brought it closer to Sharon. He was even kind enough to point out the files that Sharon was supposed to click on. “Those ones.”
Sharon snorted. “Let me see.”
Moments later, that snort turned into a gasp of dismay.
The first video was footage of a meeting between her and an FDA director where they were discussing how to fake the FDAs approval for several of La Belle’s products. The next video was of her and the editor at Nina Wu’s paper discussing how to get rid of Nina and hide the article. Then there was the video of her and Benisio talking about the reformulated conditioners that there’d be handing out at the press conference. And those were just the most recent videos.
Sharon watched those videos in open-mouthed horror as her brain slowly realized that she was screwed. Totally screwed! Those three videos alone were enough to get her locked up or at least investigated. And they were not the only videos in that file. If Sharon had to take a guess, she’d say that there were around fifty videos in that file. Instinctively, she highlighted all the videos in that file then right-clicked. Her intention was to delete them all. But Eve read her like an open book.
“Don’t bother.” Eve stopped her with a snort. “I have back-ups everywhere.”
Oh God! Like an onlooker horrified yet fascinated by a car crash, Sharon cl
icked on one of those videos again… perhaps to confirm that it was still just as bad as when she’d first seen it. As she rewatched the video, it dawned on her that most of those videos were from spy-cams planted in her office.
Her wide-eyed gaze shot up to meet Eve’s. “You planted bugs in my office?”
Eve responded with a smile.
This bitch! Sharon wanted to lunge forward and slap her but her limbs seemed to have gone on strike. Her butt stayed firmly planted in her seat even as her gaze swept back to the videos. Moments later, she realized that some of the videos weren’t filmed in her office. For instance, she’d met Nina Wu’s editor at a private room in a restaurant. Eve wasn’t there so she couldn’t have planted her spy-cams there. So how had she... the answer smacked Sharon in the face.
Her neck almost snapped as she whipped around to stare at Benisio in dawning horror. “You helped her.”
It wasn’t a question, but still, Sharon expected a denial. But none came. He just stared back at her with that blank stare. There was her answer. But she couldn’t believe it.
She breathed. “Why?”
He was her most trusted soldier. Why would he do this to her?
“Are you seriously asking why?” Eve answered for Benisio. She snorted. “Have you forgotten how you forced Benisio to work for you?”
“Forced? I didn’t-” Sharon paused as the memory of how she and Benisio started working together swept in.
Twenty years ago, Benisio was a detective with the Homicide bureau. When Sharon’s husband, Albert, had died, the case was assigned to Benisio. Sharon wanted the case closed as a suicide, Benisio wanted to investigate it further. Fortunately, Benisio had a daughter with leukemia and no money to get her treated.
At first when Sharon generously offered him the funds to take care of his daughter, he’d refused. But that refusal didn’t last long. How could it when Sharon was deeply connected with his chief? She’d managed to get him framed for being a dirty cop and fired. To top it all off, she’d made the hospital kick his daughter out for non-payment of bills. When he was all out of choices, she’d swooped in with more money. How could he not take it?
