Chapter 6 - THE BOARDROOM FALLOUTBy 10:00 AM, Miles and I were sitting in the sleek, glass-walled executive conference room on the forty-fifth floor of Sterling Corporation’s downtown headquarters.
The view outside the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the entire city, a sprawling grid of glass, steel, and moving traffic far below. Inside the room, the atmosphere was a stark contrast to the casual comfort of my apartment.
Seated across the polished mahogany table was Arthur Sterling—Miles’s father and the CEO of the corporation—along with the head of internal compliance and the regional director of human resources.
Arthur Sterling was a tall, imposing man in his late sixties with silver hair, sharp gray eyes, and a posture that commanded absolute silence. He looked at Miles, then looked at me, his expression unreadable.
"So," Arthur said, resting his hands flat on the table. "My son spends his Saturday afternoon crashing an estate barbecue in Connecticut, exposing corporate identity fraud, and initiating an internal compliance audit on a municipal consulting firm tied to your family."
I sat up straight, my hands folded neatly in my lap. I had dressed in my sharpest professional blazer, ready to defend myself, ready for the inevitable accusation that I had used Miles for corporate leverage.
"Mr. Sterling," I began, my voice clear and steady. "If you need to terminate any potential contracts or investigate any conflicts of interest regarding my father's firm, please do so strictly by the book. I had no prior knowledge of what Miles was going to do, and—"
"Serena," Arthur interrupted, holding up a single finger.
He leaned back in his leather chair, a slow, knowing smile spreading across his face.
"My son has spent the last ten years working twelve-hour days in our field operations, refusing every promotion I’ve offered him, and treating corporate boardrooms like dental appointments. Yesterday, for the first time in a decade, he called me on a Saturday afternoon and told me he had an 'operational emergency' at a barbecue."
Arthur looked at Miles, whose face remained entirely neutral.
"And when I asked what the emergency was," Arthur continued, "he told me that someone was insulting his girlfriend."
I blinked, turning my head sharply to look at Miles.
Miles didn't flinch. He just met my gaze, one corner of his mouth curving upward in that familiar, quiet smile.
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"Dad," Miles said smoothly, "let's stick to the compliance report. Arthur Miller's firm has been padding their municipal logistics invoices for at least six quarters. Lois Miller’s fraudulent promotion was just the thread that unraveled the whole sweater."
Arthur nodded, turning his attention back to the compliance director. "Proceed with the audit. If Arthur Miller’s firm broke federal guidelines, cut ties immediately and hand the findings over to the district attorney. We don't tolerate fraud in our regional network—family or no family."
