DC: I am Bruce Wayne

Chapter 81: Legacy Redeemed (2)

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"I don't care if you're the son of the president or what. That just shows the success of your father. It doesn't mean you are excellent too."

– Mikoto Jujou, (Last Game)

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<(Omniscient POV)>  

"... Fuck. What are you waiting for William? Call Henry now and tell him not to submit those documents or we will all be ruined." A random board member who could no longer tolerate the silence and the tension in the air lost his cool and yelled at the sweating CEO.

William didn't verbally respond to him, he didn't even have the energy to reply to him. So, he just nodded and gestured to another board member who was his close friend to make the call and stop him. Earle didn't know if Bruce was bluffing or not but he couldn't take a chance on something like this. One false step and his entire life would be ruined before being shipped to jail. He loved his position as a CEO but he wasn't an idiot to love it more than his own life and freedom.

"What... do you want?" He somehow spoke out after taking a few deep breaths while gulping down his panic. 

"ME? I am a very minimalistic person. I need very few things in life and right now, the company is one of those few things. So, if you would be so kind as to sign the paper, we could all end things on a happy note and maybe even go home early today." Bruce gave them a charming smile like he was the friendliest person in the world.

"But we built this company with our own hands. It is made from our blood, sweat, and tears. We deserve to be a part of this company as much as your family." A female board member protested with righteous anger visible on her face. 

"No, you don't deserve anything Miss Valerie especially not after stealing a hundred million dollars from the last guided missile system defense project Wayne Enterprises received from Canada. You siphoning so much money from the project while delivering a below-average product is the reason why Lexcorp succeeded in taking so many of our defense contracts. So, no, none of you guys 'deserve' to be here, to be part of this company. The truth is that you have always been leeches, holding on to my father's giant golden titties and sucking him dry. But now, that I am here, it is time for you all to leave. You will NOT be profiting off me as well, nobody will." I stared hard at them, looking each of them in the eyes while an expression of disgust remained on my face.

"Language Master Bruce. I am sure that your father wouldn't have liked to hear his son say stuff like that about him. And no, it doesn't matter if it is true or not." Alfred said in a no-nonsense tone of voice.

"... Well whatever." Bruce didn't argue with his butler and just decided to compromise a little.

"If we agree to leave the company..., you will not threaten us again with this right?" The old Asian-looking board member who was panicking the most in the meeting room (probably because of his scandalous affair with his own daughter) asked as he took out a pen from his pocket to sign the document.

"Yep. As long as you agree, everything you read in that letter there will go away. You will never have to worry about me ever again."

"Fine, I will do it. I will sell you all my Wayne Enterprise shares and give up my board seat. Just leave me alone after this." The old Asian man said with clenched teeth as he went ahead and signed on the paper.

"You think you can take control of this company with just a few signatures boy. Don't forget that the company is public. Even if we sell you our shares, the company will still never be under your complete control, someone else will just take our place. So whatever you are doing, in the end, it will all be useless." William threatened.

"Maybe, maybe not. But you don't need to bother with that, do you?" 

You see in reality, Wayne Enterprises has been lagging behind Lexcorp in the defense, aerospace, and other industries that both companies compete in. This has caused a decline in the stock value of Wayne Enterprises, even though almost all mob bosses and corrupt politicians of Gotham are for some reason minor shareholders in Wayne Enterprises.

However, the situation changed dramatically when a piece of peculiar news broke out about five minutes into this very meeting that several board members of Wayne Enterprises had dumped their stocks and resigned from their positions, triggering a massive sell-off in the market. The share price of Wayne Enterprises crashed and plummeted to a record low. That was when Cortana made her move, acquiring almost all the shares of the company with swift and decisive action.

"And what about the board members who are not here? Are you also going to blackmail them as well?" William shouted in anger. He was one of the few board members in the meeting who still hadn't agreed to sign till that moment.

"They weren't traitors like you. They were surprisingly loyal to my father and me and thus they received their due. Unlike you all, I handed them golden parachutes instead of ultimatums. The shares they held of the company were bought by me at a much higher rate than the market along with other added benefits. And not a single one of them refused to sell me their stakes in the company when I requested. In fact, some of them will even be remaining as advisors in the company." I answered while enjoying the expressions of jealousy and powerlessness on the faces of those present here. 

"You have thought of everything, haven't you? You are smarter than your father and unlike your father, you are always prepared... Fine, I guess I have no other choice. Well played." William said as he looked at all the other board members, most of whom had already agreed with Bruce's conditions. 

"Just remember that this is not over. There are forces beyond what you can imagine involved here." The middle-aged CEO said with a hesitant voice as he signed the document, his face not at all seeming happy to submit to Bruce's demands.

Bruce on the other hand didn't respond to this and just smirked. He knew of the Court of Owls trying to affect Wayne Enterprises but he didn't care. After he successfully concludes his plan, his wealth will no longer be affected by any organization including the Court.

After William Earle signed, the last of the few reluctant board members remaining also agreed as they admitted defeat. None of them wanted to wage an all-out war with Bruce Wayne especially since he now had access to all their dirty secrets.

"Thank you ladies and gentlemen for giving me your valuable time and most of all for your cooperation. Hope we will do business again soon." Bruce mocked as he got up from his seat.

"Congratulations on being the new owner of Wayne Enterprises Bruce. But unfortunately, even though you got the entire company, you still wouldn't be able to enjoy it. What you 'stole' from us just now was only the parent company, a mere shell of what it was originally before your parents died. Most of its most important sectors have already been converted into subsidiaries and taken public. Wayne Enterprises doesn't even have any influence on some of those new companies. And making all their shares crash as well in the stock market is impossible without the SEC arresting you. So, Wayne Enterprises will never be able to go back to its glory days, no matter what." Earle cursed as a satisfied smirk appeared on his face. 

He now truly hated Bruce Wayne and wanted nothing more than to see him fail.

"Yeah, they did go public. But I have been buying all their shares every time they registered themselves publicly through various foundations under me just like I bought all the company assets that you tried to sell away to our competitors through various bidding wars. Right now, I own all the Wayne subsidiaries... Didn't you get the memo?" I mocked. "Oh and all of you, you are fired. I want the meeting room empty within five minutes, so chop-chop... Let's go, Alfred, I think this calls for a celebration." 

"As you say, Master Bruce. I am just glad I don't have to handle your company position anymore. I was getting really tired of these board meetings." Alfred replied as he followed Bruce out of the building without even sparing the previous distraught board members another look.

"By the way, are you really going to let them all go? They did quite a number of illegal things. Scams and stealing company money were just the tip of the iceberg. I feel like letting them go without any failsafe would be a mistake." Alfred asked curiously as he and Bruce neared their car parked in the basement.

"I told them that the stuff that was written in the letter would be forgiven but the thing is they committed too many crimes to write on a single piece of paper. So, I am guessing they would be going to prison for at least a few years, and by a few years, I mean at least half a decade to a full decade. Cortana will email a carefully selected list of their crimes to Commissioner Gordon, the moment the stock transfer officially concludes. She even has quite a selection to choose from. They would be in jail by tomorrow." 

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