Chapter 4 - The Boardroom Ambush
On Wednesday, Tanya and I arranged a formal meeting.
Not at the house, and not at a coffee shop.
We scheduled it at Daniel’s corporate office. The office my grandmother’s inheritance had paid the security deposit for.
I wore a sharp, tailored navy suit. I hadn't worn it in years because Daniel always said it made me look "too corporate."
When we walked through the glass doors, the receptionist, a young girl named Chloe, looked terrified.
“Mrs. Vance… Daniel didn’t say you were coming.”
“That’s alright, Chloe. We know the way to the conference room.”
When we opened the door, Daniel wasn't alone.
Natalie was sitting next to him, reviewing some mock-ups on a tablet.
She was exactly as I had seen in the photos. Young, polished, and currently wearing a very expensive designer sweater that I suspected my company had paid for.
Daniel jumped up, knocking his chair back.
“What are you doing here? And who is this?”
“This is Tanya Brooks, my attorney,” I said, taking a seat directly across from him.
Natalie looked nervous. She started gathering her tablet.
“Daniel, maybe I should go…”
“No, stay,” Daniel snapped, trying to regain his authority. “Claire, if this is about the bank accounts, you are in serious violation of company policy.”
Tanya opened the blue folder.
“Actually, Mr. Vance, as a fifty-percent shareholder and the sole bookkeeper of this enterprise, my client is perfectly within her rights to protect the company's assets from misappropriation.”
Daniel’s face flushed red. “Misappropriation? I am the CEO!”
Tanya slid a piece of paper across the polished mahogany table.
It was the ledger showing the $32,000 transfer to Natalie’s LLC.
“You transferred company funds to a personal romantic interest without board approval. That is embezzlement.”
Natalie gasped and stood up quickly.
“He said that was an authorized vendor payment!” she practically shrieked, looking at Daniel.
“It was!” Daniel stammered. “It was for marketing consulting!”
“We have the marketing reports,” I said quietly. “There are none. Just hotel receipts from Charleston.”
Natalie’s face went pale.
She wasn't just a homewrecker; she realized she was now an accessory to financial fraud.
“I… I need to leave,” Natalie stuttered, practically running for the door.
“Natalie, wait!” Daniel called out.
But the door slammed shut behind her.
Daniel sank into his chair, the reality of his situation finally crushing the arrogance out of him.
Tanya handed him a thick stack of papers.
“These are the divorce filings. We are petitioning for a forced buyout of Mrs. Vance’s fifty-percent share, immediate repayment of the embezzled funds, and exclusive possession of the marital home.”
Daniel looked at the papers, his hands shaking.
He didn't look like a visionary anymore.
May you like
He looked like a man who had just realized he built his entire castle on my foundation.
And I had just pulled the rug out.
