Chapter 5 - The Confrontation in the PenthouseTen minutes later, the executive boardroom on the fiftieth floor was converted into an emergency command center.
Federal cybersecurity agents had locked down the entire internal network. The massive digital monitors that were supposed to display the celebratory Novacrest acquisition graphics now flashed with red warning lights, tracking the recovered funds as they bounced back through the automated freeze protocols.
Marcus Hale and Laura Bennett sat handcuffed in metal chairs at the far end of the long mahogany conference table, guarded by armed federal agents.
The heavy oak doors swung open, and two federal marshals led in a third individual—a man in his late forties with slicked-back gray hair, wearing an expensive Italian suit that looked thoroughly rumpled from being dragged out of a penthouse suite on the Upper East Side.
Thomas Brooks.
Ethan stood at the head of the table, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned stark white. He stared at his younger brother—the ghost who had stolen his trust, faked his own death, and tried to rob him blind.
Thomas sneered, flashing a defiant, arrogant grin despite the steel handcuffs on his wrists.
“Well, well, big brother,” Thomas drawled, his voice dripping with venom. “I see you still don't know how to run a family business without relying on federal agents to bail you out.”
Ethan didn't shout. He didn't lose his temper.
He walked slowly down the length of the conference table until he stood directly in front of his brother.
“You died eight years ago, Thomas,” Ethan said quietly, his voice chillingly cold. “At least, according to the headstone mother and I cried over.”
“Mother was sentimental,” Thomas laughed coldly. “And you were too busy playing corporate king to notice I was drowning in gambling debts.”
“No,” Ethan interrupted, leaning in close. “I was too blind to realize that the brother I protected was actually a parasite.”
Ethan turned to Noah, who stood near the projection console.
“Agent Reed, what is the maximum federal sentence for corporate wire fraud, identity falsification, and international asset theft?”
Noah checked his tablet screen. “With the aggravated conspiracy enhancements and the scale of the capital involved? Minimum twenty-five years to life without parole, across both federal and Swiss jurisdictions.”
Thomas’s defiant smile instantly vanished. The color drained from his face, and he lunged forward in his seat, staring at Noah in panic. “Wait—Switzerland? You can’t extradite me for domestic—!”
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“We already did, Thomas,” Noah replied smoothly, tapping his tablet to display an official Swiss Federal Prosecutor’s warrant. “Geneva froze your secondary accounts at 9:15 AM this morning. Your offshore empire is officially gone.”
Thomas slumped back into his chair, defeated, staring blankly at the polished mahogany floor as the full weight of his ruin crashed down upon him.
