Chapter 6 - THE RECKONING IN THE BOARDROOMThe following morning at 9:00 AM, the atmosphere inside the main boardroom of Reed Logistics was electric with panic.
The board of directors sat in dead silence. News of Marcus Vance’s arrest had already broken on financial tickers across Wall Street, wiping four percent off the company's valuation within the first hour of trading.
Evelyn Sterling, a senior board member and long-time ally of Marcus, cleared her throat and stood up at the end of the mahogany table.
"Tyler," Evelyn began, her tone dripping with manufactured concern. "This crisis with Marcus is spiraling out of control. The board is calling for an emergency vote of no confidence. You’ve been distracted by personal baggage—harboring an unverified woman and an infant in your private residence—and the market is losing confidence in your leadership."
Tyler didn't blink. He sat at the head of the table, his posture rigid, his expression like carved granite. He didn't even raise his voice.
"You talk about market confidence, Evelyn," Tyler said smoothly. He slid a thick manila folder across the table toward her. "Open it."
Evelyn frowned, opening the folder. Inside were digital transcripts, wire transfer logs, and signed authorizations.
"What is this?" she asked, her voice dropping an octave.
"Those are the internal audit logs of the shell companies Marcus used to funnel embezzled funds," Tyler explained coldly. "And right there, on page twelve, is your personal signature authorizing a three-million-dollar 'consulting fee' routed directly to your offshore account in the Cayman Islands in exchange for voting in favor of the illegal land acquisitions."
Evelyn’s face turned the color of curdled milk. She dropped the papers as if they were coated in venom. "That’s—that’s slander! You fabricated those files!"
"The SEC auditors are downstairs in the lobby right now with a federal warrant, Evelyn," Tyler stated, standing up to his full, imposing height. "You have exactly sixty seconds to tender your resignation in writing, or you can walk out of this building in handcuffs right beside Marcus."
The room erupted into absolute panic. Two other board members who had been quietly taking bribes scrambled for their briefcases, realizing the house of cards had completely collapsed.
May you like
Tyler looked around the room, his eyes sharp as obsidian.
"The era of corporate shadows and hidden greed in this company is over," Tyler announced to the remaining directors. "From this moment forward, Reed Logistics operates in the light."
