Chapter 3 - The Ghost in the System"A spy?" Maya let out a cold, chilling laugh that sent shivers down the spines of everyone in the room. It was a laugh that belonged to someone twenty years older.
She stood up slowly, picking up her thin folder. She walked past the stunned directors, straight to the massive smart screen mounted on the wall at the head of the table.
"Sit down, Mr. Hoffman," Maya commanded.
To the absolute horror of the executives, the seasoned billionaire billionaire—a man known for crushing corporate rivals without mercy—sat down slowly, completely hypnotized by the sheer aura radiating from the child.
Maya plugged a small, unassuming flash drive into the side of the media console.
BEEP.
The screen flickered to life. Instantly, the company’s internal server architecture flashed across the display. Red warning lines began tracing across the network maps, showing every security loophole, every encrypted offshore account, and every illicit back-channel deal Richard Hoffman had spent the last decade hiding from international regulators.
"You pride yourself on being a predator, Mr. Hoffman," Maya whispered, her eyes locking onto his with predatory intensity. "You buy out companies, drain their assets, and throw away the employees like garbage. Just like you did to my father’s firm, Vanguard Technologies, three years ago."
May you like
Richard’s face turned the color of ash. He clutched his chest, gasping for air. "Vanguard... That’s impossible. That company was liquidated legally. The CEO... he..."
"He killed himself," Maya finished for him, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Or at least, that’s what your paid media outlets reported after you framed him for corporate espionage, seized his patents, and drove him to ruin. My father was Arthur Vance. And I am his daughter."
