Chapter 6 - The Boardroom Purge
By Thursday morning, the corporate headquarters of Northstar Maritime on Fourth Avenue was surrounded by federal investigators and forensic auditors.
At ten o'clock sharp, the main boardroom doors swung open for an emergency meeting of the Northstar board of directors.
At the far end of the long obsidian table sat Vanessa Reed and her father, Richard Reed, the company's chief legal counsel, looking pale and defensive.
Richard Reed slammed his palm onto the polished wood, trying to rally the remaining directors.
"This is an unwarranted federal overreach!" Richard yelled, his voice echoing in the tense room.
"Julian Sterling's dismissal was handled internally, and there is no justification for Collins Global to seize our operating servers!"
"There is every justification, Mr. Reed," a clear, commanding voice rang out from the entrance.
I walked into the boardroom, wearing a tailored charcoal power suit, carrying an encrypted tablet.
Behind me walked Roman Collins, dressed in a flawless three-piece navy suit, radiating pure, unchallengeable authority.
The directors scrambled to their feet, bowing their heads in nervous deference to the billionaire who held their company's debt notes.
"Clara Vance?" Richard Reed scoffed, attempting to maintain his swagger.
"You have no legal standing to address this board! You were terminated on Tuesday!"
Roman Collins didn't even look at Richard Reed as he took the chair at the head of the table.
"Sit down, Richard," Roman commanded, his tone dropping the temperature of the room by ten degrees.
"Miss Vance is the executive representative of Collins Global, which acquired sixty-two percent of Northstar’s senior secured voting shares at eight this morning."
A collective gasp rippled through the twelve executives, while Vanessa sank back into her leather chair, clutching her throat.
"You... you bought the entire firm?" Richard stammered, his legal arrogance instantly crumbling.
"I bought the debt, Richard," Roman replied smoothly, steepling his fingers.
"And under the terms of the debt covenant, I have the absolute right to purge any personnel engaged in gross negligence, kickback diversion, or corporate sabotage."
Roman nodded toward me.
"Miss Vance, deliver the findings."
I stepped forward, tapping my tablet to activate the central projection screen.
The presentation didn't show my stolen six-week model; it displayed a comprehensive forensic trail showing how Richard Reed had approved twenty-four separate fraudulent container permits signed by Julian Sterling.
"Over the past eighteen months," I announced clearly, "Mr. Reed and Mr. Sterling diverted three point four million dollars into dummy consulting agencies registered under Vanessa Reed's name."
Vanessa gasped, jumping to her feet with tears streaming down her face.
"Dad! You told me that was an offshore wedding trust!"
"Be quiet, Vanessa!" Richard hissed, sweating profusely through his white collar.
"The federal marshals are waiting in the executive lobby, gentlemen," I continued calmly, looking at the two disgraced lawyers.
"You have twenty minutes to surrender your building access fobs and accompany them downtown for formal arraignment."
Richard Reed collapsed into his chair, covering his face with trembling hands, while Vanessa sobbed uncontrollably into her silk scarf.
The other board members sat frozen, not a single one daring to raise a voice in defense of the thieves who had ruled the firm for a decade.
Roman Collins stood up, buttoning his jacket with effortless grace, looking down the length of the table with cold finality.
May you like
"The board of directors is dissolved," Roman declared.
"Northstar Maritime will be reorganized under the direct management of Clara Vance. Meeting adjourned."
