Chapter 29: The Smiling Assassin
The quarterly board meeting began exactly at 10:00 a.m.
The massive glass boardroom was filled with the top executives of the empire. I sat at the head of the table in a pristine white suit, sipping my coffee. Daniel sat quietly to my right.
Suddenly, the doors swung open.
Alexander Blackwood strolled in, looking like a conquering emperor. He wore a custom midnight-blue suit, flanked by three elite corporate lawyers.
"Ms. Parker," Alexander smiled, his eyes gleaming with malicious triumph. "I apologize for the intrusion. But I am here as a newly recognized proxy shareholder."
The board members murmured in confusion.
I didn't stand up. I didn't look surprised. I just took another sip of my coffee. "You are trespassing, Mr. Blackwood."
"Actually, I have the floor," Alexander smirked, turning to look at Daniel. "Isn't that right, Daniel? I believe you have a motion to present to the board?"
The room went dead silent. All eyes turned to Daniel.
Alexander’s smile grew wider. He was waiting for the betrayal. He was waiting for the moment my empire crumbled from the inside out, engineered by the very man I had trusted.
Daniel stood up slowly. He buttoned his suit jacket.
He looked at Alexander. Then, he looked at me.
"I do have a motion," Daniel announced, his voice booming across the silent room.
Daniel reached into his briefcase. But he didn't pull out a vote of no confidence. He pulled out a thick, black flash drive and slid it directly across the mahogany table.
It stopped perfectly in front of me.
May you like
Alexander’s arrogant smile froze. "Daniel? What are you doing?"
"My motion," Daniel said, his voice dropping to a lethal, icy register, "is to permanently ban Alexander Blackwood from operating within the United States financial sector. Ms. Parker, that drive contains the complete digital footprint of his illegal offshore shell companies, exactly as he bragged about in the cigar lounge yesterday."
