Chapter 4 - THE EMBASSY OF LIES
Title: Ghosts in the Boardroom
At 2:00 AM, the top floor of the 80-story Vance Corporate Tower was glowing with artificial light.
Julian Vance, dressed in a three-piece charcoal suit, stood at the head of the boardroom table, sipping champagne with six corrupt board members of Carter Global.
"To a new era," Julian toasted, raising his glass. "With Michael Carter unfortunately gone, and his young heirs unfit to manage the estate, Vance Pharmaceuticals will absorb Carter Global’s assets for pennies on the dollar. Tomorrow, we sign the final transfer."
"Are you sure his children won't be an issue, Julian?" one of the board members asked nervously. "What about the fiancée, Vanessa?"
Julian sneered coldly. "Vanessa was a loose end. By now, my extraction team has swept the mansion. No witnesses. No survivors. Clean and quiet."
CLAP. CLAP. CLAP.
Slowly, from the shadows near the executive private elevator, a single person began to clap.
The boardroom went deathly quiet.
Julian dropped his glass. It shattered on the marble floor, spilling golden champagne across the room.
Out of the darkness walked Michael Carter. He was covered in soot and blood—none of it his own—holding a black leather briefcase. Behind him stood six federal agents from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and a squad of heavily armed SWAT officers.
"I’m afraid your extraction team failed, Julian," Michael said smoothly, walking straight to the head of the table. "And your clean-up crew is currently spilling their guts to the FBI."
"This... this is impossible!" Julian stammered, backing away toward his glass window. "You were poisoned! You were supposed to be incapacitated!"
"I have a strong constitution," Michael replied. He slammed the briefcase onto the table and popped the latches. Inside were stacks of hard drives, bank transfer ledgers, and audio recordings.
"This contains six years of off-shore money laundering, illegal human trials at Vanguard Pharmaceuticals, and the explicit wiretaps of you ordering the assassination of my family," Michael announced.
The board members panicked, trying to bolt from their chairs, but SWAT officers immediately surrounded the room, shoving them back into their seats and snapping zip-ties onto their wrists.
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Julian’s face turned bright red with rage. "You think you’ve won, Michael?! You have nothing! Vanessa signed the transfer papers using your power of attorney six hours ago! Legally, I own Carter Global right now!"
Michael grinned—a cold, terrifying smile. "Did she? You might want to check the legal name on those documents, Julian."
