Chapter 5 - The Tables TurnThe invincible Richard Hoffman slumped back into his leather chair, looking ten years older. The ruthless tycoon had been completely dismantled by a child in a gray T-shirt.
"What do you want?" Richard croaked, his voice cracking. "Money? Shares? Name your price. We can settle this quietly. A settlement. Millions. Billions!"
Maya stood up, smoothing down her simple jeans. She walked slowly around the long mahogany table until she was standing right beside Richard’s chair. She leaned down, whispering directly into his ear so that the trembling directors could hear every word.
"I don't want your money, Mr. Hoffman. Money can be replaced. I want what my father lost."
"And what is that?" Richard whispered desperately.
"Everything."
Maya straightened up and pressed a button on her folder. The conference room doors slowly lifted, unlocking with a heavy mechanical thud.
Standing in the doorway was not a team of police officers, but a delegation of elite international businessmen—the primary board members and majority shareholders of Hoffman’s own conglomerate, accompanied by federal investigators and flashing camera crews from global news networks.
At the front of the delegation stood Robert Sterling, the billionaire founder of Sterling Global and Richard’s most bitter rival.
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Sterling looked past the trembling security guards, ignored the sweating executives, and walked straight up to Maya. To the utter shock of everyone in the room, the multi-billionaire reached out, shook the twelve-year-old girl’s hand with profound respect, and bowed slightly.
"An absolute masterclass in corporate restructuring, Ms. Vance," Sterling said loud enough for the incoming cameras to capture. "The board has reviewed the encrypted data package you transmitted. Mr. Hoffman’s reign of terror is officially over."
