Chapter 3 - The Snake in the Boardroom
The revelation of my father's involvement threw us into a high-stakes race against time. If the board of directors found out that $150 million was missing before we could recover it, they would force a vote of no confidence, strip Liam of his authority, and sell Vance Global off to the highest bidder—which, undoubtedly, would be a front company owned by Charles Sterling.
"We have to act fast, but we have to be smart," Liam said, pacing the floor of our secret war room in the basement of the Vance headquarters. "If Charles realizes we are onto him, he'll trigger the final transfer and vanish with the money."
"I have an idea," I said, looking up from my laptop. "My father is arrogant. He always has been. He believes he's the smartest man in any room. We need to feed that arrogance."
"How?"
"We leak a fake audit report," I explained, a dangerous spark igniting in my eyes. "We make Julian Ward believe that we are looking in the completely wrong direction—let's say, targeting an innocent third-party vendor. Julian will report this back to my father. They will think they have more time, which will make them careless."
Liam smiled, a genuine, admiring look that made my heart flutter slightly. Over the past few months of working together, my feelings for Liam had grown into something deeper, though neither of us dared to cross that professional line—especially not now.
"You're brilliant, Chloe," Liam said softly, stepping closer. "But it's dangerous. If your father realizes you're the auditor behind this... he won't hesitate to target you."
"Let him try," I said, my voice hardening. "He has a black cane. I have the truth. Let's see who wins this time."
The trap was set. We leaked the falsified report into the company's secure database, making sure to leave a digital footprint that only Julian Ward would notice.
By the next afternoon, our trap yielded its first result.
My phone buzzed with an blocked caller ID. My heart hammered against my ribs as I slid the answer bar and placed the phone to my ear.
"Hello?"
"You always were a stubborn little brat, Chloe," a voice sneered through the receiver.
It was a voice I hadn't heard in fifteen years, yet it was instantly recognizable. It was deeper, raspy from years of heavy drinking and bitter resentment, but it still carried that same chilling, patronizing tone.
"Father," I said, keeping my voice dead of any emotion.
"I must admit, I was surprised when Julian told me the junior auditor sniffing around our accounts was named Chloe Sterling," Charles laughed, a dry, rattling sound. "You thought you could hide from me under Arthur's shadow? The old man is dying, Chloe. His empire is falling, and there is nothing you or that adopted stray, Liam, can do to stop it."
"We know about Apex Horizon, Charles," I countered, deliberately using his first name to needle his pride. "We know you've stolen $150 million. The FBI will be at your door by tomorrow morning."
"Oh, will they?" Charles chuckled darkly. "I don't think so. Because if you call the feds, I will release a set of highly sensitive, fabricated documents that prove Arthur Vance was laundering money for cartel syndicates for the last decade. It will ruin his legacy, destroy the company's stock, and send your precious mother to a federal prison as an accomplice. You sign off on the audit, declare the funds as a write-off, or I pull the trigger on the Vance family name."
May you like
He hung up before I could reply.
I sank back into my chair, my breath catching in my throat. He didn't just want the money. He wanted absolute, total destruction.
