Chapter 8 - THE EMPIRE ON TRIAL
The emergency board meeting took place two days later.
Every director attended. So did the company’s outside counsel, the independent auditors, and representatives from the financial crimes division.
Charles arrived with two attorneys and the confidence of a man who believed money could still solve any problem.
Adrian sat at the head of the table.
Mara sat beside the independent auditor.
The arrangement caused an immediate stir.
“Who authorized her presence?” Charles demanded.
“I did,” Adrian replied.
“She is not a shareholder.”
“She is a witness, a records custodian, and the daughter of the man you framed.”
Charles’s face tightened.
Adrian placed the ledgers on the table.
The auditor explained the transfers. The company’s money had been diverted through shell corporations, disguised as consulting fees, and returned through charitable accounts. Thomas Ward had discovered the scheme and refused to approve it.
The false audit had been created after his refusal.
Then the recording was played.
Victor’s voice filled the boardroom.
No one moved.
Charles attempted to stand. “This recording is inadmissible.”
“Your attorneys can argue that in court,” Adrian said. “The original has been delivered to investigators, along with the medical records and the financial ledgers.”
Charles looked toward the directors. “You cannot destroy a company over events that happened years ago.”
Mara rose.
“My father spent the last years of his life in prison because your family needed someone to blame. His wife died without seeing his name cleared. His daughter worked in your house because she had no other way to get close enough to find the truth.”
She placed a copy of the scholarship list on the table.
“And while you protected your reputation, you stole money meant for children whose parents worked for this company.”
A director lowered his eyes.
Another pushed his chair back.
Charles turned to Adrian. “You’re going to hand the empire to her?”
“No,” Adrian said. “I’m going to stop pretending the empire belongs to one family.”
He announced that he would place his controlling shares into an independent trust, with a mandate to restore the stolen funds, compensate affected families, and restructure the company’s governance.
The board voted to suspend Charles and refer the matter to prosecutors.
As security escorted him out, Charles stopped beside Adrian.
“You think she’ll stay when there’s nothing left to take?”
Adrian glanced at Mara.
“She never came for what I had.”
Charles left.
Vivienne was questioned separately. Her role in the recent transfers was smaller than Charles’s, but the evidence showed she had knowingly concealed records and attempted to destroy documents. She was charged with obstruction and financial conspiracy.
Outside the building, reporters crowded the steps.
Mara kept her head down until Adrian reached for her hand.
“You don’t have to stand beside me,” he said.
“I know.”
“Then why are you?”
She looked at the cameras, then at him.
“Because my father never got to see his name cleared.”
May you like
Adrian squeezed her hand.
“Today, he did.”
