Chapter 14 - Confrontation at the Board|
At two o'clock that afternoon, the grand boardroom of Hastings Tower was packed with thirty panicked board members, SEC investigators, and news reporters.
Richard Cole sat at the head of the long glass table, flanked by his daughter Vanessa and a team of six corporate lawyers.
"Adrien Hastings is unfit to lead!" Richard announced to the room, pounding his fist on the table. "His father forged Clara Hastings' stock transfers, and Adrien covered it up! Under Section 4 of corporate law, I demand immediate control of the board!"
Vanessa sat beside her father, her arms crossed, a triumphant, smug smile plastered across her face. She looked directly at Adrien, who sat calmly at the opposite end of the table.
"You should have married me, Adrien," Vanessa whispered nastily across the glass. "Now you're going to lose everything."
Adrien didn't answer her. He slowly stood up, smoothing his suit jacket.
"Richard," Adrien said, his voice quiet, calm, and carrying through the silent room like a blade. "You're right about one thing. A crime was committed twelve years ago."
Richard smirked. "You admit it?"
"I admit that you and my father forged Clara's signature," Adrien continued smoothly. He reached into his briefcase and pulled out a leather journal, along with an audio recorder. "What you didn't know is that my sister left a complete written record of your extortion."
Adrien pressed play on the recorder.
A high-definition audio file played through the boardroom speakers—a recording Clara had made on her phone twelve years ago:
“Richard Cole, if you don't leave my house right now, I'm calling the police!”
“Call them, Clara,” Richard Cole's voice boomed on the tape. “Your father owes me fifty million. You'll sign over your stock shares to me tonight, or I'll make sure your brother Adrien never walks into Hastings Tower again!”
The boardroom erupted into total bedlam.
SEC investigators stood up instantly. Board members gasped in horror. Reporters began flashing cameras rapidly.
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Richard Cole's face went completely grey. His hands began to shake uncontrollably. "That... that's a fake! That recording is AI generated!"
"It's certified authentic by federal forensics, Richard," Marcus Vance announced, stepping forward with two federal marshals. "And the FBI has already executed a search warrant on your penthouse."
