Chapter 10: Leaving Lancaster

"Ms. Lancaster do you have any comment about the death of your ex, Damian Whitmore?" "Ms. Lancaster, how do you feel about the death of your fiancé?" "Ms. Lancaster, did you have anything to do with the death of your fiancé, Damian Whitmore?" The paparazzi's and journalists from different media companies bombarded Vivienne as she walked the steps to Lancaster Enterprises with the help of her bodyguards who were now protecting her from being squeezed by the mass of journalists scavenging for information.

Ever since the death of Damian yesterday, Vivienne decided to add more bodyguards to be extra careful with her safety but four of the men out of the six that were protecting her, came from Adrian. after their meeting yesterday, Adrian insisted to add onto Vivienne's extra protection at all costs, it was one of the perks of her becoming his future wife and even though it was all just for media and revenge purposes, it had to look believable.

Vivienne didn't say anything, she was going for the board members meeting to hear the final verdict that was pending because they refused to cancel the meeting further after yesterday's incident. The Board didn't care about Damian's passing as many thought they would. Everything was going on as expected.

When Vivienne entered the lobby, even the employees were busy gossiping after the horrific incident yesterday, they still had to show up, everything had to move on as normal and no operations would be stopped.

When she finally arrived at the board room, to her surprise, everyone was already seated, waiting for her, including Annie her step-mother and Carla her half-sister, who looked at her in disgust.

They felt a little bit threatened by the final verdict, since Damian wasn't there to back them up anymore.

Vivienne went straight to the CEO's chair where her father used to sit with her head held high. She had a lot to loose at this point but she didn't let even the slightest expression of fear show in her face, she was going to face the problem head on even if it meant, their own company was going to crucify her.

And once Ms. Vivienne Lancaster sat, the meeting started.

The board members sat around the table, some of them were a mix of seasoned business veterans and powerful stakeholders.

Vivienne sat at the head of the table, dressed in a white suit that exuded her confident demeanor. She glanced around, knowing very well that the meeting would determine the next fate she held in that company.

At the far end of the table, her step-mother, Annie Ramirez Lancaster and her half-sister, Carla Ramirez Lancaster sat with condescending attitudes as their lawyer Mr. Robert, calmly adjusted his papers.

"Ladies and gentlemen, today we are here, to vote on the motion to remove Vivienne Lancaster as CEO of Lancaster Enterprises, following the legal complications surrounding her father's fraud case and the recent restructuring of company ownership.. However, we will allow Ms. Lancaster to make a final statement before proceeding to voting," the board Chairman Mr. Ridley announced.

Vivienne gripped the edge of her table as she breathed deeply before she spoke, "I understand that my father's mistakes may have tainted the image of this company, but I have dedicated my life to upholding its legacy. I was tricked into signing over control by someone who I trusted. If you remove me now, you will be handing over this company to individuals who have no true interest in its success and only care about their personal gain. I plead to you all to consider what's best for Lancaster Enterprises."

A few board members looked at each other with some looking sympathetic, others were not convinced. 

Annie who had a treacherous smirk, leaned forward, "What's best for this company is stability. Vivienne may have been the CEO, but her reckless trust in the wrong people has compromised this company. The board must consider who is truly capable of leading us forward."

"And that's why my mother and I are stepping up. We have secured financial backing with a strategic plan to restore our numbers in the market." added Carla with a smug look.

A murmur spread across the boardroom and then suddenly Mr. Ridley cleared his throat. "We shall now proceed to vote. Those in favor of removing Vivienne Lancaster as CEO?"

One by one, their hands began to rise. Vivienne couldn't fathom the thought of being evicted where her father worked hard to secure, only for it to disappear in one day. Her heart pounded as she watched their betrayal before her eyes. The final count, would have surely left no room for no more doubts. They were traitors.

"With a majority vote, Vivienne Lancaster is hereby removed as the CEO of Lancaster Enterprises. The position will be assigned to Annie Lancaster as interim CEO, and Carla Lancaster as COO." announced the Chairperson.

Vivienne had a feeling this would happen, but what she didn't expect was the full on field of betrayal before her eyes. These were the same people her father helped into the company when they had nothing at the beginning of their lives before joining that company, but now they all turned against them. Her emotions raged with bitterness but she refused to break. 

When she dropped her head in disappointment, she noticed something in the legal documents that she almost forgot, Annie's lawyer had overlooked a clause in the ownership agreement, furthermore where did Damian's shares go to? That wasn't addressed in the meeting?

"This meeting is adjourned," concluded the Chairperson.

As the board members began to leave, Annie and Carla came toward her with a victorious smirk, "It's over dear. You Lost."

Vivienne's eyes pierced theirs as her lips released the slightest of smiles, "What happened to Damian's shares you two rag rats? Why was his vote not taken into account in this meeting? Who was his representative? The thing about the two of you that really amazes me is how dumb you have both always managed to be. You might have sent Damian to trick me but he's no longer here now. The both of you are going to answer for where the rest of his company's shares are, I won't rest till the both of you are behind bars."

Then she exited the boardroom.

Annie and Carla never knew Vivienne's true purpose of immediately proposing to Adrian that night, now they were about to be shown why and Vivienne was always one step-ahead of them with a back-up plan.