The boardroom was unusually full that morning.
Executives from every major department were present...Gabriella from Accounting, Patrick from Production, Evelyn from Sales, Benjamin from Logistics, Laura from Marketing, and several analysts, clerks, and assistants lined along the wall.
Fred Thompson sat quietly at one side of the oval table, shoulders tense, face drawn.
He hadn't slept well for days...his relationship with Martha has fallen apart, and he was too emotionally drained to pretend.
The last to arrive were Ryan and Jordan Benson, entering with the usual confidence of men certain the room still belonged to them.
"Where's Dad?" Jordan asked irritably.
"He'll be online soon," Gabriella replied.
The lights dimmed slightly as the large screen blinked on.
But instead of Williams Benson, someone else appeared on the screen.
Dave Benson.
Wearing a plain hoodie, hair unbrushed, expression blank...just as everyone always saw him.
The room fell strangely silent.
Ryan scoffed quietly.
"Oh great," he murmured. "What is he doing here?"
Jordan smirked. "Probably clicked the wrong link."
Fred didn't look up.
He just stared at his notes, numb.
Gabriella, however, noticed something different in Dave's eyes...focus.
Then the double doors opened.
And Dave himself walked into the boardroom.
The real him.
Not the harmless version everyone thought they knew.
He stepped forward with slow, deliberate confidence, hands in his hoodie pockets, eyes sharp and cold.
Behind him, three legal officers entered...carrying a sealed briefcase.
Ryan stood abruptly. "Dave, what...what are you doing here? This meeting is for executives only."
Dave didn't even blink.
"Sit down, Ryan. I didn't ask for your commentary."
A ripple of shock passed through the room.
People exchanged looks...confused, uneasy.
Williams Benson finally appeared on screen...his eyes widening when he saw Dave standing at the head of the table.
"Dave? What in the world...?"
Dave motioned calmly to the lawyers.
They opened the briefcase and placed several bound documents on the table.
One of the lawyers cleared his throat.
"Ladies and gentlemen, as of 7:02 AM today, Mr. Dave Benson is the majority shareholder of Carter Organization."
Gasps.
Whispers.
A sudden, suffocating silence.
Ryan blinked rapidly. "Wh...what? That's impossible. Dad...tell them it's impossible!"
Williams stared at Dave like he was seeing a ghost.
"Dave… you… how did you...?"
Dave finally spoke.
His voice was calm.
Sharp.
Terrifyingly controlled.
"I'm done pretending, Father."
He placed his hand on the stack of documents.
"For fifteen years, Carter Organization has had unclaimed silent shares registered under your old business partner. You never updated the documents. You trusted the wrong sons to notice."
He looked directly at Ryan and Jordan.
Their faces drained of color.
"I bought them."
He lifted the final document.
"And according to the emergency succession clause you signed last year… 'In the event of medical instability, controlling authority is transferred to the most stable son.'"
He gave Ryan a small, cruel smile.
"Congratulations. Your last scandal made you legally unfit. Jordan's 'nightclub incident' didn't help either."
The room froze.
Williams swallowed hard.
"Dave… you're saying you now control..."
"Everything."
Dave sat in the chairman's seat.
As if he had always belonged there.
Executives exchanged nervous glances.
Gabriella instinctively shifted her posture...alert, calculating.
Lizzy folded her arms, trying to stay unreadable.
Fred stared blankly, too emotionally exhausted to even react.
Ryan exploded first.
"This is ridiculous! You're not even supposed to be here! No one takes you seriously...no one even thinks you can write a full sentence!"
Dave tilted his head.
"Yet here we are."
He tapped the table lightly.
"Security."
Two guards entered.
Dave pointed to his brothers without hesitation.
"Ryan Benson. Jordan Benson. You're both fired."
The room erupted.
"What?!"
"You can't do that!"
"Dave, stop this right now!"
But Dave remained perfectly calm.
"You've embarrassed this organization for years. Your father protected you, but I won't."
He turned to the guards.
"Escort them out."
As the brothers struggled, protested, and attempted to appeal to their father, Williams watched...stunned, confused, and heartbreakingly powerless.
Then Dave turned his gaze to Fred.
A long, heavy silence fell.
Fred looked up slowly, eyes tired.
Dave's voice dropped to a dangerous softness.
"Fred Thompson."
The entire room tensed.
"Your competence has always annoyed my brothers. Father likes you too much. You make them insecure. You make them… paranoid."
He leaned back.
"And I don't like anyone who makes noise in my system."
Fred sighed...almost relieved.
"I understand," he said quietly.
Dave lifted one hand.
"You're fired."
No drama.
No insult.
Just a clean execution of power.
Fred lowered his eyes.
He felt strangely numb.
This was just another blow on a heart that was already tired...tired from relationship pain, tired from life, tired from carrying too much.
He gathered his folder slowly.
Martha's face flashed briefly in his mind...but the ache inside him was too heavy to even fight.
Gabriella watched him, expression unreadable.
Lizzy blinked, trying to process everything.
Nana covered her mouth in shock.
Dave turned to the room.
"Anyone who has a problem with my leadership," he said quietly, "should walk out now."
No one moved.
"No?" Dave smiled faintly. "Good. Carter Organization is under new management."
Williams finally spoke, voice low.
"Dave… you've planned this for a long time."
Dave turned toward the screen.
"Yes, Father. You never saw me coming."
The new chairman leaned back in the leather seat.
Hands folded calmly.
Eyes cold.
A king who had finally removed his mask.
Fred Thompson staggered across the parking lot, the evening lights casting long shadows on the pavement.
His steps felt heavier than usual.
Tomorrow, he would meet his father to discuss joining the new chemical subsidiary.
A fresh start, perhaps.
Or just another escape.
He was no longer a regional manager earning millions...
Dave was already leaning on his car, waiting like a dark thought he couldn't outrun.
"You know why I wanted Martha so badly?"
Dave asked, voice low and mocking. "I wanted to ruin the thing you held so precious. You treasured her… and I despised you for it. But look at you now...no company, no Martha. You lost everything.You will become your father's dog. What you feared so bad has come upon you".
Fred said nothing.
He opened the door, slid into the driver's seat, and drove off before the weight of Dave's words could crush him.
If only he hadn't wasted time searching for a 'perfect' reason to marry her, they would have been husband and wife by now.
If only he had realized earlier that she was the treasure he'd been praying for.
If only Raymond Whitmore hadn't seen her worth first.
The road blurred ahead of him as his eyes filled with tears.
THE END