Chapter 5 - THE BOARDROOM EXPOSURE
The next morning, the grand board assembly room on the 80th floor of the Harrington Global Tower was packed with international press, high-ranking government officials, and the company's major shareholders.
A massive digital screen dominated the front wall.
At 10:00 AM sharp, Leonard Harrington walked onto the stage. But he didn't take the center podium. Instead, he stood to the side, adjusting his suit, and proudly gestured toward the entrance.
Aria Monroe—now publicly taking her rightful title as Aria Harrington—walked out onto the stage. She wore a tailored crimson power suit, her hair styled in sleek, razor-sharp precision. The room erupted into a storm of camera flashes.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the press, shareholders, and distinguished guests," Aria spoke into the microphone, her voice crystal clear, radiating immense power. "Over the past forty-eight hours, an attempt was made to forcibly restructure the leadership of Harrington Global through corporate espionage, extortion, and attempted kidnapping."
Shocked gasps reverberated across the grand hall.
Aria pressed a button on the podium.
The massive screen behind her lit up, displaying crystal-clear, high-definition audio and video footage. It was the complete, unedited recording of Julian Sterling and Selena Voss planning the crime in the private lounge, followed by the high-definition thermal infrared footage of their capture in the alleyway outside St. Jude's.
The journalists went wild. The camera shutters sounded like a machine gun barrage.
"As of 6:00 AM today," Aria continued seamlessly, ignoring the chaos in the audience, "Julian Sterling has been formally arrested by federal authorities and charged with high treason, corporate espionage, and attempted kidnapping. All of his assets have been seized."
She paused, looking directly into the primary news camera broadcasting live to over fifty million households worldwide.
"And as for the Voss family," Aria said, her eyes flashing with ice, "their complete asset portfolio—including their remaining residential properties, vehicles, and patents—has been purchased by the Harrington Foundation for pennies on the dollar. The proceeds will be donated entirely to St. Jude’s Orphanage and anti-cyberbullying charities across the country."
In a holding cell inside the central federal precinct, Selena Voss sat in an orange jumpsuit, watching the live broadcast on a small overhead television.
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When she saw Aria announce the total liquidation of her family's remaining wealth to the very orphanage she tried to use as a trap, Selena collapsed onto the cold concrete floor, weeping hysterically, her mind completely shattered by the absolute loss of everything she had ever known.
Back in the boardroom, the shareholders stood up one by one, erupting into a thunderous standing ovation. The young woman they had assumed was just a quiet intern had, in less than a week, dismantled a corrupt rival family, eliminated a traitorous corporate insider, and secured absolute dominance over the market.
