Chapter 4 - The Corporate Execution
I signaled to Malcolm, who was standing near the audio-visual booth. He nodded.
The massive digital screens behind the stage, which were supposed to display the foundation’s charity metrics, suddenly flashed to life. But they didn't show charity work. They displayed high-definition images of offshore wire transfers, luxury lease agreements, and invoices from "Sinclair Consulting."
"Over the past fourteen months," I narrated coldly as the evidence scrolled on the fifty-foot screens, "Bennett Ward has embezzled over two million dollars from the operational accounts of Ward Meridian. He funneled this money into a shell consulting firm owned entirely by his mistress, Ms. Ava Sinclair, to fund their lavish personal lifestyle."
Ava let out a piercing shriek of horror, covering her face as a massive, blown-up image of a $150,000 wire transfer bearing her signature flashed onto the screen behind me. The high-society guests she had been trying to impress physically backed away from her in disgust.
"This is forged!" Bennett screamed, his perfectly constructed public image completely incinerating in front of his investors. "It’s a lie! She doctored those documents!"
"They are certified bank records, Bennett," I replied, holding up the legal document from my envelope. "And three hours ago, I presented these exact records to a federal judge. The judge signed an emergency injunction. As of 5:00 PM today, Bennett Ward has been stripped of his title as CEO. His assets are frozen. And the controlling shares of Ward Meridian have been legally reverted entirely to me."
The room was in absolute pandemonium. Board members were shouting. Investors were pulling out their phones to call their brokers.
"I am the sole owner of the Meridian Crown," I announced, my voice slicing through the chaos with lethal precision. I looked directly at Ava, who was trembling, clutching my mother's white sable coat as if it could protect her.
"Ava," I said, my tone dripping with ice. "Take off my mother's coat. Right now."
Ava looked at the hundreds of eyes glaring at her. She looked at Bennett, who was staring at the screens in catatonic shock, offering her no protection. Trembling violently, she slowly slipped the white sable off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor.
"Security," I commanded, looking at the guards stationed at the doors. "Please escort Mr. Ward and Ms. Sinclair off the premises. They are officially trespassing."
Two massive security guards approached the stage. Bennett didn't even fight them. The sheer magnitude of his public ruin had completely broken him. He had walked into the lobby believing he was a king about to discard his broken queen. He was walking out as a disgraced criminal facing federal embezzlement charges.
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As they dragged Ava away, she was sobbing uncontrollably, her red-soled heels dragging on the carpet. The glamorous life she thought she had stolen evaporated into thin air.
I stepped down from the podium, picked up my mother's white sable coat, and draped it over my own shoulders. It smelled like Chanel No. 5 and victory.
