Chapter 5 - CheckmateThe heavy oak doors of the boardroom were unlocked.
When I pushed them open, the room fell into absolute silence. Twelve members of the board of directors sat around the massive conference table, looking pale and terrified. Catherine Vance stood at the head of the table near the projection screen, while two armed corporate security guards stood on either side of Uncle Vincent, who was slumped in his leather chair, his hands resting limply on the armrests.
Vincent looked up, his eyes bloodshot and filled with a venomous hatred that he no longer bothered to hide.
"You arrogant little bastard," Vincent rasped, his voice trembling with fury. "You think you've won? Without my signature, half your international logistics contracts dissolve by midnight. You'll be bankrupt before the opening bell tomorrow."
I walked slowly into the room, my boots clicking against the marble floor, stopping right at the edge of the table. I didn't look at Vincent. I looked at the board members, one by one.
"Gentlemen," I said smoothly, sliding a manila folder across the polished mahogany toward the lead director. "Inside that folder is proof of every fraudulent transfer, every fabricated medical record, and every shell company Uncle Vincent has used over the past decade to siphon over four hundred million dollars from our R&D budgets."
Vincent flinched, his face turning an ash-gray color.
"You can't prove—"
"I don't need to prove it to a court yet," I interrupted, leaning forward and resting my knuckles on the table. "Because as of five minutes ago, our corporate bylaws were amended by a unanimous proxy vote of the majority shareholding block—which, as of tonight, I control directly through my father's primary estate trust, which you neglected to audit properly, Vincent."
Silence hung in the room so heavy you could hear the hum of the overhead projector.
"You're fired, Vincent," I whispered, the words carrying the finality of a guillotine blade. "And by sunrise, federal marshals will be picking you up for tax evasion, corporate espionage, and the obstruction of justice involving the unauthorized detainment of a private citizen."
Vincent rose slowly from his chair, his eyes wild with desperation. He lunged forward, reaching into his jacket for something—
Marcus and both security guards moved simultaneously. In less than a second, Vincent was pinned face-down across the mahogany table, a pair of steel handcuffs clicking sharply onto his wrists.
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"You'll never survive without me, Luca!" Vincent screamed as they dragged him toward the double doors. "You're a broken man! You'll always be alone!"
The doors slammed shut behind him. The boardroom remained dead silent.
