Chapter 8 - Hostile Skies
Evelyn stared at Franklin. The injustice of the world struck her with renewed fury—how men like Nathan Cole inherited millions and lived in careless luxury, while men who literally built the nation with their bare hands were discarded to suffer in secret.
"You're not a burden, Franklin," Evelyn said firmly. "You're a monument."
Before Franklin could answer, Marcus hurried up the aisle from the galley, his phone pressed to his ear. His face was grim. He crouched by Evelyn’s seat, speaking in a low, urgent murmur.
"Mrs. Whitmore. We have a developing situation in New York."
Evelyn frowned. "What is it?"
"It’s your nephew, Julian," Marcus whispered. "The moment word leaked from Gate C-18 that you collapsed and paramedics were summoned, Julian convened an emergency board meeting at Vance Worldwide Tower. He is claiming you suffered a severe cognitive episode and is attempting to invoke the emergency succession clause."
Evelyn’s eyes narrowed into twin flint blades. "Julian always was a vulture. He’s been waiting for me to stumble for ten years."
"He has allied with two major institutional shareholders," Marcus continued. "One of them is the parent company of Apex Capital. Nathan Cole called them from the terminal the second our doors closed. They are executing a coordinated coup before the annual gala tonight."
Madison leaned forward, having caught snippets of the conversation. Her face turned pale. "Apex Capital... they have an emergency proxy voting bloc that triggers if a majority shareholder is declared medically incapacitated. Nathan told me about it last month. They’ve been preparing this file for months!"
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Evelyn looked at Madison with sharp appraisal. "Tell me more, girl."
Madison pulled out her tablet, her fingers flying across the keys. Her corporate training kicked in with surgical precision. "Nathan kept the file on our encrypted cloud drive. Julian Vance traded inside information on your regional terminal acquisitions in exchange for Apex’s proxy vote. If I bypass Nathan’s local clearance using my associate credentials, I can pull up the signed intent letters."
