Chapter 7 - The Squeeze
The following Monday, the financial reality of Harrison's situation crashed down on him like an avalanche.
Word had spread through the Savannah financial district like wildfire. The "ambitious corporate raider" had divorced the sole heir to the Montgomery empire right before she inherited it. He was the laughingstock of the city.
But humiliation was the least of his problems.
Harrison sat in his office, his head in his hands. His CFO stood in front of his desk, looking grim.
"Dupont officially pulled the funding, Harrison," the CFO reported. "He cited a 'lack of faith in executive leadership.' Without his capital, the bank has called in our short-term loans. We have a ten-million-dollar shortfall. We can't make payroll next week."
"Call the secondary investors," Harrison begged, his voice cracking.
"I did. No one is returning our calls. No one wants to cross Phoenix Holdings, and Clara Trent is currently the most powerful developer in the state."
Harrison’s phone rang. It was an internal line from the lobby.
"Mr. Trent," the receptionist said nervously. "Richard Dupont is here. He’s going directly to the boardroom."
Harrison sprinted down the hall, desperate for one last chance to salvage the relationship. He burst into the boardroom.
Richard Dupont was there, but he wasn't alone.
Clara sat at the head of the mahogany table—Harrison's table—reviewing a stack of documents with Nathaniel Reed.
"What is going on here?" Harrison demanded, looking frantically between Richard and Clara.
Richard didn't even look at Harrison. He looked at Clara with deep, profound respect. "Mrs. Trent and I were just finalizing a restructuring deal."
Clara closed the folder and looked up. "Sit down, Harrison."
Harrison, legs trembling, collapsed into a chair.
"Your firm is insolvent," Clara stated, her voice devoid of malice, operating entirely on facts. "You have defaulted on your loans. Richard was about to initiate a hostile takeover to recoup his initial investment."
"I can fix this!" Harrison pleaded.
"You can't," Richard snapped. "You're done, Trent."
"However," Clara interrupted smoothly, "Phoenix Holdings is in the market for a subsidiary property management division. I have offered to purchase Trent Investments' debt directly from the bank, and buy out Mr. Dupont's shares."
Harrison’s head snapped up. Hope, pathetic and desperate, flared in his chest. "You're... you're bailing me out?"
"I am acquiring the company," Clara corrected, her eyes turning to ice. "At liquidation value. Pennies on the dollar. But I have one condition for the acquisition."
May you like
"Anything," Harrison breathed. "Name it."
Clara leaned forward, folding her hands perfectly on the table. "I want your resignation. Immediately. You will step down as CEO, surrender all your equity, and vacate the building by five o'clock today. You will walk away with nothing."
