Golden Rebound
1200 Words
The crystal glass shattered against the marble floor. Champagne pooled around Chloe Sterling and her cheap rented heels. She stared at the massive digital screen. The bright blue and silver crest of Zenith Pharmaceuticals dominated the ballroom.
"This is a mistake," Marcus Vance whispered. His voice trembled. "The company is dead. The Mayor put the wrong slide on the projector."
"It has to be a technical error," Arthur Sterling agreed quickly. He grabbed Marcus by the arm. "Apex Medica controls the narrative today. Do not panic in front of the investors."
The Mayor tapped the microphone again. The sharp sound silenced the murmurs in the crowd.
"I introduce to you the new Chief Executive Officer of Zenith Pharmaceuticals," the Mayor announced proudly. "Doctor Elena Rostova."
Elena walked onto the main stage. She did not wear a lab coat. She wore a sharp black business suit. She walked with absolute confidence. She stepped up to the acrylic podium and adjusted the microphone.
"Good evening," Elena said. Her voice echoed clearly through the silent ballroom. "Two hours ago, federal agents raided our headquarters. They acted on falsified toxicity reports. Our former Chief Executive Officer accepted a massive bribe from Apex Medica. He deliberately sabotaged our clinical trials to destroy Zenith from the inside."
The elite crowd erupted into shocked whispers. A corporate sabotage of this magnitude was unprecedented in Crestwood City.
Marcus dropped his portfolio folders. They scattered across his table. "She is lying. She was arrested this morning. I saw the news."
"She is a desperate criminal trying to save her own skin," Chloe hissed. She looked around the room, hoping the investors would agree with her. "Someone pull her off the stage."
"Please look at the screen behind me," Elena instructed the crowd.
The Zenith crest vanished. It was replaced by an official seal from the Department of Justice.
"Our new Chairman of the board secured my release," Elena continued. She looked directly at the VIP table where Julian sat. "He provided the emergency federal review board with the uncorrupted telemetry data. The data proved our experimental heart medication has a one hundred percent success rate. It reverses arterial plaque entirely."
A venture capitalist at the next table stood up. "Doctor Rostova. Are you saying the d**g is officially approved for market distribution?"
"I am saying much more than that," Elena smiled. "Thirty minutes ago, the federal government issued a full public apology to Zenith Pharmaceuticals. Furthermore, to combat the national cardiovascular crisis, the government just awarded Zenith an exclusive one billion dollar distribution contract. We are the sole provider for the entire country."
The ballroom exploded into a frenzy of shouting. Hedge fund managers scrambled for their phones. A one billion dollar government contract meant Zenith was an absolute goldmine.
"Check the live market feeds," a frantic broker yelled from the back of the room. "The federal trade commission just unfroze the stock."
The massive digital screen shifted again. It displayed the live Crestwood City financial ticker.
Zenith Pharmaceuticals sat at exactly one penny per share.
Then the market opened.
The numbers blurred. The stock jumped from one penny to five dollars in a single second. It hit twenty dollars. It hit fifty dollars. The green arrows flashed violently across the board. The algorithm struggled to keep up with the massive influx of institutional buy orders.
"Eighty dollars a share," Arthur Sterling gasped. His knees buckled. He grabbed the edge of the table to stay upright. "It just stabilized at eighty dollars a share. We sold our entire portfolio for five hundred thousand dollars this afternoon. Those shares are worth fifty million right now."
"We gave them away," Marcus choked out. He pulled his hair in absolute despair. "We literally handed them a fifty million dollar fortune. Who bought them? Who ran the shell corporation?"
At the front table, Arthur Pendelton leaned over to Julian.
"Your initial four million dollar investment just inflated to over five hundred million dollars in real time, Boss," Pendelton whispered. "You now control the single most valuable corporate entity in the state. Apex Medica is completely finished."
Julian did not look at the screen. He kept his remaining left eye fixed on the Sterling family table. He reached out and picked up a crystal flute of vintage champagne.
"They are looking for the buyer, Arthur," Julian said softly. "Update the public registry."
"With pleasure," Pendelton grinned. He tapped his secure tablet.
On the stage, Doctor Elena Rostova raised her hand for silence.
"Zenith Pharmaceuticals is no longer a publicly traded entity subject to hostile takeovers," Elena announced. "Our new Chairman executed a massive private buyout during the crash. He now holds fifty one percent of all voting shares. We are officially a private subsidiary."
The screen behind her shifted one final time. It displayed the corporate ownership structure for all the investors to see.
The text was massive and bold.
[Majority Shareholder: Stray Dog Holdings]
The ballroom went dead silent again. The wealthy elites stared at the bizarre corporate name.
Arthur Sterling stopped breathing. His pale face turned completely white. He stared at the words on the screen. Stray dog. It was the exact insult he had used this morning at the country club. It was the insult he had yelled in the clinic while Silas held the scalpel.
Marcus Vance slowly turned his head. His neck cracked in the quiet room. He looked past the shocked hedge fund managers. He looked past the Mayor. He looked directly at the exclusive VIP table in the front row.
Julian sat perfectly still. The bespoke charcoal suit reflected the stage lights. The black silk eyepatch covered his missing eye.
Julian locked his cold left eye onto Marcus. He slowly raised his glass of vintage champagne directly at the terrified banking heir.
Chloe followed Marcus to look at the VIP table. She saw Julian holding the glass. The realization hit her with the force of a speeding train. Her former husband, the man she sold to a butcher for spare parts, was the sole owner of a five hundred million dollar empire.
"Julian," Chloe whispered in absolute horror. Her legs gave out completely. She collapsed onto the marble floor.
"It cannot be," Arthur sobbed. He clutched his chest. His heart hammered painfully against his ribs. "We sold our shares to him. We funded his takeover. We paid him to destroy us."
"He owns the debt," Marcus realized. The color drained from his lips. He remembered Silas in the casino. He remembered the contract. "He owns Zenith. He owns the Silas ledger. He owns all of us."
Julian took a slow sip of the champagne. The taste was incredibly sweet. The execution was flawless. He lowered the glass and set it on the table.
"Pendelton," Julian commanded quietly.
"Yes, Boss?" Pendelton asked.
"Call Silas," Julian smiled coldly. "Tell the butcher to lock down the exits. It is time to collect the rent.”
- Writer
