Chapter 8: The General Meeting
Monday dawned with a gray sky over Madrid. The auditorium at the headquarters was packed with shareholders, analysts, and journalists. Alejandro De la Vega presided over the head table with absolute self-assurance, greeting investors with the confidence of someone who already felt like a winner.
Valeria entered the room wearing an impeccable white tailored suit. Her presence immediately silenced the murmurs. She walked with a firm stride to her place in the center of the stage.
Alejandro took the microphone.
"Shareholders, we appreciate Ms. Valeria's presence. We are all aware of the difficult personal circumstances she is going through, and therefore, this board proposes a vote to delegate executive functions to me, allowing her to focus on her recovery and her family."
A murmur of approval rippled through the room. Alejandro looked at Valeria with a triumphant air. However, she stood up and approached the central lectern, connecting her own tablet to the room's projection system.
“Before we proceed to the vote,” Valeria’s voice boomed through the loudspeakers, “I would like the board to explain to those present why funds have been diverted from the Geneva subsidiary to finance a covert hostile takeover bid against me. And more importantly…”
The technical breakdown of Project Phoenix appeared on the giant screens, along with a legal document stamped by the international intellectual property registry.
“…I want Mr. De la Vega to explain why he has been secretly negotiating the sale of this technology with an Asian government consortium, when said technology belongs exclusively to the family trust. If you remove me today, the company’s right to use this technology expires at midnight tonight. You will leave the company without its most valuable asset.”
Chaos erupted in the room. The faces of the senior analysts turned pale. Alejandro stood up, slamming his fist on the table.
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“This is slander!” "Those documents are confidential!"
"They're evidence, Alejandro," Valeria declared, looking down at him from the lectern. "Evidence that's already in the hands of the National Securities Market Commission and the National Police."
