The next morning, the sun broke over the skyline of downtown Chicago, hitting the glass exterior of the fifty-story Sterling Tower.
In the penthouse boardroom on the top floor, nine board members sat in silence around a fifty-foot glass table. On the wall screen, the morning news was broadcasting live from the federal courthouse.
Reporter: "In a stunning turn of events, Victoria Sterling and former executive Julian Miller were denied bail this morning following a massive corporate fraud investigation..."
The double glass doors of the boardroom slid open with a soft hiss.
Evelyn walked in wearing a tailored black suit, her dark hair pulled back neatly, revealing the small, faded line on her cheek. Beside her walked Arthur Vance and a team of five corporate lawyers.
Evelyn: Good morning, gentlemen.
Every single board member stood up instantly, their chairs scraping against the hardwood floor.
Board Member 1: Good morning, Chairman Sterling!
Board Member 2: Welcome back, Miss Sterling!
Evelyn walked to the head of the long table, resting her hands on the back of the heavy leather executive chair—her father's chair.
Evelyn: Sit down.
They sat immediately, not a single person daring to look her directly in the eye.
Evelyn: Three years ago, this room was full of men who stayed quiet while my life was stolen. You accepted Victoria's lies because she promised you higher dividends from stolen assets.
Board Member 3: Evelyn... we were deceived! We had no idea about the forged signatures!
Evelyn: You didn't care to ask questions because the money was good. But today, the money stops flowing to people who don't earn it.
Evelyn pulled four folders from her lawyer's hands and tossed them onto the glass table.
Evelyn: Those are four resignation notices. I expect them signed before nine o'clock.
Board Member 1: Four?! Evelyn, that's nearly half the board!
Evelyn: It's four board members, or it's nine federal indictments. Choose wisely.
The four targeted men picked up their pens with shaking hands, signing their names on the dotted lines without saying another word.
Evelyn sat down in the high-backed executive chair, looking out through the floor-to-ceiling windows at the vast city below her.
She had lost three years, but she had gained total, unbreakable control. She was no longer just Harrison Sterling's daughter; she was the sole ruler of the empire she had saved from the ash heap.
Evelyn: Now... let's talk about rebuilding my company.