Chapter 7: The Vote That Changed Everything
The emergency board meeting began at eight the next morning.
Every director attended, along with Grace, two independent auditors, Chloe, Eleanor, and a pale-looking Alan Reese.
Marcus entered last.
“This meeting is invalid,” he said.
Evelyn Price pointed to the empty chair opposite her.
“Sit down.”
“I am still chief executive.”
“For the next few minutes, perhaps.”
His attorney leaned toward him.
Marcus ignored the warning and remained standing.
Grace connected her laptop to the wall screen.
“The company pension reserve lost one-point-two million dollars over eighteen months.”
A director named Thomas Gray struck the table.
“That fund belongs to our employees.”
Marcus faced him.
“Every dollar was part of a temporary investment strategy.”
“Then why did it pass through Chloe’s property company?” I asked.
“To generate a better return.”
Chloe laughed once.
“You told me it was your bonus.”
Marcus pointed at her.
“She signed the transfers.”
“At your direction,” Chloe replied.
“And I gave Grace the recordings.”
“You gave her edited recordings.”
Grace clicked the first file.
“The device metadata shows no edits.”
Alan pushed back his chair.
“I want my attorney.”
Marcus turned on him.
“Sit down.”
“No.”
“You approved every ledger entry.”
“Because you told me the board had authorized them.”
Marcus’s voice dropped.
“If I fall, you fall first.”
Alan’s hands began shaking.
“You said the records were gone.”
Grace displayed a server map.
“You deleted the local files last night.
The remote backup retained every version.”
Marcus stared at Alan.
“You incompetent fool.”
Alan stood.
“He ordered me to erase them.”
Evelyn looked at Grace.
“Do you have proof?”
Grace played a voicemail.
“Alan, clear the transfer ledgers before morning.
If anyone asks, the former owner took the money.”
My name appeared on the screen beside a fabricated user login.
I leaned toward Marcus.
“You built an account in my name.”
“You had access when we were married.”
“Not three years after our divorce.”
A woman near the door rose from her seat.
I recognized Ruth, Marcus’s former bookkeeper.
“He made me create that login,” she said.
Marcus’s face hardened.
“You were dismissed for poor performance.”
“I resigned because you asked me to change the date on a transfer.”
“Can you prove that?”
Ruth held up a small notebook.
“I wrote down every instruction you gave me.”
Marcus turned to the board.
“This is a coordinated attack led by Bennett Capital.
Remove them, and I can stabilize the company.”
Evelyn lifted the voting sheet.
“All in favor of immediately removing Marcus Hale as chief executive and freezing his company access?”
Hands rose around the table.
Marcus looked to Thomas.
“You owe me.”
Thomas raised his hand last.
Evelyn signed the resolution.
“The vote is unanimous.”
Two financial investigators entered with a court order.
One approached Marcus while the other collected Alan’s laptop.
Marcus looked at me.
“You think this makes you better than me?”
“No.
Leaving you did that.”
He was escorted toward the door, but Grace’s phone rang before he reached it.
She answered, listened, and looked at me.
“What now?” Daniel asked.
Grace turned her laptop around.
“Three hundred thousand dollars entered an account in her name at midnight.”
May you like
Marcus smiled over his shoulder.
“Good luck explaining that.”
