Page 32 of Evil Queen

“For as long as the company has been incorporated,” Christine said. “It’s also the reason we haven’t voted on or made any major decisions without your approval. Our bylaws clearly state that we aren’t allowed to.”

I looked at Arden. “Why didn’t you just say that?”

“We aren’t allowed to do that either,” Arden said. “Your father is…neurotic. He wanted it to be a rule that no official business could be discussed over the phone. As it is, we’ve operated slightly outside of this rule with the things we’ve discussed already.”

That concept made my head hurt. “Still, there has to be a rule in place that allows the board to make decisions in lieu of any officer.”

“There is a rule that says we may do it if we cannot get in touch with either the President, Vice President, or CEO for one hundred and twenty days. You kept answering your phone, so…”

“Well, who is the CEO? If there’s a rule that you can default to them, why didn’t you?” I asked.

Arden exchanged glances with a few of the board members and then looked back at me. “Uh, we don’t know who that is at all, or rather, we didn’t know until recently.” He lifted one of the unused placards from next to him and slid it over to me. I looked down at it, and my heart sank. “Nathan, why is Deon Keane of all people the CEO of your father’s company?”

That question posed more than one complication for me. Not only did I now have to decide if I was going to explain our familial relationship to the board of directors, on a recording that would be supplied to the public no less, but I was operating as if Deon was dead. Nikita knew he was alive, and I knew he was alive. That was it.

“Deon Keane,” I started quietly, “is my half-brother.” The entire board started to murmur to one another. “I had no idea that my father had put any of the company in his name. I’m flabbergasted to see that this is the case.”

“Do you know how we can get in touch with him?” Christine asked. “It’s too complicated to go into now, but things would be a lot easier if we had access to you both.”

I imagined trying to put Deon in front of a board of directors, and it brought a chuckle out of me. “I don’t. He, like my father, is missing.”

“Brilliant,” Portland grumbled.

“Look. I’m here now. I’m the Vice President. What do I have to approve so that you all can function without me here? Isn’t there an emergency shareholder vote?”

“Well,” Arden said. “Most of the shares are in your and…your brother’s names.”

Either my father thought he was going to live forever, or he truly believed he’d be successful in whatever master plan he was working on to bring Deon and me together under his wing. “Okay, just… Fuck.”

“Sir,” Arden said and pointed at the recorder.

“Sorry. Um, who is next in line that isn’t a high schooler?” I asked.

“That’d be Hunter Quixpin, the Chief Financial Officer,” Arden replied.

“Fine. Get Hunter in here and do whatever you have to do to put a majority of decision-making in his hands for the time being. Final sign-offs still come through me, but everything else should go through him.”

“You have to make a motion,” Arden said.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to keep from exploding before I opened my eyes again. “I move to give decision-making power with the exception of sign-offs on major financial decisions to Hunter Quixpin until such time that Connor Loche returns or until another officer steps in full-time.”

“All in favor,” Arden said.

There was some indecision amongst the board members, but eventually, everyone affirmed. After that, a few additional topics were discussed. Finally, after a painful amount of time, the meeting came to a close. I might have preferred to go bolting out of the room before anyone else, but I had to lock up, so I made my way over to my father’s desk and woke up his computer. There was no password on it, something my father would never do unless he believed I’d be coming by. I set it with a password, downloaded a remote desktop app that would allow me to access it from home, and then packed my briefcase full of any important paperwork I could find.

Someone cleared their throat, so I looked up and noticed that Christine was still standing in the middle of the room. “Can I help you?” I asked.

“Just a suggestion,” she said. “You’re a kid. This isn’t your world. You should sell your shares to the company, convince your brother to do the same, and leave the company in our hands.”

Crossing my arms, I sat back in my chair and narrowed my eyes in Christine’s direction. “Has my father done something with the company you don’t approve of?”

Christine shook her head. “No. Your father has continuously led this company with vigor, but he’s always played his cards close to the chest. It’s unheard of for a board of directors to have as little power as we do.”

“You’re upset that you don’t have more power?” I asked.

“No.” Christine appeared to be getting flustered. “I just think there’s a…warmer way to run the operations here, and none of that is a decision for a child. You’d be appointed to the board as a member as opposed to an officer and would maintain all your voting power.”

“Understand this,” I said. “There aren’t many people in this world who hate my father more than I do, but he knew how to run this company and has made half this city rich doing it. You say I’m a child, but while your children were playing for your local soccer team and going to bake sales, I was studying economics and Latin. You need not worry about me.”

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