BEEP-BEEP-BEEP.<\/b><\/p>\n
A harsh red light flashed on the panel.\u00a0ACCESS DENIED.<\/b><\/p>\n
Mark blinked. He wiped the card on his sleeve and tapped it again.<\/p>\n
BEEP-BEEP-BEEP. ACCESS DENIED. CARD INVALID.<\/b><\/p>\n
\u201cWhat the hell?\u201d Mark growled. \u201cSystem glitch.\u201d<\/p>\n
He sighed aggressively and walked to the main lobby elevators. He would have to ride with the common employees. Humiliating, but he would yell at IT as soon as he got upstairs.<\/p>\n
He walked into the grand lobby of Vance Global. It was a cathedral of glass and steel, bustling with hundreds of employees.<\/p>\n
Mark marched toward the turnstiles. He tapped his card again.<\/p>\n
BEEP-BEEP-BEEP.<\/b><\/p>\n
The turnstile remained locked.<\/p>\n
Behind him, a line of employees began to form. \u201cExcuse me, sir, can you move?\u201d someone asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you know who I am?!\u201d Mark shouted, spinning around. \u201cI am the CEO! This machine is broken!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSir, please step aside,\u201d a deep voice boomed.<\/p>\n
Mark turned. Three large security guards were standing there. They weren\u2019t the usual friendly lobby guards. These men were wearing tactical vests.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy card isn\u2019t working,\u201d Mark snapped at the lead guard. \u201cLet me through. I have a board meeting in twenty minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Miller,\u201d the guard said, his face made of stone. \u201cYour card isn\u2019t working because it has been deactivated. You do not have access to the secure areas.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDeactivated?\u201d Mark laughed, a high-pitched, incredulous sound. \u201cBy whom? I run this building! I am the CEO!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot anymore, sir,\u201d the guard said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have received orders to bar your entry,\u201d the guard stated. \u201cPlease leave the premises.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is insane!\u201d Mark screamed, causing the entire lobby to go silent. \u201cWho gave that order? Call the Chairman! Call the Board! I want answers!\u201d<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The sound of a chime cut through the tension.<\/p>\n
The central elevator bank\u2014the VIP elevators that Mark had tried to use in the garage\u2014slid open.<\/p>\n
The lobby went dead silent.<\/p>\n
Two security officers stepped out first, clearing a path. And then,\u00a0She<\/b>\u00a0stepped out.<\/p>\n
It was\u00a0Anna<\/b>.<\/p>\n
But it wasn\u2019t the Anna of yesterday. It wasn\u2019t the exhausted, broken woman in the hospital gown.<\/p>\n
She was sitting in a sleek, motorized wheelchair, her movement smooth and silent. Despite the wheelchair, she looked ten feet tall.<\/p>\n
She was wearing a sharp, white power suit that fit her perfectly. Her hair was pulled back in a severe, elegant chignon. She wore dark sunglasses, hiding the fatigue in her eyes, but projecting an aura of absolute, terrifying mystery.<\/p>\n
She glided across the marble floor, flanked by the General Counsel and the Chief Financial Officer.<\/p>\n
Mark stared at her, his mouth hanging open. \u201cAnna? What\u2026 what the hell are you doing here? You should be in the hospital! You\u2026 you look ridiculous!\u201d<\/p>\n
He marched toward her, his face red with rage. \u201cDid you do this? Did you lock my card to be petty? Get out of here! Security! Escort my ex-wife out of the building! She\u2019s hysterical!\u201d<\/p>\n
The security guards didn\u2019t move toward Anna. They moved closer to Mark, hands hovering over their tasers.<\/p>\n
Anna stopped her wheelchair five feet from him. She slowly removed her sunglasses. Her eyes were cold, hard flint.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Miller,\u201d the General Counsel said, stepping forward. \u201cShow some respect.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRespect for who?\u201d Mark shouted. \u201cFor a housewife?\u201d<\/p>\n
The General Counsel adjusted his glasses. \u201cFor the\u00a0Chairman of the Board<\/b>.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark froze. The words bounced around his skull, refusing to settle. \u201cChairman? What are you talking about? Her father was the Chairman. He died!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd when he died,\u201d Anna said, her voice calm and amplified by the acoustics of the silent lobby, \u201che left the entire controlling interest of Vance Global to me.\u00a0To his daughter.<\/b>\u201c<\/p>\n
The Twist was revealed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI appointed you as CEO five years ago, Mark,\u201d Anna said. \u201cI wanted you to feel important. I wanted you to have a career. I stepped back. I worked from home. I managed the Board and the shareholders from the shadows so that you could shine in the spotlight. I let you believe you were the king.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at him with profound disappointment.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you never owned this company. You never owned a single share of voting stock. You were an employee. A high-paid, glorified manager hired by\u00a0me<\/b>.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark staggered back. The reality of his life crumbled. He wasn\u2019t a self-made tycoon. He was a husband who had been given a job by his wife.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo\u2026\u201d Mark whispered. \u201cThat\u2019s\u2026 that\u2019s not true. I built this!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou maintained it,\u201d Anna corrected. \u201cAnd poorly, I might add. Your expense reports are a disaster. But that\u2019s a matter for the auditors.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Chloe, who had been waiting in the lobby coffee shop for Mark\u2019s triumphant entrance, walked over, looking confused. \u201cMark? What\u2019s going on? Why is she here?\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna turned her gaze to Chloe.<\/p>\n
\u201cAh, the \u2018brand fit\u2019,\u201d Anna said dryly.<\/p>\n
She pulled a piece of paper from her lap. It was the divorce agreement Mark had forced her to sign less than 24 hours ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cYesterday, Mark,\u201d Anna said, holding up the document, \u201cyou forced me to sign this. You were so eager to protect \u2018your\u2019 assets that you insisted on a clause:\u00a0\u2018Total separation of assets based on legal title.\u2019<\/i>\u201c<\/p>\n
She smiled. It was a terrifying smile.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou forgot to check whose name was on the title of the corporation, Mark. It\u2019s mine. You forgot to check whose name was on the deed to the penthouse. It\u2019s mine. You forgot to check whose name was on the lease for the Aston Martin. It\u2019s the company\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
She handed the paper to the General Counsel.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou wanted a clean break? You got it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna looked at the Head of Security.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs Chairman of the Board and majority shareholder,\u201d Anna announced, her voice ringing out, \u201cI am hereby exercising my authority.\u00a0Mark Miller is terminated from the position of CEO, effective immediately, for Cause.<\/b>\u201c<\/p>\n
\u201cCause?\u201d Mark choked out. \u201cWhat cause?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGross misconduct. Moral turpitude. Public embarrassment of the firm. And,\u201d she gestured to Chloe, \u201cmisappropriation of company funds to finance an illicit affair with a subordinate.\u201d<\/p>\n
She turned to Chloe.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are fired too, Chloe. Pack your desk. You have ten minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark looked around. The hundreds of employees in the lobby\u2014people he had bullied and ignored for years\u2014were watching him. Some were smiling.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t do this!\u201d Mark screamed, lunging toward Anna. \u201cI am the CEO! I am the face of this company!\u201d<\/p>\n
The security guards tackled him. They slammed him onto the marble floor, pinning his arms behind his back. The \u201cKing\u201d was eating dust.<\/p>\n
\u201cBailiff,\u201d Anna said calmly. \u201cSecure his keys.\u201d<\/p>\n
A guard reached into Mark\u2019s pocket and fished out the Aston Martin keys.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the apartment keys,\u201d Anna added.<\/p>\n
They took his house keys.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have nowhere to go!\u201d Mark shouted from the floor. \u201cWe have a prenup!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d Anna said. \u201cThe one you wrote.\u00a0\u2018Each party retains sole ownership of assets registered in their name.\u2019<\/b>\u00a0The only thing registered in your name, Mark, is your student loan debt and your credit card bills. The penthouse is company property. You are evicted.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The guards hauled Mark to his feet. His suit was rumpled. His hair was a mess. He looked at Anna, and for the first time, he saw her. He didn\u2019t see a \u201cmessy housewife.\u201d He saw a Titan.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnna\u2026\u201d he begged, his voice breaking. \u201cPlease. The twins. I\u2019m their father.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou made your choice in the hospital room,\u201d Anna said, her voice icy. \u201cYou chose your image over your children. You chose your mistress over your wife. You walked out.\u201d<\/p>\n
She signaled the guards.<\/p>\n
\u201cGet him out of my building.\u201d<\/p>\n
The guards dragged Mark and a weeping Chloe toward the revolving doors. They were shoved out onto the sidewalk, into the busy street, with nothing but the clothes on their backs. No car. No home. No job. No golden parachute.<\/p>\n
Anna watched them go.<\/p>\n
The lobby erupted into applause. The employees were clapping. They were cheering for the Chairman.<\/p>\n
Anna raised a hand, silencing them. She looked at her team.<\/p>\n
\u201cGet back to work,\u201d she said softly. \u201cWe have a lot of damage to repair.\u201d<\/p>\n
She turned her wheelchair around. The General Counsel pressed the button for the VIP elevator.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere to, Madam Chairman?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Boardroom,\u201d Anna said. \u201cAnd then, back to the hospital. My children need me.\u201d<\/p>\n
The elevator doors closed, sealing out the noise, carrying Anna up to the top of the world where she belonged.<\/p>\n