Chapter 12 - Entering the Lion's Den
|
The atmosphere inside the Vance Hospitality corporate headquarters was thick with panic when I arrived on Tuesday morning. Employees were whispering in the hallways, shooting nervous glances at my legal team as we marched toward the executive suites.
I wore a sharp, tailored black suit. No jewelry. No makeup to hide the faint, fading bruise on my cheek. I wasn't there to look pretty; I was there to execute a corporate slaughter.
We entered the massive, glass-walled boardroom.
The Vances were already seated, expecting me to walk in crying and begging for a reconciliation. Grant sat near the front, wearing the exact same arrogant, confident expression he had worn right before he shoved my face into the cake.
Eleanor sat beside him, clutching a folder containing a prepared statement. I knew exactly what it was—a speech blaming me for "unprofessional personal retaliation" and demanding the board compel me to release the funds.
At the head of the table sat Grant’s father, Richard. He looked haggard, staring down at a massive stack of red-stamped overdue notices. He was the only Vance who hadn't been in on the embezzlement scheme; he was just an incompetent CEO who had let his wife and son run the company into the ground.
I walked in, flanked by Mara and my lead forensic accountant.
On a large television screen mounted to the wall, the bank’s lead restructuring representative watched the proceedings via a secure video link, invited specifically by the independent directors.
Grant leaned back in his plush leather chair, crossing his arms with a smug, patronizing smirk.
"Well," Grant said loudly, addressing the room. "Are you finally ready to stop this ridiculous tantrum, Claire? If you apologize to the board, we might still let you fund the expansion."
I didn't blink. I didn't even look at him.
May you like
I gestured to Mara, who stepped forward and heavily dropped three massive, densely packed binders onto the center of the polished mahogany table. The loud thud made Grant jump.
"We aren't here to discuss a tantrum, Grant," Mara stated, her voice slicing through the room like a scalpel. "We are here to officially discuss massive, systemic corporate fraud."
