Chapter 8 - Unmasking the Corruption
I signaled to Victor, who began distributing thick manila folders to every single person seated around the glass table.
"Take your time," I said, leaning back in my chair and crossing my legs.
"Every document inside those folders represents a choice you made. A choice to look the other way when safety regulations were bypassed. A choice to approve fraudulent asset valuations. A choice to cover up my brother's criminal incompetence."
Arthur Vance opened his folder with trembling fingers.
Within seconds, the color drained from his weathered face.
"This... this is an internal audit," Arthur stammered, looking up at me with genuine terror in his eyes.
"Every questionable transaction, every kickback to municipal inspectors, every falsified environmental report over the past decade. It's all here," I confirmed.
"And copies of these files were securely uploaded to the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Department of Justice, and major financial news outlets fifteen minutes before I walked through these doors."
Panic exploded around the table once more, but this time it was directed inward.
Board members began shouting at one another, frantically pointing fingers, desperate to distance themselves from the impending legal avalanche.
"You can't do this to us!" shouted a younger board member near the end of the table, his voice cracking with hysteria.
"We have families! We have reputations!"
"Reputations?" I let out a cold, humorless laugh.
"When my father threw me out onto the street with two hundred dollars and no reputation to speak of, none of you cared about my future. When Marcus forged documents to ruin my career, you all signed off on the cover-up."
I leaned forward, resting my forearms on the glass table and fixing my gaze on the terrified men before me.
"You had a choice. You chose greed. Now you get to experience the consequences."
My father, who had remained standing near the corner of the room, finally spoke up, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Ethan... enough. Punish me. Fire Marcus. But leave the board out of this. If you destroy them, you destroy the entire corporate structure of the city."
I turned my head slowly, looking at the man who had given me life, yet denied me any semblance of paternal love.
"Don't worry, Dad. I'm not destroying the company. I'm saving it. But the cancer has to be cut out entirely."
I looked back at the board members, who sat paralyzed with fear, awaiting their ultimate judgment.
"Here are your options. You can either sign your voluntary resignations right now, forfeit your stock options, and cooperate fully with Apex investigators—or you can stay in these seats and let the federal marshals escort you out in handcuffs by noon."
May you like
Without a single word of hesitation, Arthur Vance reached for his pen, pulled it from his pocket, and began signing his resignation letter with shaking hands.
One by one, every other board member followed his lead.
