Chapter 5

The night before the shareholders' meeting.

David was in such a pumped-up mood that, as Rebecca put it, "he looked like he was supercharged."

Thomas passed the news on to me.

"Rebecca said David called his assistant into his office this afternoon and they talked for an hour and a half. When the assistant came out, he looked like he'd seen a ghost.

"Then David made a bunch of calls, and the last one was to his dad. They talked for forty minutes straight."

"How did he react?"

"He was walking like he owned the place, with that confident smirk on his face.

"Rebecca said, 'That smile was exactly the same as when he fired you in front of everyone at the company.'"

I leaned against the counter at Thomas's coffee shop.

"Yeah, makes sense. He figures since Mr. Q never bothered to show up and run the company, he's just a financial backer.

"If he's coming to the shareholders' meeting, it's probably just about dividends or maybe an exit strategy. It's got nothing to do with him. His position is rock solid."

Thomas was chewing on some tapioca pearls.

"How do you know that's what's going on in his head?"

"If he was freaking out, he wouldn't be grinning. He'd be tense, poking around, fishing for info. But since he's smiling, it means he feels like he's got the whole situation locked down."

"Has he ever thought that Mr. Q could be you?"

I shook my head.

"No way. In his mind, I'm just some office clerk, a nobody he threw out of the company. Once he's got that idea stuck in his head, it's not easy to change. Unless, "

"Unless you slap him in the face with the hard evidence."

"Exactly."

Thomas finished off his coffee.

"So, what do you think your wife's gonna do when she finds out?"

I didn't answer.

"What time are you getting there tomorrow?"

"8:30. I'll get there half an hour before you and run through all the gear, the big screen, projector, sound system. Can't afford any screw-ups."

"Got it."

I stood up.

"Alright, I'm heading out. See you tomorrow."

"Wait up."

Thomas pulled a plastic bag out from behind the counter.

"Grape lollipops. Twelve in a pack."

I grabbed it from him.

"Why'd you buy a whole pack?"

"Figured you might get jittery. Sugar's good for nerves."

I shot him a look.

"I'm not nervous."

He said, looking dead serious, "I'm nervous. I'm your legal advisor, and tomorrow I have to stand next to you in front of all the company bigwigs. Seriously, I'm just a guy who runs a coffee shop."

"Didn't you go to law school?"

"That was seven years ago! These days, the biggest legal trouble I deal with is the corner store next door snatching my takeout from my doorstep!"

I gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

"Relax, just stand next to me and don't say anything."

"So what am I supposed to do, just stand there like an inflatable decoration?"

"You look tough. It'll keep everyone in check."

Thomas rolled his eyes.

"Get out of here."

On the day of the shareholders' meeting, I arrived at the 27th floor of Delimbia Group's headquarters, heading straight for the main conference room.

At 8:45, I took the VIP entrance from the underground garage.

Normally, only Lucas and a few major shareholders used this route, but Thomas had already registered my info in the system ahead of time.

The elevator took me straight up to the 27th floor.

When the doors slid open, Thomas was already waiting for me.

He was dressed to the nines in a suit. He actually went through with it.

"You..." he said, giving me a once-over. "You really showed up in a hoodie?"

I glanced down at myself.

Black hoodie, dark casual pants, white sneakers.

"What's wrong with that?"

"Whatever, just do you."

The conference room wasn't open yet. Out in the hallway, people were coming and going.

Admin staff set up nameplates and adjusted the equipment, while a few early minor shareholders were whispering in the corner.

When they spotted me, a few of them stared for a moment.

A heavyset, middle-aged guy adjusted his glasses. He was Elliot Knight, who owned 3% of the company. I'd seen his name before on the list of shareholders.

He glanced at me standing by the VIP entrance in my hoodie, looking totally baffled.

Thomas stepped forward.

"Elliot, good morning. This is..."

"I'll handle it," I cut him off, flashing Elliot a smile. "Morning."

Elliot hesitated for a second, gave a slight nod, and walked off.

Thomas leaned in and whispered, "Can't you at least try to look like a big shot? People probably think you're here to fix the AC."

I pulled a lollipop out of my pocket, tore off the wrapper, and popped it into my mouth.

"Relax, they'll all know soon enough."

At 9:00 sharp, the conference room doors swung open.

Everyone started coming in, one after another.

The Delimbia Group's shareholders' meeting was no small event, with eleven individual shareholders, reps from three institutional investors, plus the company's top execs, so there were over forty people altogether.

With the note-takers and secretarial staff sitting in the back, the headcount was over fifty.

This year, though, there was a twist, Lucas had upped the number of execs allowed in, inviting all the department heads from marketing, operations, HR, and more.

Erin was on the list, too.

By the time she walked in, I was already sitting smack in the middle of the shareholders' section.

She didn't notice me at first. The shareholders' seats were right up front in a semicircle, set apart from everyone else.

But then her gaze swept over.

And then she froze.

I had a lollipop in my mouth and tilted my chin at her.

Her face didn't show a thing.

But I caught her tightening her grip on the folder.

David walked in two minutes after her.

He was dressed in a dark suit, a silver tie clip, and his shoes were polished to a mirror shine.

He strolled in like he owned the place, completely relaxed, as if the conference room was his own living room.

He greeted a few execs with that perfect, practiced smile.

Then his eyes swept over the front row.

And then he saw me.

He didn't even break stride, and his face barely changed.

But his eyes flickered for a split second.

There was a flicker of confusion in his eyes.

But he quickly pushed it down.

He walked over to his seat and sat down.

He crossed his legs.

He leaned over and whispered something to the operations director next to him, and they both smiled.

He was relaxed and confident.

Once everyone was seated, Lucas made his entrance last.

He was a lean man in his sixties, dressed in a crisp white shirt and rimless glasses, radiating authority without even trying.

As he walked up to the podium, his gaze casually swept over the shareholders' section.

His eyes landed on me.

He paused for half a second.

His lips twitched, not sure if he was about to smile.

Then he sat down.

"Ladies and gentlemen, shareholders and executives, the seventh annual shareholders' meeting of Delimbia Group will now begin."

The first half hour was all routine stuff, annual financial report, business segment recap, and approval of next year's budget.

It was mind-numbing.

With a lollipop in my mouth, I zoned out, almost nodding off.

Thomas was sitting next to me, stiff as a board.

His knee was jittering non-stop.

I nudged him with my foot.

He shot me a glare.

I shook my head.

Half an hour later, Lucas cleared his throat.

"Everyone, that wraps up the regular agenda. Now, let's move on to today's special agenda."

His tone changed.

The murmurs in the room died down instantly.

"As you all know, we have a major shareholder who has never attended a shareholders' meeting, Mr. Q. He owns 23% of the company, making him our largest individual shareholder."

A low buzz of whispers rippled through the crowd.

In the back, some of the execs leaned forward, trying to get a better look.

David uncrossed his legs.

"Today, Mr. Q will be attending the shareholders' meeting for the very first time, and he'll be putting forward a proposal right here, right now."

Lucas's gaze landed on me.

Everyone followed his line of sight.

And then they saw me.

I was right in the middle of the shareholders' section, wearing a black hoodie with a lollipop stuck in my mouth.

The hall was dead silent.

I pulled the lollipop out of my mouth.

"Hey, everyone," I said.

I said, "I'm Callum Phillips. I'm the largest individual shareholder in Delimbia Group. I own 23% of the company.

"Some of you might know me."

I looked past the front rows and caught the eyes of the execs in the back.

"I spent three years in the admin department, ID 1782. Fixed your printers, hauled water, and sometimes even helped the cafeteria ladies wash dishes."

Someone sucked in a sharp breath.

Someone's coffee cup clattered onto the table.

David's smile vanished.

It was not just changed. It was completely wiped out.

His whole face looked like someone hit the pause button.

His hand gripped the armrest, knuckles tightening one by one.

I saw it clear as day.

The disbelief in his eyes, like he was thinking, 'No way. This can't be real.'

I gave a small smile.

Then I popped the lollipop back into my mouth.

"Alright, moving on..."

I glanced over at Thomas.

Thomas stood up, opened his laptop, and hooked it up to the conference room's big screen.

The screen flickered to life.

One bold line of text appeared, black on white, dead center,

"Callum, the largest individual shareholder, is officially launching the equity liquidation process."

The whole place went wild.

*****