87: Chapter 87 Board Coup

The next morning, the rain finally stopped.

In the conference room on the top floor of the Astor Building, the air was as thick as cement.

On both sides of the long conference table sat the big shots who usually ruled Wall Street.

But today, they were all as pale as ghosts, looking as if they had just attended their own funerals.

Philip Carter sat at the head of the table, his eye bags sagging almost to his chin, gripping a glass of water so tightly his knuckles turned white.

William Ms kept wiping away sweat, his neck shrunk into his collar, occasionally glancing at the door in terror.

Jonathan Brown kept his head down, staring at the tips of his leather shoes as if counting the dust on them.

No one spoke.

The document for the originally planned "poison pill" was sitting in the middle of the table like an abandoned orphan.

No one dared to bring it up.

Everything that happened last night felt like a collective nightmare.

Everyone had received a warning from hell. Everyone knew that if anyone dared to say "no" today, they would be ruined tomorrow, or even lose their families.

The door to the conference room was pushed open.

That suffocating voice broke the dead silence.

"Good morning, everyone."

Ava Rockefeller walked in.

Today, she had changed into a white business suit, looking clean, sharp, and like an angel.

But to those seated, she looked like a demon in human skin.

Behind her followed a young man with a fake smile plastered on his face.

It was Jack Martin, wearing a somewhat ill-fitting bespoke suit and carrying a briefcase in his hand.

As for Chen Mo? He didn't come in. This kind of public appearance wasn't suitable for the boss behind the scenes.

He was sitting in the monitoring room next door, crossing his legs and sipping coffee while watching the pathetic display of these old guys on the screen.

Ava walked to the head of the conference table and glanced at Philip, who was sitting there.

Philip bolted up as if shocked by electricity, almost knocking over his water glass.

"Please... please sit, Miss Rockefeller," he stammered, stepping aside to give up his seat, and even remembered to pull out her chair.

Ava didn't stand on ceremony and sat down.

Jack stood behind her and placed the briefcase on the table with a dull thud.

William Ms shuddered all over.

"No need to waste time." Ava looked around, her gaze sweeping across everyone's face.

Every time her eyes landed on someone, that person would shiver. "This is the new acquisition agreement. The price is thirty percent of the net assets. If there are no objections, sign it."

Thirty percent!

This was simply robbery! Outright robbery!

If it were yesterday, these board members would have slammed the table and cursed.

But today, no one dared to utter a word.

"Um..." Jonathan Brown carefully raised his hand, his voice softer than a mosquito's buzz. "About... about my portion of the stock options..."

Ava glanced at him, her eyes cold. "Retained, as a reward for your future obedience."

Jonathan breathed a sigh of relief and slumped in his chair as if he had just finished a marathon.

"What about the rest of you?" Ava asked.

No one spoke.

"Very well." Ava snapped her fingers.

Jack immediately distributed the stack of documents he had prepared beforehand.

The rustling sound of pens scratching across paper became the only melody in the conference room.

No one read the terms, and no one raised any objections.

They just wanted to sign quickly and escape this hellhole, escaping this woman's sight.

Ten minutes later.

All the documents were signed.

Astor Bank, a century-old private bank that had served countless elites, changed hands in a meeting devoid of smoke or arguments.

Ava picked up the finalized agreement and stood up.

"Thank you all for your cooperation." She flashed a standard business smile.

"From today on, Astor Bank will be renamed 'Legacy Bank'. Your positions will be temporarily retained, but whether you can keep them depends on your performance."

With that, she turned and left.

Jack quickly gathered the documents and followed.

Only after the door closed did sighs of relief echo through the conference room one after another.

Philip Carter slumped in his chair, feeling as if his bones had been removed.

Looking at the clearing sky outside the window, he let out a bitter laugh.

The sky had changed.

...

In the monitoring room next door.

Chen Mo looked at the row of signed names on the screen and nodded with satisfaction.

"Excellent."

He tossed the last piece of biscuit into his mouth and clapped the crumbs off his hands.

The door opened, and Ava and Jack walked in.

The dominance on Ava's face instantly vanished, replaced by the exhaustion of sheer collapse.

Leaning against the doorframe, she let out a long breath.

"I was scared to death," she said, patting her chest. "That William Ms kept shaking. I was really afraid he'd have a heart attack and die right there."

"He wouldn't dare to die," Chen Mo smiled. "If he dies, his dirty laundry will be carved onto his tombstone."

Jack excitedly handed the documents to Chen Mo. "Boss, it's done! Thirty percent of the net assets—we practically got a bank for free. If word gets out, those vampires on Wall Street will die of envy."

Chen Mo took the documents and flipped through them casually.

"This is only the beginning." He tossed the documents onto the table. "Now that we have the bank, it's time to wash our 'dirty laundry'."

He stood up, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and looked down at Manhattan below.

This city was like a giant beast, devouring the desires and lives of countless people.

And now, he had a chain in his hand to leash this beast.

Although it was still very thin, it was enough to strangle many people to death.

"Jack," Chen Mo said without turning his head.

"Yes, Boss."

"Notify human resources to completely sideline those directors who signed.

Give them the title of honorary consultants and send them home to retire. But don't let them leave New York. I want to be able to find them at any time."

"Understood."

"Also, dismiss the bank's original security team entirely. Have George find some professionals to take over. From now on, even if a fly flies into this place, I want to know its gender."

"Yes, sir."

Chen Mo turned around and looked at Ava.

"As for you, Miss Rockefeller, your mission is complete. Next, it's time to talk to your family.

Take this trophy back with you. I think you'll be able to stand much taller at the family meeting."

Ava looked at Chen Mo with a complex expression.

This man, clearly someone from the bottom of society, was playing with these elites at the top of the pyramid like puppets in his hands.

Fear, awe, and an inexplicable sense of dependence intertwined in her heart.

"Thank you," she said softly.

"No need," Chen Mo waved his hand. "This is also part of the deal. Don't forget, you belong to Legacy now too."