PART 4: THE BOARDROOM SIEGE
The trap was set in downtown Chicago.
Sunrise Ember’s quarterly shareholder meeting. Raymond Hale had insisted Emily attend. "They need to see the face of the new company," he told her.
Emily hated the idea. She was a waitress who had learned to read legal documents, not an executive. She wore a simple navy dress. Dylan wore a dark suit that made him look even more dangerous than the leather vest.
The hotel ballroom was packed. Men in expensive watches. Women in sharp blazers. And at the front row, sitting with relaxed, terrifying confidence, was a man named Marcus Vance.
Vance was Grant Wexler’s primary investor. He owned a massive shadow stake in the company. And he had come to collect.
Raymond took the podium. Before he could speak, Vance stood up. He didn't use a microphone, but his voice carried.
"Raymond. We’ve indulged this little public relations stunt long enough." The room went dead silent.
Vance walked toward the front. "The 'Harper Rule.' The employee liaisons. The back-pay settlements. It was a cute story for the news. But the stock is dipping. Profit margins are down 4% this quarter because you are over-staffing and over-paying entry-level workers."
Raymond’s face turned red. "We are paying them what they are legally owed, Marcus."
Vance smiled. It was a shark’s smile. "Sunrise Ember is a business. Not a charity. And as the representative of the majority shareholder block, I am calling for a vote of no confidence in Raymond Hale’s leadership."
Gasps rippled through the room. Emily froze.
Vance turned his gaze to Emily. "And we will be eliminating the employee liaison position immediately. Miss Harper, I believe your shift is over."
He had the votes. Emily could see it in the faces of the board members. They had been bought. Or threatened. Or both. Raymond looked suddenly very old. He had built the company, but the paperwork had stolen it from him.
"You can't do this," Emily said. Her voice shook, but she stood up anyway.
Vance laughed. "I already have, sweetheart. You think a viral video makes you bulletproof? The internet forgets in a week. Money remembers forever."
He raised his hand to signal the security guards. "Escort Mr. Hale and Miss Harper out."
Two massive hotel security guards stepped forward. They didn't make it far.
Dylan stepped into the aisle. He didn't raise his hands. He didn't take a fighting stance. He just stood there. An immovable object.
"She's not leaving," Dylan said.
Vance sneered. "Arrest him for trespassing."
"You might want to look out the window first," Dylan replied, his voice a low rumble.
A board member near the window pulled back the heavy velvet curtains. He dropped his coffee cup. It shattered on the carpet.
Vance frowned and walked to the window. His face went completely pale.
Down on the street below, the avenue was entirely blocked. Not by motorcycles. By people.
Hundreds of them. Wearing Sunrise Ember aprons. Baristas. Cooks. Cleaners. Managers. They held signs. They held their phones up, live-streaming.
"What is this?" Vance hissed.
Emily walked up to the window. She looked down at the crowd. She recognized Jenna. She recognized Luis. She saw faces from three different states.
"You said the internet forgets," Emily said, turning to Vance. "You're right. But people don't."
Dylan pulled out his phone and tapped the screen. The audio from the live stream patched into the ballroom's sound system. A voice boomed through the speakers. It was Priya, holding a megaphone on the street.
"If Raymond Hale and Emily Harper are removed from Sunrise Ember, we walk. Every store in the Midwest. Every flagship in the East. We drop our aprons, and we walk. Let’s see how your profit margins look when there is no one left to pour the coffee."
The board members began to panic. A national strike would tank the stock overnight. It would destroy the brand permanently.
Vance stared at Emily. The arrogance in his eyes was replaced by raw, unfiltered hatred. "You think you've won?" he whispered. "I think you need to sit down," Emily said.
May you like
The vote of no confidence was withdrawn. Vance walked out of the room, but not before shooting Dylan a look that promised violence.
The battle in the boardroom was won. But the war had just moved to the streets.
