Chapter 6 - The House of Cards Collapses
Maya stepped into the frame next to me on the screen. She pressed a key on her console, and the projection screen in the boardroom split in two.
On the left was my face. On the right was a massive, rolling ledger of bank records, wire transfers, and forged signatures.
"What is this nonsense?" Richard shouted, standing up, his cigar dropping to the floor. "This is a coup! This is illegal distribution of proprietary company data!"
"It’s completely legal, Richard," I said smoothly. "As the active compliance officer and a fifty-five percent majority shareholder, I am exercising my right to disclose material financial misconduct to the board."
I pointed to the first set of red lines.
"Let’s start with the four million dollars missing from the employee retirement fund. Daniel, you transferred those funds directly into 'Evelyn Holdings,' which then paid out cash acquisitions for a luxury development project owned by Vanessa Cole. I believe the board members might recognize that name—she’s the woman currently living in the corporate apartment on 5th Avenue."
The room went dead silent. The older board members began whispering furiously among themselves.
"You bitch," Daniel whispered, leaning toward the camera, his composure completely shattering. "You’re lying. You fabricated these numbers!"
"And what about your mother's 'consulting fees'?" I continued, ignoring his outburst. "Forty thousand dollars a month for 'Strategic Brand Consultation.' Maya, please bring up Document 4B."
A scanned document filled the screen. It was a board resolution approving the payments, signed by Richard Blackwood and two minority directors.
"Mr. Davis, Mr. Vance," I addressed two elderly men sitting at the far end of the table. "Did you sign this document on October 14th of last year?"
The two men leaned forward, squinting at the screen.
"I was in Florida visiting my surgeon on October 14th," Mr. Davis said, his voice trembling with anger. "That’s not my signature. That’s a forgery!"
"It is a forgery," Maya stated clearly. "Executed by Richard Blackwood, verified by our independent handwriting experts and digital metadata analysis."
Patricia stood up from her chair, her face pale, her pearls shaking against her chest. "Daniel! Do something! Make her stop!"
"She can't stop it, Mother," Daniel growled, his eyes wild like a trapped animal. "She has no real authority here today. Even if she owns forty-six percent, my father and I own forty-four, and with the other board members, we can outvote her!"
"You forgot the Employee Advocacy Trust, Daniel," I said softly, looking at him with absolute pity. "That’s another nine percent. And as the sitting compliance chair, I control that proxy. Which means, as of ten minutes ago, I hold fifty-five percent of the voting power in Blackwood Manufacturing."
I looked around the room, meeting the eyes of the independent directors.
"I am calling a vote to immediately strip Richard Blackwood and Daniel Blackwood of all executive titles, freeze their corporate access, and appoint Samuel Ortiz as interim Chairman of the Board pending a full federal investigation."
"Seconded," Samuel Ortiz said instantly.
May you like
"All in favor?" I asked.
Every single hand in the room went up, except for Richard and Daniel’s.
