Chapter 9 - The Paper Trail
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Ethan backed away toward the wall as two corporate security guards entered the boardroom behind him.
“You can’t do this!” Ethan stammered, sweat soaking through his cheap shirt. “I built the regional procurement network! You need me!”
I picked up a thin paper folder from the table and opened it.
“Let's talk about that procurement network, Ethan,” I said, my voice echoing clearly across the silent room.
“Over the last eighteen months, you routed forty-two shipping contracts through a third-party logistics firm called Beatrice Silk Enterprises.”
Ethan’s face went completely ghost-white.
“That third-party firm,” I continued, scrolling through the documents, “charged Vance Logistics a thirty-percent markup on every shipment. That markup was then funneled directly into a private account in the Cayman Islands registered under your mother’s name.”
“That... that was a legitimate consulting fee!” Ethan lied desperately.
“It was grand larceny and tax evasion totaling $4.8 million,” Julian Vance interjected firmly. “Our forensic accountants completed the audit three hours ago. The Internal Revenue Service and the FBI have already been notified.”
Ethan looked at the board members, searching for a single friendly face. Every director looked away with cold disdain.
“Victoria...” Ethan whimpered, collapsing against the doorframe. “Please... we were married. We shared a life together. Don't send me to prison!”
I looked at him, remembering the cold smirk on his face when he told me I needed to learn respect over a bag of coffee.
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“You told me that violence was about establishing authority, Ethan,” I said softly. “In my world, authority is built on power and intelligence. You have neither.”
I motioned to the guards. “Remove him.”
